Xbox is finally giving achievement hunters something PlayStation players have enjoyed for nearly two decades. Microsoft has introduced Mythic Achievements, a new completion reward designed to recognize players who unlock every achievement in a game.
The feature is currently rolling out to Xbox Insiders and effectively serves as Xbox’s answer to the PlayStation Platinum Trophy.
More importantly, Microsoft has made the system retroactive. That means Mythic Achievements are not limited to upcoming games, and developers do not need to go back and update older releases.
Xbox Finally Gets Its Own Platinum-Style Reward
Achievements have been part of the Xbox ecosystem since the Xbox 360 launched in 2005. The system quickly became one of the console’s defining features, with individual achievements contributing points toward a player’s overall Gamerscore.
Sony followed with its Trophy system in 2008, but PlayStation added something Xbox never really had: the Platinum Trophy.
Players generally receive a Platinum after collecting every required Trophy in a game. Beyond simply showing 100% completion, it provides a dedicated reward that can be displayed alongside other Platinum Trophies on a player’s profile.
Xbox players could complete games and earn every available achievement, but there was no equivalent final achievement celebrating that milestone.
After roughly 18 years, that difference is finally disappearing.
Mythic Achievements Work With Older Xbox Games
Perhaps the biggest surprise is how Microsoft has implemented Mythic Achievements.
The system works retroactively rather than requiring developers to manually add support. Older Xbox titles can therefore qualify automatically when a player meets the necessary completion requirements.
That reportedly includes games dating all the way back to the Xbox 360 era.
For longtime achievement hunters, this could make the feature considerably more interesting than a system restricted to new releases. Players with years of completed games could suddenly have a collection of Mythic Achievements waiting for them.
It also gives Microsoft’s enormous backward-compatible library another reason to revisit older games.
Currently Limited to Xbox Insiders
Mythic Achievements are not yet available to every Xbox player.
Microsoft is initially testing the feature through the Xbox Insider program, allowing the company to gather feedback and make adjustments before a wider rollout.
A date for the public release has not yet been announced.
The arrival of Mythic Achievements does not come completely out of nowhere either. Xbox leadership previously confirmed in August that the company was working on its own equivalent to PlayStation’s Platinum Trophy.
Mythic Achievements appear to be the result of those plans.
Xbox and PlayStation Achievement Systems Are Getting Closer
For years, Xbox and PlayStation approached completion rewards differently.
Xbox focused heavily on Gamerscore, allowing players to continuously increase one large score across their entire library. PlayStation instead divided accomplishments into Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum Trophies.
Both systems have their fans, but the Platinum Trophy gave PlayStation something Xbox lacked: a clear badge showing that a game had been fully completed.
Mythic Achievements finally fill that gap without abandoning the existing Xbox achievement system.
It also leaves Nintendo as the major console platform without a system-wide achievement feature. Steam tracks achievements and allows players to display completed games, but it similarly lacks a direct equivalent to an individual Platinum-style reward.
PlayStation Could Respond With Trophy Changes of Its Own
Interestingly, Sony has also shown some interest in changing its Trophy system.
The company surveyed players about potential Trophy-related changes earlier this year. However, Sony has yet to announce any major overhaul or new completion feature.
With Xbox now adopting one of PlayStation’s most recognizable completion rewards, the competition surrounding achievements could become more interesting.
For players, however, the biggest benefit is straightforward.
Completing an Xbox game will finally come with something more distinctive than seeing 100% next to an achievement list.
After nearly two decades of watching PlayStation players build their Platinum collections, Xbox achievement hunters are getting a collection of their own.
