Valve has launched "Achievement Sets" in beta, a new feature that categorizes and manages Steam achievements in grouped sets. The feature focuses on resolving the issue where players who had already unlocked all achievements saw their completion status reset to incomplete whenever new achievements were added via DLC or seasonal updates.
On October 16, Valve announced via a Steam notice that the Achievement Sets beta has begun. Players opting into the Steam Client Beta can access the feature immediately and see it in action across select games that have already implemented it.
Achievement Sets allow developers to group a game's achievements by category. The number of sets and categorization criteria are up to the developer. Valve cited examples such as splitting achievements into single-player and multiplayer sets or creating eight class-based sets. While the method for unlocking achievements remains unchanged, viewing achievement progress now displays the long list organized by set. Each set features its own progress bar, and completing all achievements in a set adds a "set complete" trophy to the player's profile.
The biggest change is that completion records are now preserved. Previously, when new achievements were added to a game, players who had already achieved 100% completion had their status reverted to incomplete. Moving forward, developers can separate achievements for additional content into new sets, maintaining the completion status of players who finished previous sets. Valve explained that even if new achievements are added to an already completed set, that set's completion status will be preserved.
Sets are divided into Base Game sets and DLC sets. Base Game sets contain achievements that any player playing the game can unlock, and are displayed in blue on the achievements page.
DLC sets gather achievements that require purchasing add-on content, and they are not included in overall game progress until the DLC is owned. Once purchased, they are displayed in purple. In effect, this changes the system where players were unable to reach 100% completion without buying DLC.
An "archiving" feature has also been added for time-limited achievements. Developers can archive individual achievements or entire sets. Archived achievements remain on the profile of players who already unlocked them, but are hidden from players who missed them and will not affect set or game completion. This structure makes it easier to manage seasonal achievements in live-service games or holiday event achievements. Valve recommended that developers archive achievements that can no longer be unlocked.
The achievements page has also been overhauled. Overall progress, set-by-set progress, and individual achievement details can now be viewed on a single screen. "Global Stats," which show player unlock rates for each achievement, have moved from a separate page to a toggle button within the achievements page, and search now includes filters for specific sets as well as unlocked and locked achievements.
Profile and library displays have also been updated. The "Perfect Games" tab has been renamed to "Completion," displaying games with all achievements unlocked alongside games with completed sets. Games with completed sets can also be placed in the "Completionist Showcase." Store and library game pages now indicate whether Achievement Sets are supported. Additionally, games played via Family Sharing now appear in game lists, and players can compare achievements with friends who played via Family Sharing.
Achievement Sets require developers to implement them directly. Valve stated that supported games will gradually increase as developers adopt the new tools, and that it will continue refining the features based on player feedback during the beta period.
