Steam’s new Achievement Sets overhaul lets developers divide a game’s achievements into separate collections, including campaign, multiplayer, character, DLC and seasonal sets. Each collection gets its own progress bar and completion trophy, while the redesigned achievements page makes it easier to compare progress with up to three friends. The feature is currently in the Steam Client beta and has no guaranteed public-release date.
What Steam Achievement Sets change
Achievement Sets are opt-in collections created by a game’s developer. Instead of treating every achievement as one undifferentiated list, a supported game can organize them into meaningful groups such as a single-player campaign, multiplayer mode, character class, expansion or seasonal event.
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Every set has an independent progress bar and a completion trophy. Completing one set therefore remains a visible accomplishment even if the developer adds more achievements elsewhere later. Valve says the system was designed to address problems caused by long, constantly expanding achievement lists.
DLC no longer has to dilute base-game completion
Developers can put expansion-only achievements into dedicated DLC sets. Those achievements are not included in a player’s overall game progress until the player has access to the relevant content. After the DLC is acquired, its achievements appear as separate progress and trophies.
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This means a player who finishes the base game can retain that completion status without being penalized automatically when an expansion is released. The exact presentation depends on whether the game’s developer migrates its achievements to the new system; Achievement Sets are not being applied universally to every Steam title.
Seasonal and retired achievements can be archived
Steam now supports archiving individual achievements or entire sets. Valve specifically cites seasonal and holiday events as examples. Archived achievements remain visible on profiles for players who already unlocked them, but they no longer appear for players who missed the event and no longer prevent those players from completing the relevant set.
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Archiving preserves the record of an achievement without forcing new or returning players to chase content that is no longer available. A developer must choose to archive the content, so this is a tool rather than an automatic rule for every time-limited event.
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The redesigned achievements page
The new page combines a game’s overall progress, set-level progress and individual achievement details. Filters let players view a particular set or show only locked or unlocked achievements. Global completion statistics are now optional through a toggle, allowing players to focus on their own progress when they do not want rarity information displayed.
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- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
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Comparing progress with friends
Players can compare their achievements with up to three friends at once. The comparison can include rare achievements, completed sets and progress in DLC sets. Steam calculates each player’s total using the content that person can actually earn, so percentages and totals may differ when players own different DLC, when achievements have been archived, or when content was available only for a limited time.
As a result, two players can show different overall totals without either profile being incomplete under that player’s available content. The comparison is intended to reflect attainable progress rather than blindly counting every achievement ever published for the game.
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How developers implement Achievement Sets
The rebuilt Steamworks editor adds tools for managing large achievement catalogs. Developers can bulk-import and bulk-export achievement definitions, icons, localization and set assignments; move achievements between sets in bulk; generate grayscale icons for locked states; receive localization warnings; archive content; and create developer-only test sets.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsExisting achievement API names and unlock calls continue to work. Steamworks Development said on 15 October 2026 that developers do not need to update their game or the Steamworks SDK to begin using Achievement Sets. The migration is therefore primarily an organizational and configuration change, although each developer still decides whether and how to reorganize its game.
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- When you access your Visa Virtual eGift Card for the first time, you’ll need to register your name, address, phone number, and email address via activationspot.com. These details should also be used as your billing address for online purchases, as many merchants require address verification for purchase authorization.
- This Visa Virtual eGift Card is non-reloadable. No cash or ATM access. Visa Virtual eGift Cards are emailed active.
- Funds do not expire but your Visa Virtual eGift Card has a ‘valid thru’ date (9 years from date of purchase). If funds remain after this date has passed, please call the Toll Free number found on your Visa Virtual eGift Card for a replacement card. A one-time purchase fee applies at the time of checkout.
- This item is not eligible for refund, resale, or return. Available for sale within the United States only. Not available to residents of Puerto Rico, Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and the US Virgin Islands.
Availability, beta access and expected release
Achievement Sets are available in beta for both players and developers. To try the player-facing changes, join the Steam Client beta through Steam’s client settings, then check a game that supports the feature.
Valve has not announced a fixed public-release date. PC Gamer reported on 15 October 2026 that a wider release was likely in about a month, but that estimate is not a guarantee. UI behavior, the supported-game list and rollout timing may change while the beta continues.
Games on Valve’s initial supported list
- Against the Storm
- Age of Wonders 4
- American Truck Simulator
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
- Crusader Kings III
- DREDGE
- Euro Truck Simulator 2
- Forza Horizon 5
- Flock Around
- He is Coming
- LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
- Left 4 Dead 2
- Portal 2
- PowerWash Simulator
- PowerWash Simulator 2
- Team Fortress 2
- Victoria 3
This is an initial supported list, not a claim that every listed game exposes every possible set type. A title must be migrated by its developer, and coverage can expand or change during the beta.
What players should check before chasing 100%
- Open the game’s redesigned achievements page and look for separate set tabs or filters.
- Check whether expansion achievements are listed in a DLC set rather than the base-game set.
- Review archived entries before assuming a locked seasonal achievement is still obtainable.
- When comparing with friends, confirm that different DLC ownership or event availability explains any difference in totals.
- Remember that a game without Achievement Sets still uses its existing achievement structure until its developer migrates it.
How the overhaul affects completion hunting
The practical change is a more precise definition of completion. Base campaigns, expansions and limited-time events can each have their own finish line, and later additions no longer have to erase the meaning of an earlier completed set. Friend comparisons should also become fairer because Steam accounts for what each player can actually access.
However, the system is not a universal reset or an automatic cleanup of every game’s achievement list. Developers control set assignments and archiving, and the feature remains in beta. Until a particular title adopts it, its existing DLC, seasonal and completion behavior remains unchanged.
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