Over 2.5 billion Achievements unlocked

By Robert Purchese Published 6 April, 2009

"We never anticipated this reaction."

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg has revealed that over 2.5 billion Xbox 360 Achievements have been unlocked so far.

That, he explained to Gamasutra, totals a massive 52 billion gamerpoints, and averages out at around 150 Achievements per player.

The hunger for Achievements, added Greenberg, has helped the Xbox 360 reach an attach rate of eight games per console. Greenberg reckons that's the "highest ever" for any platform.

"We never anticipated this reaction," added Greenberg, "where there are Achievement fan-sites and people playing games that they would never play [for the Achievement points]."

Did you know that Eurogamer reader KILLASNOWMAN214 has the highest gamerscore out of all of you? Some of us don't even make the list. But then it's not a competition. Is it?

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (23) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • muscleblade #1 3 years ago

    Im afraid that for many people achievements are like a very addicting drug. Dangerous stuff.

  • Skooch #2 3 years ago

    Mile High Club was my 'high point' - tough that one!

  • Vistrix #3 3 years ago

    Achievements sells games. Its a shame its taken Sony so long to realise this. If Sony takes this a few steps further (home integration etc) their attach rate will start to match the 360

  • Scimarad #4 3 years ago

    They never anticipated this reaction? Surely most people unlock acheivements just throught the normal process of playing the game.

  • ArchiRag #5 3 years ago

    I still find it kinda weird the way people let an arbitary number rule their gaming experience.... a lot of my friends will google exploits in order to make it easier to unlock achievements which i dont quite see the fun in but each to their own i guess

  • Ninja_Tino #6 3 years ago

    304000? Jesus! I don't go out the way to get silly achievements (most the time) but without them I never would have finished COD2 on Veteran, which was an intense, exciting and one hell of a rewarding experience.

  • DutchDemons #7 3 years ago

    They never anticipated this reaction? Surely most people unlock acheivements just throught the normal process of playing the game.

    clearly you are not aware of the achievement-fan sites that organize boost parties, exchange cheats, save game glitches etc.:-)

    No...a lot of 'gamers' don't simply play the games and unlock stuff on the way. there are ppl who cheat/boost glitch to get it...and hell, some ppl never even play the game and yet get 1000/1000. Also, on Live you would be surprised to see the amount of ppl totally fucking up a game just to get an achievement (i.e. not helping teammates, but running for super weapon X, hoarding weapons, camping, spawnkilling, or (in fifa) keeping the ball between 2 defenders for the remainder of the game, etc etc.).

    I'm still a fan of achievements, but after 3,5 years on live on the 360...i''ve come to a point where i 'just don't care that much anymore'.

    also...300K gamerscore? no way that is 1 person playing. (unless no life, etc etc)

  • chessboxer #8 3 years ago

    People will buy any old game just to get achievements and it's happening with trophies too.

  • ZuluHero #9 3 years ago

    well i must admit that achievements do make me play and replay games i own more then i would, but i wouldn't go out of my way to buy and play games i don't want to just to harvest their points.

  • Dizzy #10 3 years ago

    I find the addiction to achievements quite strange. I usually play a game to finish it, not to get achievements. That being said... I do get a tingle every time I see that little achievement window pop-up ;)

  • metalangel #11 3 years ago

    I like achievements, they encourage me to keep playing longer than I would have, and also try playing in ways I wouldn't normally have tried. And yes, it's a badge of honour. I am justly smug over 1000/1000 in stuff like Call of Duty 4 and Dead Rising.

  • S.J.Rogers #12 3 years ago

    I dont even look at achievements and i could not tell you what my gamer score is...

    I just play the game for the FUN of playing that game.

    Each to there own i guess...

  • Burkey123 #13 3 years ago

    I love trophies on my ps3. They do add a lot of replay value to your games.
    Some of my friends do buy games for achievements on their 360's. One friend bought Avatar for the 1000g. He got 1000 in 5 minutes and never played the game again.

  • jonsaan #14 3 years ago

    Man, that list just proves how many non contributing beta seekers have signed up to EG.

  • jonsaan #15 3 years ago

    I love achievements. They really help you to milk additional gameplay out of a title you may have disgarded after completion.

  • Apostle #16 3 years ago

    I've only completed some games down to the fact I wanted the achievement for it. It gets me back playing a game, in some cases after months of not touching them. If the game is good, then that's got to be a good thing.

    Love achievements.

  • muscleblade #17 3 years ago

    "One friend bought Avatar for the 1000g. He got 1000 in 5 minutes and never played the game again"

    Thats not a problem. The problem is when you play a game you reaaly dont like for hours just to get all the achievemnts.

    I like achievements for completing a game on the hardest difficulty. Im not a fan of collection achievements and achievements that make you do the same thing for xx amount of times. Playing games like CSI for hours just to get 1000/1000 isnt something i would do. Life is too short for that.

  • sanctusmortis #18 3 years ago

    I just aim to break 30k by the end of summer (at 27k now), then possibly 35 by year end.

    Achievements, for me, help me keep playing a game that hasn't instantly grabbed me, and to keep playing it when I'm done. In all honesty, after finishing RE5 I would've been straight off to trade it if it wasn't for the achievements (4 to go!). Getting every one in a game's a pretty damn good feeling.

    The number's just a comparison piece with no real basis of comparison; what takes 70 in one game can be a lot easier or harder in others, and sometimes even in the same game... it means less than the full completes and percentages.

  • riz23 #19 3 years ago

    It's sad that the EG list doesn't actually contain anyone who posts here.

  • TOOTR #20 3 years ago

    The GS itself doesn't bother me but I agree that some achievements give you a smug feeling of...well...cough....achievement.

    And also have certainly inspired me to go back and play games in different ways and really get the value/fun experience out of some games.

    Achievements FTW!

    not interested in playing pants games for them but if other people want to - up to them.

    Back in the days of the BBC micro, limited gaming choices meant I'd try lots of strange things out just because 'the game was there' trying to see graphics glitches by arranging strange deaths in 'Killa Gorilla' aka DonkeyKong or getting highscores with only one weapon type/life - i/.e literally playing with the game and not just playing it. Yes - latest generation of gamers - things were tough in those days... and not just because I had to write my highscores down in pencil in my notebook. Fact.

    TOOTRS Recession Session Top TIP
    Due to the recession and the insane amounts of game buying I did the last few years I have a lot of unfinished titles and have sworn to not buy new ones until I have at least 50% of achievements on the ones I have. (Unfortunately Peggle has come out since and I think Riddick will be a first day purchase but thats the idea anyway.)

  • Dodgymat #21 3 years ago

    Well said riz23. Why make a big deal out of CAPSLOCKKILLASNOWMAN in the article when he isn't an ''Eurogamer reader'' at all. Fact is he only came here once - for a COD4 beta code over 1.5 years ago.

    XBL stats should reflect active users, not one-time visitors who wanted in on the latest beta giveaway. Sad.

  • muscleblade #22 3 years ago

    "XBL stats should reflect active users"

    Agree.

  • Dodgymat #23 3 years ago

    Upon further inspection of the Top 50, only 5 people that are on there have ever bothered to post on EG, and not one of the other 45 have even been back to the site in well over a year. There needs to be an "active Eurogamers" chart, not this joke of a top 50.

    Still, as long as EG's ad reveune went up due to the large increase of registered users - that's all that matters I guess...