Steam Lets Developers Split Achievements Into Separate Sets

Separate achievement sets get their own progress bars Developers can divide a game’s achievements into separate sets rather than grouping every achievement together. A set can cover the base game, while another covers its downloadable content (DLC). Each set has its own progress bar, giving players a distinct view of how far they have progressed in each part. This setup makes it easier to see achievement progress at a glance. Instead of one bar combining achievements across the game and its DLC, players can check each set separately. Progress toward completing one set is therefore presented independently from progress in another. For games with DLC, that separation helps distinguish achievements associated with the main game from those associated with additional content. The sets are a way for developers to organise achievements, and the individual progress bars reflect that organisation. Players can follow their progress in the base game and DLC without treating them as one combined achievement set. The result is a clearer breakdown of achievement completion across the game’s separate sets. How the sets cover base games and DLC Achievement sets can distinguish achievements for a base game from those tied to its downloadable content. This means the two groups do not have to appear as one undifferentiated list: a game can have a set for its base achievements and separate sets for DLC achievements. Players can then see which achievements belong to the original game and which are associated with additional content. This distinction matters when looking at progress. If achievements are organized into different sets, the base game’s achievements and a DLC’s achievements can be presented separately rather than blended together. A player interested in the original game can focus on that set, while someone playing an expansion can look at its set. The separation also makes it clearer what content an achievement belongs to, especially when a game has multiple DLCs. In short, achievement sets provide a way to group achievements by the content they cover. The base game and its downloadable content can each have their own achievement grouping, making the relationship between achievements and game content easier to understand. Progress is tracked for each set Each achievement set has its own progress bar, so players can see how close they are to completing that particular set. Rather than combining achievements into one overall total, the bars show progress separately for each set associated with the game. This makes it easier to follow achievements in one set without losing sight of progress in another. For example, a player can check the bar for the base game and the bar for a DLC set independently. Progress in one does not stand in for progress in the other: each bar reflects achievements within its own set. Players can therefore use the separate indicators to see which sets they have advanced in and which still have achievements to complete. These set-by-set bars make achievement progress more specific and readable. Instead of treating every achievement as part of a single pool, the display keeps each set’s progress distinct. When a game has multiple sets, players can track their progress across them at a glance, with each bar providing a clear view of achievement completion within its own set. What developers can change For developers, the option is to organize a game’s achievements into separate sets. A set can cover the base game, while another can cover DLC, so achievements for the main game and its add-ons do not have to be presented as one undivided group. This gives developers a way to distinguish the content associated with each part of a game. The sets also provide a structure for tracking progress: each set has its own progress bar. Players can therefore see progress for the base game separately from progress for DLC, rather than relying on a single bar to represent achievements across all the content. The arrangement applies to games on Steam, where developers can use separate achievement sets for the base game and DLC. This is a way to organize and display achievements, not a change to what an achievement represents. By separating the sets, developers can make the distinction between base-game and DLC achievements clear, while players can follow their progress in each set independently.