[Steam] No achievements = No buy

[Esquizo]

I’m begging the klein team to add Steam achievements to the new game this time. I feel much less motivated to play when there are no achievements to unlock. ☹️

I recently abandoned Shipwrecked because it feels like a gameplay without purpose or incentive.

It feels unfair that the console versions of the previous games received achievements/trophies, while the Steam versions were left without them.

Don't get me wrong, if some players don't care about achievements, they can simply ignore them. Just add achievements for the players who want and enjoy them.

Please, Team Klein!

[Harrowick]

These games are essentially survival sandbox experiences, where players explore and discover things at their own pace, making their own personal achievements in each world! Achievements were only added to console releases as a necessity from Sony & Microsoft to list them in their online stores, if I recall.

 

If achievements did make their way into DSE in any capacity, I think the "Accomplishments" from the old DST Forge/Gorge events could work. They were essentially in-game achievements, and some of them were even tied to specific characters! 

 

As far as I can recall they weren't in DS/T for a reason, but we still know so little about Don't Starve Elsewhere, so who knows. It's entirely Klei's decision. 

 

[Mike23Ua]

Back in the day when DS was released Klei was very Anti-Achievements there a Nightmare one for mashing the Accomploshrine a bajillion times that’s just how much Klei detested their existence. But I think that as the years went onward they became more accepting of them, even adding them into future Klei games.

Whats really important that I feel I should personally mention is that at least in my experience chasing DST acheivements helped teach me things I Did not know I could do within the game: A few examples being- Recruiting Follower Pigs, Using a Sewing Kit, Regrowing Flowers, & of course: Taming a Beefalo (the last acheivement I unlocked across both DS & DST by the way.. 🤣) 

But now that DST has a Scrapbook, Compendium, Cookbook, Farmers Almanac etc.. all these things to track player progress across their gameplay, I’m pretty sure Klei would be more open to achievements these days then when they were with DS.

[Evelo]

Can't play a game for the fun of it? Need to be guided by the thrill of a progress bar? Might want to talk to a therapist about that need, it isn't a healthy behavior.

[Esquizo]

3 hours ago, Evelo said:

Can't play a game for the fun of it? Need to be guided by the thrill of a progress bar? Might want to talk to a therapist about that need, it isn't a healthy behavior.

or maybe you should respect the way each player likes to play their games? 😉

Furthermore, achievements would give the game more longevity. I spent hours and hours playing Terraria to earn its achievements, things I could have simply ignored, but the achievements and challenges motivated me to keep playing.

[Mike23Ua]

12 hours ago, Esquizo said:

or maybe you should respect the way each player likes to play their games? 😉

Furthermore, achievements would give the game more longevity. I spent hours and hours playing Terraria to earn its achievements, things I could have simply ignored, but the achievements and challenges motivated me to keep playing.

Admit-ably it’s kinda weird though… like I mean if your enjoyment of a game is based on how many achievement's it has, do you even enjoy the game? Or are you just chasing higher achievement scores?You’d have never survived my era, I grew up with SNES, Sega Genesis, Gameboy & Gameboy Color, Ps1, Ps2, N64, GameCube, It wasn’t until XBOX that achievement's even became a thing.. back then games were less about platinum trophies, and more about just being fun to play.

I can respect Klei’s decision NOT to include them, especially when they have gone on record in the past stating that they COULD add more into DST, but doing that takes away from development time and resources they could be doing fun new content for the game.

[gaymime]

14 hours ago, Esquizo said:

or maybe you should respect the way each player likes to play their games? 😉

Furthermore, achievements would give the game more longevity. I spent hours and hours playing Terraria to earn its achievements, things I could have simply ignored, but the achievements and challenges motivated me to keep playing.

since you are on pc perhaps this would be an entertainable idea? a few years back i would play the original mod with a girl who liked 'chievos and it was pretty alright ^^

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2937640068

[Josonic]

21 hours ago, Evelo said:

Can't play a game for the fun of it? Need to be guided by the thrill of a progress bar? Might want to talk to a therapist about that need, it isn't a healthy behavior.

Its funny that when someone criticizes someone for using a lot of mods everyone says let people play how they want to. Yet if the way they want to play is to have some predefined challenges, suddenly its okay to mock them for it.

[Evelo]

43 minutes ago, Josonic said:

Its funny that when someone criticizes someone for using a lot of mods everyone says let people play how they want to. Yet if the way they want to play is to have some predefined challenges, suddenly its okay to mock them for it.

I wasn't mocking, was genuinely asking. Needing guidance to find entertainment isn't indicative of actual interest in the game itself. There is an underlying reason to crave that guidance and therapy could help root out that cause and address it.

[Capybara007]

I dont care if dse has achievements or not, but its funny when people say that "10 years ago klei said achievement bad because it forces you to play a certain way" as if nobody here already heard that story a thousand times

What klei did was not achievements, it was objectives, it was a huge text that appeared on the screen saying "survive x days"

Achievements dont work like that, they would actually be very helpful for helping players that want to play this game blind and it would prevent the necessity of watching 20 guides before playing the game which turns a lot of people away

If your favorite streamer played dst in the last years, what they likely did is survive 1 year, maybe clear the ruins and thats it, no fuelweaver, no champion, no post rifts stuff, achievements wont force the players to play a certain way but it will be helpful to remind them that there is still things to do in the game

Edited June 15 by Capybara007

[Esquizo]

2 hours ago, Capybara007 said:

I dont care if dse has achievements or not, but its funny when people say that "10 years ago klei said achievement bad because it forces you to play a certain way" as if nobody here already heard that story a thousand times

What klei did was not achievements, it was objectives, it was a huge text that appeared on the screen saying "survive x days"

Achievements dont work like that, they would actually be very helpfull for helping players that want to play this game blind and it would prevent the necesity of watching 20 guides before playing the game which turns a lot of people away

If your favorite streamer played dst in the last years, what they likely did is survive 1 year, maybe clear the ruins and thats it, no fuelweaver, no champion, no post rifts stuff, achievements wont force the players to play a certain way but it will be helpfull to remind them that there is still thing to do in the game

"10 years ago klei said achievement bad because it forces you to play a certain way"

Then.. the console versions get achievements, while Steam still doesn't, even after fans have been begging for them all these years.

I'm just asking for Steam achievements, not in-game achievements. 

Just like they did with their other games:

[Jakepeng99]

Klei is really against achievments. They are even cited as a source for the subject.

On console there will be achievments since they are forced to. Tbh, they could just add achievments, but make all of them hidden thats a good solution.

5 hours ago, Capybara007 said:

I dont care if dse has achievements or not, but its funny when people say that "10 years ago klei said achievement bad because it forces you to play a certain way" as if nobody here already heard that story a thousand times

What klei did was not achievements, it was objectives, it was a huge text that appeared on the screen saying "survive x days"

Achievements dont work like that, they would actually be very helpful for helping players that want to play this game blind and it would prevent the necesity of watching 20 guides before playing the game which turns a lot of people away

If your favorite streamer played dst in the last years, what they likely did is survive 1 year, maybe clear the ruins and thats it, no fuelweaver, no champion, no post rifts stuff, achievements wont force the players to play a certain way but it will be helpful to remind them that there is still things to do in the game

On the console edition of solo dont starve, they added a new structure called the accomplish tron or whatever. All it does is give you achievments for pressing it, and its the only achievments in the game, its kinda obvious they are against achievments or at least used to.

[Creatorofswamps]

7 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Klei is really against achievments. They are even cited as a source for the subject.

I may upset many people and make others happy, but Klei has already added achievements to DST (by releasing it on phones)

[Esquizo]

17 hours ago, Jakepeng99 said:

Klei is really against achievments.

Don't Starve achievements on consoles = ✅

Don't Starve achievements on phones = ✅

Achievements for their other games on Steam = ✅

Don't Starve achievements on Steam = ❌

 

I really don't understand. 

What's the problem with adding DS achievements to Steam?

[Mike23Ua]

53 minutes ago, Esquizo said:

Don't Starve achievements on consoles = ✅

Don't Starve achievements on phones = ✅

Achievements for their other games on Steam = ✅

Don't Starve achievements on Steam = ❌

 

I really don't understand. 

What's the problem with adding DS achievements to Steam?

Don’t take my word for it but someone once said that it was because PC players can “Cheat” to accomplish the achievements such as for example: an actual existing console achievement “Find & Kill Ancient Guardian”. 

I’ve watched Twitch streamers spawn bosses in or teleport themselves to nearest “whatever” 

Console players can’t do that, Klei can probably add extra measures to ensure that pc players do it in an unaltered Klei official server but…. That sounds like a lot of work for very little reward.

[ZeRoboButler]

22 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

That sounds like a lot of work for very little reward.

I mean I feel like this statement encapsulates the achievement system concept as a whole. 

They serve little purpose outside of making a "happy ding" sound, the game is ultimately neither better nor worse for their inclusion having no impact on gameplay. It's kind felt like the "high score" concept extended into modern games, giving those who wanted a numerical value or in the case of things like PlayStation for example, trophies.

Some games had little secrets riddled through out that would unlock something like concept art or for some silly things like big head mode for the fun of it, but you actually did something in those games to unlock that.

Achievements often have nothing of value to the player unless they for some reason unlock things later on like concept art, dev diary's or in some cases, in game "Idea museums" displaying stuff that didn't make it in to the full game. I really do miss those days... "Ratchet and Clank" was great...

If achievements are tied to something fun in game, sure I'm for it, otherwise they are rather pointless, the dopamine hit should be from what you can do in the game, not the sticker it gave you for doing a "nothing-task" like "complete the tutorial" or "you did this thing you where going to do anyway because otherwise you can't finish the game".    

[Esquizo]

23 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

Don’t take my word for it but someone once said that it was because PC players can “Cheat” to accomplish the achievements such as for example: an actual existing console achievement “Find & Kill Ancient Guardian”. 

I’ve watched Twitch streamers spawn bosses in or teleport themselves to nearest “whatever” 

Console players can’t do that, Klei can probably add extra measures to ensure that pc players do it in an unaltered Klei official server but…. That sounds like a lot of work for very little reward.

You guys keep inventing problems that don't exist.
God, it's just an achievements page on Steam! 
Any indie game has an achievements page. It's not like it's the most difficult thing to implement, or massive undertaking. 

 

Another klei game

[Mike23Ua]

24 minutes ago, Esquizo said:

You guys keep inventing problems that don't exist.
God, it's just an achievements page on Steam! 
Any indie game has an achievements page. It's not like it's the most difficult thing to implement, or massive undertaking. 

 

Another klei game

I meant that Klei encourages DST modding, Console Commands Etc, I just watched a video on YouTube where someone fought the Shadow Trio directly at their already placed cobblestone battle arena wall that they had set up for Dragonfly boss fights.

But the thing is, they Spawned these creatures here with Admin Commands, to do this same fight on Xbox requires you to actually search all over the game world for the broken statue parts & then take those parts to the set piece and assemble them in that area.

But with God Mode, Go Next etc I can see why the PC version doesn’t support achievements while Consoles and Mobile do.

[Evelo]

8 hours ago, Esquizo said:

You guys keep inventing problems that don't exist.
God, it's just an achievements page on Steam! 
Any indie game has an achievements page. It's not like it's the most difficult thing to implement, or massive undertaking. 

Another klei game

The thing is, you're judging on buying a game solely on if there are achievements or not. That is weird behavior. If you'd prefer achievements for a game, that's one thing, but "No achievements = no buy" is a problem and shows an unhealthy relationship with achievements in games and I really do suggest talking to a therapist about that, because it is a sign of addiction. (Took me a long time to peel myself away from World of Warcraft and I was achievement hunting even when I wasn't enjoying the game anymore)

[Jakepeng99]

On 6/16/2026 at 9:52 AM, Esquizo said:

Don't Starve achievements on consoles = ✅

Don't Starve achievements on phones = ✅

Achievements for their other games on Steam = ✅

Don't Starve achievements on Steam = ❌

 

I really don't understand. 

What's the problem with adding DS achievements to Steam?

On consoles they are forced to add achievments. Its why they did the achievmentron in solo ds console edition.

Idk for phones.

[aidancode]

On 6/14/2026 at 3:34 PM, Josonic said:

Its funny that when someone criticizes someone for using a lot of mods everyone says let people play how they want to. Yet if the way they want to play is to have some predefined challenges, suddenly its okay to mock them for it.

these are very different things. one is developer supported, the other is community driven entirely. achievements are basically the developer saying, "this is the way we recommend enjoying the game to its fullest, plus a few insane stuff for people with no life". if you think about it, achievements are the OPPOSITE of playing how you want.

what achievements ARE good for is helping the player figure out what is fun, but klei literally didnt add achievements to DST for the exact reason that people were dropping the game after completing them.

[Ellilea]

On 6/15/2026 at 1:20 AM, Evelo said:

I wasn't mocking, was genuinely asking. Needing guidance to find entertainment isn't indicative of actual interest in the game itself. There is an underlying reason to crave that guidance and therapy could help root out that cause and address it.

Or it's just that people enjoy accomplishing specific goals? Completionism is also a thing and it's just a pleasant way to play the games for a lot of people. Doesn't mean we need therapy, lol, it's just a way to have fun. I very much enjoy playing ONI to get "all achievements run". It adds challenge to the early game and gives me specific directions later. I am perfectly fine playing games without achievmeents, I've over 2000 hours logged in RimWorld. I still enjoy playing for achievements in any game that has them, because I like how that affects my gameplay and the way it holds my attention differently. And for some people, it's only fun when the game holds their attention that specific way or they have a set of goals ahead of them. They just don't find it fun to make up their own, and that's quite normal, I'd say.

It's really close-minded to think that people who play the game differently from you need therapy. I've not encountered that before, lol, not gonna lie. 

On topic, I'd very much like DS:E to have achievements, the more the better. Especially some finnicky ones that require some thinking, and those that push towards exploring everything the game has to offer.

Edited June 19 by Ellilea

[Creatorofswamps]

as for me, achievements should be like in Minecraft, not intrusive, but they can be used as a "tutorial". no one abandons Minecraft after getting all the achievements. or something like that

[Esquizo]

5 hours ago, Ellilea said:

Or it's just that people enjoy accomplishing specific goals? Completionism is also a thing and it's just a pleasant way to play the games for a lot of people. Doesn't mean we need therapy, lol, it's just a way to have fun. I very much enjoy playing ONI to get "all achievements run". It adds challenge to the early game and gives me specific directions later. I am perfectly fine playing games without achievmeents, I've over 2000 hours logged in RimWorld. I still enjoy playing for achievements in any game that has them, because I like how that affects my gameplay and the way it holds my attention differently. And for some people, it's only fun when the game holds their attention that specific way or they have a set of goals ahead of them. They just don't find it fun to make up their own, and that's quite normal, I'd say.

It's really close-minded to think that people who play the game differently from you need therapy. I've not encountered that before, lol, not gonna lie. 

On topic, I'd very much like DS:E to have achievements, the more the better. Especially some finnicky ones that require some thinking, and those that push towards exploring everything the game has to offer.

Thanks!! 

[Capybara007]

13 hours ago, aidancode said:

these are very different things. one is developer supported, the other is community driven entirely. achievements are basically the developer saying, "this is the way we recommend enjoying the game to its fullest, plus a few insane stuff for people with no life". if you think about it, achievements are the OPPOSITE of playing how you want.

This is not how achievements work in any game ever