Steam rolls out Achievement Sets to everyone, so DLC need not undo your completion
Steam Achievement Sets are now available to all users, giving supported games a way to separate base-game accomplishments from DLC and other groups. The change means a new expansion need not erase a player’s previously completed set.
Valve has moved the feature out of beta as part of its November 11 Steam client update. Each set can have its own progress bar and completion trophy, while a redesigned achievements page puts more of that information in one place.
Developers decide how to organise their games’ achievements, so the experience will depend on which titles have adopted the system. The update also applies to the Steam Deck client.
Valve screenshot showing progress in Steam Achievement Sets. Image: Valve
Why separate sets matter
Before sets, a player who had unlocked every achievement could find their percentage drop when a game added more through an update or paid expansion. Valve says new sets let developers show that additional progress without undoing an earlier completion.
Valve screenshot of achievement sets and progress. Image: Valve
In its public release announcement, Valve says achievements can be tied to DLC and tracked separately from the base game. A completed set stays completed when additional achievements are added, according to the company.
That does not mean every game will immediately split its existing achievements into base-game and DLC sections. The feature provides the tools, while individual developers decide how to group their own achievements.
Valve’s original announcement listed games including Portal 2, DREDGE, Euro Truck Simulator 2 and Forza Horizon 5 among the titles that had already adopted sets during the beta. Their exact groupings depend on each game.
Valve screenshot illustrating separate DLC achievement sets in DREDGE. Image: Valve
More ways to compare progress
The updated achievements page brings together overall progress, individual set progress, global statistics and additional search filters. Players can compare their progress with up to three friends.
Developers can also archive achievements or sets that are no longer available. Valve says players who earned an archived achievement keep it on their profiles, while unavailable achievements do not block future players’ progress toward completion.
We previously covered a Steam beta update that fixed achievement counts. This release brings the broader feature to the public client, so players no longer need to opt into that beta to use it.
The client update downloads automatically. Once it arrives, check the achievements page for a game in your library to see the layout and whether its developer has organised achievements into separate sets.
