Trophy hunters tend to debate one another about a lot of things. While there is no end to opinions that we differ on, one common thread that strikes fear in the hearts of many trophy hunters is the existence of unobtainable trophies. Whether by planned obsolescence, server shutdowns, or complete take-downs altogether, there are plenty of ways that trophies can be phased out. In fact, it is for exactly this reason that so many trophy hunters err on the side of caution when it comes to online-only video games.
However, for those of us that didn’t start our gaming adventures as trophy hunters, many such games enjoyed in years’ past have left permanent reminders on our profiles. I personally have several PlayStation games with trophy lists on my account that are no longer possible to complete; games that I played for a few hours many years ago and never thought about again until it was too late.
In this article, I will discuss 12 PlayStation titles both old and new that may have left you in a sour mood. Do you consider games with unobtainable trophies on your list to be the ones “that got away,” or do you feel vindicated now that you no longer need to return to lukewarm experiences?
Table of Contents
12. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
One of the highest-grossing video game series of all time, Call of Duty needs little introduction. The first-person shooter has been through many different iterations since its inception in 2003. Over the years, it innovated in different game modes and mechanics, such as wave-based Zombies modes, Battle Royale modes, parkour elements, and more.
Black Ops II, released in 2012, was no different. One of its new inclusions was League Play (functionally, a ranked mode). The more matches you win, the better league you get to participate in. There were 6 different tiers ranging from Iron to Master. The trophy “Big Leagues” required players to play 5 games in League Play to be placed in a division, then win 5 games within their designated league.
Although online servers for Black Ops II are still functional, League Play in particular was discontinued in December 2015. This renders the “Big Leagues” trophy and, by extension, Black Ops II’s platinum trophy unobtainable just 3 short years after the game’s release.
If that wasn’t enough to deter you, there have also been reports of players having trophies popped on their behalf simply by joining online lobbies with hackers. This can even lead to your profile getting flagged on the various trophy hunting websites.
11. Guitar Hero Live
Guitar Hero Live was the 2015 reboot to the classic video game series known for its unique instrument-styled controllers and rhythm-based gameplay. This entry was special, as it included a live-audience component rather than the animated crowds of the past. This made the game more realistic for many players. It also led to some humorous moments when the live-action crowd jeered at your performance.
The game’s trophy list included several heavy hitters to trip up trophy hunters. “Strumillionaire” could be achieved by performing 1 million strokes in GHTV, and “Pointdexter” required players to score 100,000,000 points in GHTV. All in, Guitar Hero Live was estimated to take at least 100 hours for players to complete its trophy set.
Not only that, but you only had 3 years to do it. Guitar Hero Live’s online servers were taken down in December 2018. That means all those trophies that refer to the GHTV online-only mode were no longer possible to obtain. In fact, only 0.78% of players on PSN Profiles managed to knock them all out in time.
Sadly, Guitar Hero Live is one of the titles that have left a permanent mark on my profile. I earned a handful of trophies while playing casually in 2015 and 2016, only to never return to the game again. My family and friends previously enjoyed Guitar Hero for many years on the Nintendo Wii, so I didn’t hesitate to pick up the newest entry when it released. I don’t regret playing it, but it is unfortunate that I didn’t have the trophy hunting bug back before it got taken offline for good.
10. Babylon’s Fall
Babylon’s Fall was released in March 2022 as an online action RPG. It was developed by PlatinumGames, a well-known studio responsible for the likes of Nier: Automata and the Bayonetta games. Despite several great titles lining up their resume, Babylon’s Fall would not be among them. The game’s peak had just shy of 1,200 concurrent players on Steam. Similarly, on PSN Profiles, only 3,300 players own the game.
At least according to these two sources, the game was not very successful. Indeed, Babylon’s Fall was officially delisted in September 2022, and its online servers were shut down in February 2023. For those keeping track, that is less than a year since its original release.
Thankfully, the game’s declining status was broadcasted well in advance, with players being notified of servers going offline 6 months in advance. This provided trophy hunters an opportunity to finish up their lists before the game went offline. As a result, 45% of Babylon’s Fall owners on PSN Profiles managed to get the platinum trophy.
Since the game cannot be played whatsoever with the servers offline, every single trophy on its list is now unobtainable. The short lifespan of the game is even more frustrating given that it was a full-priced title on release, and did not provide any scorned players a refund.
9. Deformers
If you have not heard of Deformers before, it wouldn’t be very surprising. Deformers was an online multiplayer game that released back in April 2017 by the recently dissolved studio, Ready At Dawn. Most players might recognize this studio as the one responsible for development of The Order: 1886. Interestingly, Deformers was launched as part of a publishing venture by video game retailer GameStop, alongside other notable titles like Song of the Deep and Has-Been Heroes.
The gameplay for Deformers revolved around players controlling round animals and either scoring goals or knocking opponents off the battlefield. It lacked complexity, but had the chance to bring in players with its cute aesthetic and zany fights.
Despite being free for members of GameStop’s rewards program and their employees, the game did not perform well by any metric. On PSN Profiles, only 5,600 players are even attributed to owning the game. The game’s all-time peak player count on Steam did not even break 100 concurrent players. As a result, the game was delisted and taken offline a year later in August 2018.
Sadly, I am one of the few unlucky souls that played this game on a whim when it released and did not finish its trophies before the server shutdown. A family member of mine had a free copy of the game that they gifted to me. I earned a whopping 2 trophies within 10 minutes of gameplay before shelving it and never touching it again. This game is one of the reasons I find myself now much more intentional in what unfamiliar games I decide to give a shot.
8. PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale is basically what it says on the tin: a crossover fighting game that hosts many well-known PlayStation icons and third-party guests. It was PlayStation’s take on the Super Smash Bros. formula that Nintendo popularized years ago, boasting family-friendly battles with a low barrier to entry and a fairly high skill ceiling. The game attempted to balance both aspects and was more or less successful in doing so, depending on who you ask.
Despite a promising premise, sales did not pan out for the new IP. In 2013, a year after the game’s release, comments from PlayStation Studios (formerly known as SCE Worldwide Studios) indicated that the game had only pushed 1 million units. Future DLC characters and talks of a sequel were quickly dismissed as a result of its lackluster performance.
It was announced in September 2018 that servers would be taken offline permanently. Thankfully, there was still time for trophy hunters to wrap up as it wasn’t until January 2019 that PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale was officially taken offline for good. Since 7 trophies can only be achieved through online play, its platinum trophy is no longer possible to obtain.
7. Portal 2
Portal 2 is an iconic video game developed by Valve, whom owns and runs the popular PC digital gaming distribution service Steam. The studio attained legendary status among many fans for its impressive list of hit titles, including the Half-Life and Counter-Strike series. Portal 2 was released on PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3 in April 2011 to critical acclaim. Nearly 250,000 players on PSN Profiles own the game, which is incredibly impressive. However, the all-time sales estimates for the title are eye-watering in comparison: anywhere from 20 million to 50 million copies depending on the methodology behind the projection.
However, despite its praises, the PlayStation 3 copy of the game was finally put to rest in May 2018 when its servers were shut down. Most of the co-op trophies are still attainable via local play with a friend or second controller; however, two trophies became impossible. “Professor Portal” and “Friends List With Benefits” both strictly require online connectivity. The former is unlocked by completing a Calibration Course online with a friend that hasn’t played the game before, while the latter is obtained by hugging 3 different players on your friends list in co-op play.
At first glance, it’s difficult to assign blame to the developer. Although it is unfortunate that new players can no longer obtain Portal 2’s platinum trophy for themselves, the game’s servers were running for 7 years—well into the next console generation. On the other hand, servers were shutdown without any warning, leaving many trophy hunters with no recourse.
6. Uncharted: Fight for Fortune
Most casual PlayStation fans have played one Uncharted game or another. Fewer have heard of the fact that there was a game on the PlayStation Vita. Golden Abyss was received fairly well, adapting the gameplay of the main series titles into the Vita’s form factor. But… did you know there was another game?
Uncharted: Fight for Fortune was released for the PlayStation Vita one year after Golden Abyss, in 2012. Unlike its predecessor, Fight for Fortune’s gameplay mechanics were drastically different from what many fans were used to. Instead of the third-person action and puzzle hybrid they knew and loved, Fight for Fortune was a turn-based card game with both single-player and multiplayer modes. Public attitude seemingly reflected in the game’s attachment rate; According to PSN Profiles’ numbers, Fight for Fortune drew in roughly 3.7% as many players when compared to Golden Abyss.
As you might surmise, trophies were included to facilitate your involvement in all aspects of the game, including the online service. In particular, the trophy “Kitty Got Wet” required players to win one match in online multiplayer. This achievement is no longer possible due to online servers being taken down in September 2019. Worse yet, the online mode reportedly did not function properly for at least 9 months prior.
It is unfortunate that such a quirky entry in a beloved series was simply quietly taken down. At the very least, Uncharted: Fight for Fortune did not include a platinum trophy. If you only care for platinum trophies rather than your completion percentage, you can rest easy if this one is sitting dormant on your list.
5. Battleborn
Like a certain other game on this list, Battleborn was a new entry in the then up-and-coming hero shooter genre. This game was released in 2016 by Gearbox Software, otherwise known for the successful looter-shooter Borderlands series. However, this game was practically dead on arrival once Overwatch took over the scene just a few weeks later. To try and mitigate its migrating player base, Battleborn developers attempted to shift the game into a free-to-play model, but it was already too late.
Overwatch was easier for newer players and focused wholly on the multiplayer experience, whereas Battleborn was fairly complex with your hero powering up throughout the match and included a more robust single-player narrative. Not to mention, there was a clear difference in marketing strategies between the two competitors that ultimately gave Overwatch an edge.
For reference, Battleborn’s peak player count on Steam occurred in May 2016, with just over 12,000 concurrent gamers online. Those numbers dropped to 2,300 in June 2016 after Overwatch’s release. There aren’t any numbers available for Overwatch now that it has effectively been replaced by Overwatch 2; However, we do know that its sequel boasted three times as high of a daily peak player count as compared to the original, with, quite frankly, incredible metrics.
Battleborn was quickly overshadowed by the emerging juggernaut series. The game was subsequently removed from storefronts in November 2019, with servers shuttering in January 2021. Due to its all-online set-up, Battleborn was rendered completely unplayable on PlayStation consoles once this date passed. As a result, its entire trophy list became impossible to complete. Only 400 players on PSN Profiles acquired this elusive platinum trophy in time.
4. Rumbleverse
Rumbleverse was a free-to-play Battle Royale game that released in August 2022 that differentiated itself from the pack with pro wrestling moves and brawler combat. Where other games in the genre focused on shooting gameplay, Rumbleverse treaded more into goofy melee combos.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. The title was slated for server shutdowns in February 2023 only 6 months after its debut. While we don’t have any concrete numbers for player counts, only 29,000 players on PSN Profiles have it registered on their profiles. For reference, Fortnite cracked 500,000 players on both the North American and European sets, and Apex Legends reached nearly 1 million in its region-free list. At least among trophy hunters, Rumbleverse didn’t quite reach the same heights.
As a result of the server shutdown, every single trophy on Rumbleverse’s list became unobtainable. The game didn’t have many achievements in the first place, thankfully. There were only 12 trophies on its trophy list and no platinum trophy for their completion. Like Uncharted: Fight for Fortune, this means if you only care about platinum trophies, having only popped into this game for a few sessions means you’re at least not missing out in that regard.
3. LittleBigPlanet Series
One of the more heartbreaking entries to have a spot on this list comes in the form of the soft and wooly PlayStation icon Sackboy. This doll stars in the cult classic LittleBigPlanet series, which revolves around puzzle platforming gameplay in cute environments. One of the most important aspects within these games has always been user-created levels, in which you can share stages with the community online. Hence the game’s slogan: “Play, Create, Share.”
Therein lies the problem for trophy hunters. Since the online portion of the LittleBigPlanet games constitutes such a large aspect of its design, it inevitably takes up a decent slice of the trophy lists. This is true for all three games in the series:
- LittleBigPlanet: 15 strictly online trophies
- LittleBigPlanet 2: 19 strictly online trophies
- LittleBigPlanet 3: 3 strictly online trophies
The PlayStation 3 and Vita versions of all three of these titles ceased online service in September 2021, rendering all three platinum trophies impossible to obtain. You might think the story ends there; However, you would be wrong.
In fact, LittleBigPlanet 3 was the only entry in the series to be released on the next generation of consoles. The PlayStation 4 copy of the game continued to have operable servers for several years after the closure of its predecessors. In January 2024, the servers for the PlayStation 4 version of LittleBigPlanet 3 were temporarily taken offline due to technical issues compounded by the actions of several bad actors.
Initially, it seemed like the developers intended to fix the server issues and bring the game back online for fans. However, it was announced in April 2024 that Sony would cease its attempts to fix LittleBigPlanet 3’s servers, opting instead to leave them offline indefinitely.
This was a sizable scandal within the trophy hunting and LittleBigPlanet communities alike. Not only did an insane amount of user-generated content simply cease to exist without any warning, but many players were robbed of the chance to complete any online trophies they might not have gotten around to yet.
2. Rayman Legends
Most trophy hunters are well-acquainted with the video game developer Ubisoft. The company was responsible for several huge open worlds like Assassin’s Creed, Watch Dogs, and Far Cry. That said, open worlds are far from the only thing Ubisoft has created. Whether publishing for partners, assisting other studios in development, or creating their own titles, in some way or another, Ubisoft has been involved in the production of hundreds of video games over the last 40 years since their inception.
One of Ubisoft’s earlier projects came in the form of a platformer. Originally released in 1995, the Rayman series has seen five entries over the years. The most recent entry, Rayman Legends, is the sticking point that can pose a problem for trophy hunters. After all, the PlayStation 3 version’s servers were taken down in September 2022, followed by the Vita version in 2023.
Looking past the server situation, getting the platinum trophy for Rayman Legends is easier said than done. The game is notorious in the trophy hunting community for its immense grind; The trophy “Truly awesome!” requires the player to complete daily challenges in order to reach a high level of awesomeness. Basically, you have to play the game every single day for several months in order to accumulate points to reach a high enough rank. This trophy is among 8 in Rayman Legends’ trophy set that requires an online connection.
As a result, once the servers went offline for the PlayStation 3 and Vita versions, those platinum trophies became impossible to obtain. Frustratingly, the announcement of the server closures left only a couple of months for trophy hunters to finish their lists. In other words, if you hadn’t already begun your gradual progression through the ranks for the “Truly awesome!” trophy, it would be basically impossible to finish it in time.
While the PlayStation 4 version of the game still seems to be online, it’s uncertain how long this will be the case. There have been reports from players of the servers occasionally having issues for prolonged periods without a fix. If history repeats itself, the servers for the PlayStation 4 version could be taken down without enough of a warning for trophy hunters to collect the achievements. If you currently have the PlayStation 4 version of Rayman Legends sitting incomplete on your trophy list, definitely get started on the online portion whenever you can.
1. Concord
Firewalk Studios’ most recent title, Concord, released in August 2024 to record-breaking player counts. To be clear, these numbers were not impressive, but bleak; the game held only 700 concurrent players during its peak on Steam. The numbers must have been paltry on PlayStation consoles, too, since the game was pulled just two weeks later. Insofar as PSN Profiles is concerned, only 1,500 trophy hunters grabbed this title. Forbes suggests that Concord raked in 1 million USD in sales, which is abysmal compared to its estimated budget of up to 100 million USD.
It’s not too surprising that the game flopped when you break it down into parts. Concord was directly competing against popular free-to-play hero shooters like Overwatch despite itself requiring an initial 40 dollar investment (USD). Evidently, most players viewed the game apathetically, as it didn’t stand out in an already over-saturated market, never mind its price.
Given that the servers were completely shut down in September 2024, it stands to reason that its entire trophy list is now unobtainable. The trophy “Experienced Freerunner” was largely attributed to be the biggest roadblock for would-be platinum achievers. This trophy required players to reach reputation level 100, which was intended to be achieved simply by playing and earning experience over time.
With the announcement of Concord’s servers being taken down, trophy hunters were given a time limit for what otherwise would have been quite the grind. Hilariously, the fastest way to get experience was discovered to be jumping off cliffs in a single-life game mode.
Concord was officially delisted and processed refunds to all players. It is still possible that the game may return in the future—perhaps in a free-to-play model—but as it stands now, only 70 trophy hunters on PSN Profiles have bragging rights.
Conclusion
There are tons of video games that have unobtainable trophies. As we continue to get new titles over time, the number of unobtainable trophies will continue to rise. It seems like every other week we hear about a different game being taken offline or delisted for one reason or another. Thankfully, when I created my PlayStation Randomizer, I took these games into account and filtered them out.
What other games with unobtainable trophies did I miss? Do you regret not finishing these titles when you had the chance?
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