Although they are well-known today, achievement systems haven’t always been an intrinsic part of gaming experiences. They didn’t exist until the 7th generation of home consoles. That means there are multiple decades of video game history that have untapped potential for completionists! For PlayStation alone, there are more than ten years’ worth of legacy titles dating back to 1995 that will never have this feature.
Retro games aren’t the only titles that lack trophies. Recently re-released classics that require achievements to be patched in may never get the required update. Intentionally short experiences or demos may also not meet Sony’s requirements for achievements. Also, PlayStation 3 didn’t launch with trophy support, so early launch window titles may not have any achievements at all.
However, that doesn’t mean these games aren’t worth playing. Rather than going for tangible goodies in the way of trophies, these titles are worth experiencing for their own merits. These are 5 PlayStation games without trophies that are worth playing regardless.
Table of Contents
Dino Crisis
In general, Sony has been incredibly judicious in retroactively adding trophy support to recent re-releases of classic titles. Among these surprising achievement additions were TimeSplitters, Ape Escape, The Legend of Dragoon, and Syphon Filter. However, not every legacy title has been updated to add achievements.
One unfortunate standout that has yet to receive its own trophy set to date is Dino Crisis. This PlayStation title originally released back in 1999 and has been fondly remembered by fans ever since. It was an ambitious survival horror game from Capcom that starred—you guessed it—dinosaurs. Although the general sentiment toward the game was that it played things too safe, it is still widely considered to be a must-play for fans of the genre.
Thankfully, for PlayStation owners, Dino Crisis is more accessible now than ever before. It was added to the PlayStation Store in October 2024, just in time for the spooky season. Less fortunate, the game did not come bundled with any trophies.
However, we shouldn’t despair yet. It is still possible for Dino Crisis to have trophies added later down the line. For example, TimeSplitters was ported to the PlayStation Store in August 2024 but didn’t get trophy support until a month later.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is practically a household name at this point. Despite originally releasing in 2011, it has received numerous ports and revisions that have kept it relevant. Although a successor was announced in 2018, the series has not received a new entry since.
Trophy hunters will be glad to know that Skyrim does indeed have a trophy set. It is a doozy, too; the author of the PSN Profiles trophy guide rated it a 5/10 difficulty with an estimated time investment of 125 hours. Skyrim also received 3 additional DLC trophy stacks, which cumulatively add up to about 50 more hours of content for completionists.
Although I opened with Skyrim, the star of this section is actually its older sibling. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion debuted on the Xbox 360 in 2006, followed by a PlayStation 3 release in 2007. The timing of these releases is significant; since the Xbox 360 launched with achievement support, Oblivion followed suit. It even had a DLC stack of trophies for the Shivering Isles!
On the other hand, Sony didn’t implement their trophy system until 2008. Since Bethesda never updated the PlayStation version of Oblivion to include a trophy set, that means PlayStation players never got the chance to earn its achievements.
It’s a shame, as the achievement list is incredibly straightforward. All you need to do to earn them all is complete the main story scenario and guild quests. Depending on how efficiently you play, this can take anywhere from 30-150+ hours. For many trophy hunters, a list like this is equal parts rare and refreshing. More often than not, we find ourselves playing in unconventional ways to unlock trophies, so being allowed the freedom to play how we like is a nice change of pace. Oblivion would be a prime example if only it had trophies.
In addition, many long-time Bethesda fans prefer the older Elder Scrolls games for their attention to detail. Quest logs detailing your player character’s thoughts and motivations were always a joy to sift through and made the entire experience more immersive. Some fans feel that the series’ world-building and overall quality peaked with Morrowind, Oblivion’s predecessor.
Regardless of any subjective rankings, many trophy hunters would love to have more Elder Scrolls representation on their profiles. Maybe one day, we’ll see remakes of the older games in the series fitted with the trophy support they deserve!
Eternal Sonata
Tri-Crescendo has served as a supporting development studio for many years. They have developed relationships with Bandai Namco, Level-5, and even Nintendo. Most notably, Tri-Crescendo co-developed multiple Super Smash Bros. titles and Tales games.
That said, the studio has put out a few games of their own. These four titles were: Eternal Sonata in 2007, Digimon World Re:Digitize in 2012, Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode in 2013, and SD Gundam Battle Alliance in 2022. Of these four, only one stands out as a brand-new IP.
Eternal Sonata is a JRPG that set itself apart with its focus on classical music. The game focuses on the famous Polish composer Chopin’s compositions throughout his life. That very same man is the main character of the story, as he traipses through a colorful dream world. In reality, he rests on his deathbed at just 39 years old.
The juxtaposition between the two worlds is striking. Although the outcome is predetermined by history, the journey to get there is one worth seeing for yourself.
In addition to its intriguing story, there are many easter eggs to discover in Eternal Sonata. For those familiar with musical composition, meeting new characters will be a treat. The gameplay is a familiar blend of real-time action and turn-based combat that will come easily to fans of the genre. The PlayStation 3 release also received a handful of additions over the Xbox 360 version, including new characters, dungeons, and cosmetics.
Sadly, Eternal Sonata suffered from the same fate as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It was released during the perfect window where it had achievements on Xbox but did not also get trophy support on PlayStation.
The Orange Box
The Orange Box isn’t actually a video game itself. Rather, it is a 2007 compilation of five popular Valve titles that were ported to consoles. Included were Half-Life 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal, and Team Fortress 2.
On the Xbox 360, The Orange Box has 99 achievements spanning across all the games in the package. They’re not easy, either; Xbox Achievements rates it at a 7/10 difficulty with an approximate 30-60 hours for completion. It’s also worth noting that with the inclusion of Team Fortress 2, a number of these achievements are rendered exclusively from online multiplayer matches.
To the trophy hunting community’s dismay, the PlayStation release of these games never received trophy support. Given the cult classic status of the Half-Life series, it’s understandable that many players wish they could have given it the platinum trophy treatment on their account.
Although Portal 2 did receive a trophy set when it was released on PlayStation 3 a few years later, it can’t be used to fill the void these games have left to this day. Portal 2’s platinum trophy is unobtainable after its servers were shuttered. Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 also never released on PlayStation at all.
In other words, Valve’s track record for PlayStation is poor. It’s not surprising, given they own the largest distributor of PC games on the market and therefore have little incentive to properly port their games to consoles.
Even so, Valve’s releases have been renowned for their quality. Trophy hunters should play their games not for the achievements, but to appreciate what could have been. Whether you enjoy online multiplayer games, single-player stories, or local co-op, Valve likely has something that will appeal to you. Although Left 4 Dead is not available for PlayStation, if you have access to a PC or Xbox console, you should give it a try. It’s an incredible experience with friends!
Silent Hill
Silent Hill has had many games over the years in varying qualities. Konami is not one to shy away from trends, either; Silent Hill has seen movie adaptations, themed slot machines, comics, and even crowd-controlled mobile games.
It is both a great and bad time to be a Silent Hill fan. The Silent Hill 2 remake was released in 2024 to critical acclaim. Silent Hill: Ascension, on the other hand, was massively ridiculed by fans when it started airing in 2023. The last mainline entry to the series was Silent Hill Downpour, which came out over a decade ago with poor reception.
Despite a shaky past, the future is still looking bright. Silent Hill f and Silent Hill: Townfall are two brand-new titles that have been announced. Trophy hunters can work through Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill 3, Silent Hill Downpour, and Silent Hill: Book of Memories while they wait for fresh experiences.
In addition to the above, two short titles that do not have trophies are well worth checking out.
P.T.
In 2014, Konami published a playable teaser intended to promote an upcoming game in the Silent Hill series. This demo was incredibly well-received and had many fans waiting on the edge of their seat for more.
However, the game P.T. was boosting was canceled. P.T. was subsequently taken down from digital storefronts and could no longer be installed. Even though ten years have passed, the pain has not dulled.
That’s why many fans have attempted to recreate P.T. over the years. However, Konami has frequently taken down these projects in order to protect their IP. Some workarounds may still work for players to access P.T., but these methods have also been patched in the past.
If you can find a way to experience the game for yourself, you definitely should. Otherwise, you can always watch a brief 20-minute playthrough of it on YouTube.
The Short Message
Silent Hill: The Short Message was released in 2024, free of charge. In Silent Hill: The Short Message, you will spend about 2 hours playing as a young teenage girl as she explores an infamous suicide spot in search of her friend. The story delves into the darker aspects of mental health—as well as it can in such a short period for the gaming medium.
Unlike P.T., The Short Message received middling reviews. However, if you’re a gamer on a budget, you can’t beat free. Try it out for yourself and see whether its message resonates with you. Like all the other games on this list, you don’t have to worry about any trophies.
Conclusion
Unsurprisingly, trophy hunters are highly motivated by unlocking achievements. That said, it’s important to be well-rounded in most aspects of life. Refusing to play titles that don’t have trophies means you’d be missing out on key points of gaming history. You also might just miss out on a potential favorite.
What PlayStation games without trophies do you wish had achievement support? Have you played any of the ones I listed above? Balance out your PlayStation games without trophies by tackling the 30 platinum trophies in 30 days challenge!
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