Sometimes, earning achievements can be downright exhausting. Whether they require players to spend countless hours in a throwaway minigame or replay an entire campaign, some trophies ask an awful lot. Going from one tough platinum trophy to another can tire even the most disciplined trophy hunter.
We shouldn’t keep working toward troublesome trophies in a bad mood, even if we crave consistent progress toward our goals. Proceeding in spite of yourself might cause you to burn out and ultimately no longer find joy in the hobby. That’s why some trophy hunters choose to mix in shorter experiences between grander hunts. Other players find comfort in more creative outlets, whether that is a secondary account or console.
In this article, I’ll share what video games I play to give myself a break from the trophy hunting mindset. When I get too invested in a trophy hunt, these titles help me remember what’s important: gaming is for fun, not work!
Table of Contents
5. Destiny 2
Destiny 2 is a live-service first-person shooter that blends intense action and addictive looting gameplay. In December 2024, after nearly 10 years, I finally managed to close the book on the original Destiny by earning its platinum trophy and subsequent DLC stacks.
I wanted to see how Destiny’s story progressed but wasn’t thrilled with the trophy hunting experience it offered. That’s why I decided to get Destiny 2 on Xbox rather than PlayStation.
Now that I’m more or less committed to the PlayStation ecosystem, I rarely get any compulsions to go on Xbox Gamerscore benders. Once I hit 100,000 points, I saw no compelling reason to split my attention between the two competing achievement systems. Instead, Xbox is my console of choice for any titles I’d like to play, but not to the extent of earning all their achievements.
This approach has paid off in spades time and time again. As much as I love Destiny, I had learned my lesson with the first game and decided to approach its bigger brother more casually. When I boot up Destiny 2 on Xbox, I can play my fill of any activity without any quibbling thoughts about optimal routing or missables.
I love popping in to see what new seasonal content has been introduced every once in a while. While I tend to avoid the Crucible, surprisingly, I am quite fond of Gambit.
Hilariously, despite not going out of my way to earn its achievements, I am very close to 100% completion in Destiny 2. I have earned every achievement besides the one awarded for successfully beating the Last Wish raid. Now that I’ve got some raiding experience under my belt through the original Destiny, I feel a lot more confident about taking it on.
The fact that Destiny 2 introduced cross-progression in 2019 makes it all the more tempting for me. If I finish the last requirement, I’ll be able to transfer my progress to PlayStation and get the platinum trophy awarded to my account with no additional effort! Destiny 2 also only has one DLC stack of trophies for the Forsaken content released in 2018, so it is incredibly unlikely that the developers will add additional trophies down the road. In other words, I feel pretty safe adding it to my PlayStation account at this point.
While this certainly won’t be the case for every game, I lucked out massively here. I minimized my risk by playing on Xbox, but will ultimately still get the benefit of my hard work on my preferred console.
4. Stardew Valley
Like Destiny 2, my first experience with Stardew Valley was on a non-PlayStation console. In this case, I originally opted to play the game on the Nintendo Switch. However, I ended up falling in love with the game and proceeded to purchase it several more times! I went on to earn 100% of its trophies and even wrote a guide covering my experience.
If it’s true that I earned all of Stardew Valley’s trophies, what is it doing on this list? Well, even though I’ve practically seen everything the game has to offer at this point, I’m nowhere close to putting it down.
Nowadays, I enjoy launching Stardew Valley on my Steam Deck and playing for an hour here or there. It’s my preferred method of playing the title because I get to see additional story content and adjust tedious gameplay tasks to my liking through the addition of mods.
For example, the Automate mod is incredible! You can set up dozens of machines to cycle through their processes automatically without any input on your part. Tired of running through your cellar to collect your aged wine? Place a nearby chest and simply reap the rewards with a single button press when they’re ready. Or, get a simple movement speed mod and shave off multiple in-game hours spent traveling from point A to point B.
If you’re torn between playing Stardew Valley on PC or PlayStation and only want to get it once, I’d always recommend the PC version. Once you’ve tried modifying your game experience, it’s hard to go back to the vanilla version of the title. As a console gamer, I was worried it would be difficult to set up, but it was surprisingly straightforward. Everything you’ll ever want to know about getting started is readily accessible on the Stardew Valley wiki.
Over the years, I’ve spent an incorrigible amount of hours in Stardew Valley. I played casually for around 75 hours on the Nintendo Switch and achieved true perfection on PlayStation after 140 hours of gameplay. So far, I’ve sunk about 150 hours strictly in the PC version and have yet to see all the content I’ve patched in. I don’t expect to be done anytime soon, either, as I have my eye on a few more expansions I’d like to experience eventually.
There’s something truly addictive about starting a new farm in Stardew Valley. It’s the type of game I could see myself returning to in perpetuity if only to drop in for a few minutes. Its therapeutic vibe is the very antithesis of the trophy hunting experience and makes for a great getaway title as a result.
3. Dead by Daylight
Where Stardew Valley is a relaxing excursion, Dead by Daylight serves as its polar opposite. This asymmetrical multiplayer horror title pits its player base against each other consistently, as its game design naturally encourages division between two opposing sides every match: 1 killer player versus 4 survivor players.
It seems that no two Dead by Daylight players can agree on whether the game should be treated like a competitive experience, or whether certain gameplay strategies should be disincentivized by the developers. Is it considered good sportsmanship to secure additional hook stages when survivor players prioritize the objective over saving their teammates? Or, is it a Dead by Daylight faux pas for the killer to arrive on the scene for every unhook?
Your answers likely depend on the amount of time you’ve spent playing, your approach to the game, and which side you primarily queue for.
One thing is certain, though: Dead by Daylight can be infuriating if you take it too seriously. You will almost certainly be on the receiving end of other players’ bad manners at some point, whether it’s survivors lingering in the exit gate at the end of a match or a killer player leaving you on the ground for 4 minutes.
For trophy hunters, Dead by Daylight may be a jarring inclusion on this list. The game has had quarterly updates for a large part of the last decade, yielding a staggering 40 stacks of trophies. There are so many achievements in this game that the developers had to split them up into 3 entirely distinct game lists.
In other words, adding Dead by Daylight to your trophy hunting profile is a fool’s errand. Doing so is tantamount to Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a mountain, as by the time you complete the entire trophy set, new lists will simply be added. You must be willing to return to the game repeatedly to keep up with new additions, or else be satisfied with its sub-100% completion on your profile. Worse yet, many of these are paid DLC packs; you’ll have to shell out a significant amount of money to get all the required characters for all the trophies.
With all that out of the way, I approach Dead by Daylight in the same vein as Destiny 2. I opted to pick it up on Xbox, and therefore do not fret whatsoever about its achievements. It’s fun to see a random achievement pop up occasionally during matches, but I will certainly not be subjecting myself to the grueling torture of intentionally going for them all.
Instead, I choose to enjoy the game at my own pace. When I originally started playing in 2017-2018, I gravitated more toward the killer role. It was around the introduction of the SAW chapter, although I didn’t become fully invested until the Spirit was released in the Shattered Bloodline chapter. At that time, the game was chaotic and fun! Even though I was objectively horrible at my designated role, it was still quite enjoyable.
I still remember receiving the most hilarious private messages that I didn’t fully understand at the time. Getting accused of purposefully throttling my internet for an advantage; getting called a “tunneler,” and thinking it was some obscure sports terminology; and getting called a “5Head,” which upon further research, said a lot more about them than it did me!
Nowadays, I play much more rarely and tend to prefer the survivor queue when I do. I find playing in a team is much less stressful since my performance doesn’t set the tone for everyone else’s experience. It has also been a gratifying experience learning the opposite role after having spent years pigeonholed as the veritable games master.
When I do play as the killer player, I often play for fun chases rather than wins. I typically get all of the survivors to their final hook stage before letting them escape. It’s especially humorous to see how long it takes survivors to realize I have no intention of confirming any of their deaths, as I like to pretend I’m still fully invested in the outcome of the match the entire time. Playing this way keeps the game from getting too frustrating for me and still leaves everyone satisfied that they’d had a real nail-biter of a trial.
Would I recommend Dead by Daylight to new players? Absolutely—so long as you don’t have an overly competitive spirit. Losing in this game feels so much worse than in other online multiplayer titles. On the other hand, I’ve had tons of unforgettable, wholesome moments I couldn’t have experienced anywhere else.
Above all else, don’t get Dead by Daylight on PlayStation if you care about your sanity as a trophy hunter. Also, if you’re a sensitive person, consider turning off private messages as other players will make that your problem!
2. Splatoon 3
Many trophy hunters revel in their favorite Nintendo franchises as a way to break the monotony of grinding for achievements. Unlike PlayStation and Xbox, Nintendo has yet to implement any sort of achievement system for their consoles. For those seeking a healthy gaming outlet sans trophies, you’ll likely find something to your tastes here.
For my part, I adore many Nintendo franchises. The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Super Mario have always been consistent members of my gaming library growing up. When I decided to pick up a secondhand Nintendo Switch from my local marketplace, the seller included two games free of charge: Kirby Star Allies and Splatoon 2.
Kirby Star Allies was not my cup of tea, and I hadn’t heard much about the Splatoon series before. But since I’d gotten it for free, I was willing to give it a try.
I proceeded to sink an astounding 715 hours into Splatoon 2. Its frenetic gameplay and intriguing squid mechanics were like a match made in heaven for me. The cooperative game mode Salmon Run was a gem I couldn’t help but get heavily invested in.
When Splatoon 3 was announced, I jumped on it right away. Over the last 2.5 years since its release I’ve spent approximately 1,120 hours exploring its various modes, but ultimately finding my home in Salmon Run yet again.
The implementation of the collectible badge system in Splatoon 3 meant that there’s always something for players to work toward. Even with my high hours, I have yet to unlock my most coveted badges. For example, there is a badge that can be unlocked for accumulating 9,999,999 points in Salmon Run. To put that number into context, I generally receive 400-500 points per successful match. As of this article’s posting, my stats are below:
| Grizzco Point Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Shifts Worked | 4,363 |
| Golden Eggs Collected | 401,670 |
| Power Eggs Collected | 14,604,476 |
| Xtrawaves Cleared | 421 |
| Crew Members Rescued | 12,818 |
| Total Points | 1,369,378 |
Put another way, I’ve only reached 13.7% of the score required for the 9,999,999 points badge. At my current pace, I’d need to sink another 7,060 hours to get there! What’s especially crazy is that it isn’t even particularly rare to see other players sporting this badge on their banners in my lobbies! If I really wanted to, I’m sure I could play in a more optimal way to gain points at a faster rate. Still, I unabashedly find the game to be incredibly fun as is, so I’m happy with the way things stand.
Although I was a fiend for the Dualie Squelchers in Splatoon 2, I found a new love in the Explosher in Splatoon 3. Although it undoubtedly made many of my ranked matches much more difficult, I enjoyed the strategy required to make the weapon shine. I also decided on my display title “Fightin’ Life Itself” early in the game’s lifecycle, and have kept it ever since.
Since 2022, my Nintendo Switch has become a glorified Splatoon device. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love jumping into a rotation at either the start of a trophy hunting session or as a bookend to my evening.
I look forward to getting the Nintendo Switch 2 later this year to see how my Splatoon shenanigans can be further improved! Although it is technically taking away from time that could be better served in my trophy hunting endeavors, I find that keeping this balance keeps me fulfilled.
If you’re a trophy hunter who loves Nintendo games, I have just the article for you: Read about some of the best Nintendo games for completionists and plan your next pseudo-achievement hunt!
1. Retro Games
Technically, this entry is more of a catch-all than one dedicated title. If I listed every older game I dabble in or return to, this list would never end! While I play a decent number of live-service multiplayer games to get away from the trophy hunting mindset, I also like to fit in the occasional retro game to broaden my horizons or relive cherished memories.
Thankfully, I have easy access to most classic consoles I’m interested in. For Nintendo, that includes the Nintendo 64, 3DS, Wii, GameCube, and legacy systems; For PlayStation, that includes the PlayStation 1-3 and Vita; For Xbox, that includes the original Xbox and Xbox 360.
Generally, I find myself drawn to favorites from my childhood. Although the Spyro Reignited Trilogy is a great remake in most respects, it doesn’t quite scratch the same itch that the original trilogy does. I find myself returning every once in a while for quick runs through the second and third titles. Another classic that I love returning to every few years is Blue Dragon. This JRPG was a random pack-in title I received with my Xbox 360 that had a large influence on many of my gaming tastes.
I also recently played through Tales of Abyss for the first time, which is a fan-favorite entry in one of my most beloved franchises. As expected, it was a top-notch experience! I sincerely hope that Bandai Namco gives this classic the remake or remaster it deserves so that new players can enjoy it to the fullest.
Outside of my favorites, I like to check out popular titles that somehow managed to fly under my radar at the time of their release. The original Devil May Cry on the PlayStation 2 is a great example. Unfortunately, the fixed camera angles and controls were tough for me to acclimate to, but I appreciated seeing Dante’s humble beginnings.
Another example would be Fire Emblem Awakening, a 3DS title I’m currently playing on the side. I’m quite new to the Fire Emblem series, having only Three Houses under my belt, so it has been a learning experience!
Conclusion
Earning trophies is rewarding, but we should always take care to pace ourselves. The last thing anyone wants is to turn their gaming hobby into a chore! What video games do you play to get away from the trophy hunting mindset? Are you a big fan of titles like Fortnite, Counter-Strike 2, or World of Warcraft?
Although this list might give the impression that I spend a lot of time avoiding trophies, I can confirm that is not the case. Realistically, I bounce between obsessive bouts and long droughts of both types of gaming experiences. Overall, I’d estimate that 10-20% of my total time spent playing is clocked in games where I explicitly avoid achievements.
Rather than taking it easy with a palette cleanser, would you rather push yourself to the limit? If that sounds like you, you should see what achievements made trophy hunters uncomfortable unlocking. How well will you fare?
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