Hunting for platinum trophies can be a great way to add more color to your gaming sessions. For those who are considering getting into trophy hunting, you might want to know a thing or two about what to expect. Before you get too invested, you might want to check out our list of trophy hunting pros and cons to figure out whether you have what it takes.
Table of Contents
Pros
Fiscal responsibility
One of the best aspects of being a trophy hunter is that you generally spend less on entertainment than fair weather gamers. On average, you will stick with a game you intend to platinum far longer than more casual players. While the latter will put a game down when another catches their eye, trophy hunters tend to stick to one title at a time until they’ve finished everything there is to do.
As a result, trophy hunters get more value out of the games they own before springing for new titles. Generally, this means you spend less money per hour spent gaming, assuming both types of people spend the same amount of time playing.
This can also hold true for those that subscribe to PlayStation Plus. You can get a ton of platinum trophies out of the service with a relatively low barrier to entry, so long as you like the titles on offer.
Personal satisfaction
Perhaps the most “well, duh!” entry on this list, trophy hunters get to enjoy the cathartic feeling of completing games to their fullest. Players that switch games at the drop of a hat may not realize that they’re exchanging gratification for novelty.
Hearing the iconic trophy popping notification sound can trigger a sweet dopamine response that can be quite addictive. This is doubly so when you have been working on a more difficult or grindy title. For non-gamers, this can feel a lot like practicing for an important sports match and winning handedly on game day thanks to your efforts.
Furthermore, seeing a long streak of platinum trophies and 100%’s in your PlayStation library can also feel strongly affirming. It is extremely satisfying to keep increasing your completion rate, further challenging yourself to do more and better.
Exposure to different games and genres
One of my favorite aspects of being a trophy hunter is comparing my trophy list with others and seeing what we have in common and what we differ in. The rarer or more unique the game is, the better. Doing this can provide a sense of camaraderie in the community and make you feel more connected to others. Arguably it can be an even stronger feeling when it’s a game that you are struggling with or that you’ve both given up on, not unlike trauma bonding.
This show-and-tell culture can encourage trophy hunters to seek out more difficult or niche titles to add to their list. As a result, you might find yourself trying games that you otherwise might not have given a chance. After all, this other trophy hunter that you share 30 platinum trophies with played and enjoyed Inscryption, so you might too! Or, you’ve heard that the My Name is Mayo series is the peak quintessential trophy hunting experience and decide to try it out for the memes—and actually find you enjoy some of the humor.
Sense of finality
Sometimes, it can be tough to decide when to put a game down. This can especially be true for multiplayer titles, roguelikes with infinite replayability, or simulation games that lack a definitive win condition. For these games, achieving the platinum trophy can be the perfect goal post to close out the experience.
The addition of DLC trophy stacks can also be a decent incentive to jump back in to multiplayer games you’ve moved on from, too—and again, gives you the perfect exit opportunity once you’ve reclaimed the elusive 100%. Dead by Daylight is one such live service title that adds DLC trophies very frequently to entice players back for more.
Additionally, many games ask players to see and experience everything in order to get the platinum trophy. In that sense, you can rest assured knowing that you haven’t missed any meaningful content while trophy hunting. This especially holds true for RPGs with a long list of missable side quests. If you got the trophy for completing all the game’s side quests, you know you haven’t missed out. For games you love, this can be a big relief.
In-game rewards
I’d be remiss not to mention the most tangible benefit to trophy hunting. Some video games reward players for completing all objectives with in-game rewards.
For example, the 2023 remake of Resident Evil 4 included an in-game tracker for achievements that, once unlocked, provided various accessories and weapons. One iconic item you can equip Leon with is the cat ears, which can be unlocked by getting an S+ rank on the highest difficulty mode. Although this is a tall order, this item provides a huge benefit—namely, infinite ammo for any weapon besides the rocket launcher.
Who wouldn’t want to lay waste to your enemies in style?
Supportive community
Although most trophy hunters strongly prefer single-player titles, that doesn’t mean the hobby is full of loners. In fact, trophy hunting communities are among the most supportive of any hobby space. Like many things, there are the occasional bad eggs and gatekeepers, but most people are just happy to share their shiny new platinum trophies with others who can appreciate the level of dedication they require.
Trophy hunting forums also tend to be very welcoming to newcomers, providing helpful advice or recommendations where they can. It’s rare to see anyone’s post go without at least one congratulatory message. The r/Trophies community on Reddit can be especially wholesome and is well worth visiting.
PlayStation Stars levels
PlayStation Stars is a recent gimmick that Sony released to reward loyal customers in their ecosystem. Reaching new levels in this system requires buying games on the PSN Store and earning trophies. There are a variety of rewards that come with this, including better support on Sony’s website. More importantly, you can earn points that can be traded for featured games or wallet funds. 5,000 points is equivalent to $20!
You can read more about the PlayStation Stars loyalty program here.
Automatic game captures are great time capsules
One unexpected benefit to trophy hunting has to be the automatic capture feature on the PlayStation 5. Any time you earn a trophy, your console will mark the occasion with a short video clip and screenshot. You can adjust the settings for this to trigger only for rarer trophies so they don’t clog up your hard drive with too many photos or videos.
Looking back through your catalog of platinum trophy images and clips can be nostalgic and take you back to fun and distressing times alike, depending on the particular hunt. They can be a great way to go back and reminisce on games you completed but haven’t thought about in a while.
A greater sense of purpose
A common complaint among adults who enjoy gaming is that they feel like they’re wasting time when they do so. It can be strikingly easy to dismiss the hobby in favor of a side hustle that brings in some cash flow. Yet others might be easily swayed to take care of household chores like taking the trash out or doing the dishes instead. While it’s important to be responsible, too often this mindset can persist more than is healthy. You might find yourself having not picked up a controller or taken a moment for yourself in weeks.
Hunting for trophies can add that slight incentive for these busy bees to have another goal to shoot for. This can be a huge boon to those that find it difficult to allow themselves to relax. After all, there is more to life than just working.
Statistics
This might not speak to everyone, but one exciting thing about trophy hunting is the opportunity to see detailed breakdowns about your overall journey. These can be created on your behalf, or you can make your own. The former comes on an annual basis when PlayStation Wrapped gets released.
It can be a lot of fun to see how your statistics stacked up compared to previous years, as well as any other details that were captured by your gaming console. Trophy hunters tend to have much more fleshed out graphics for these events than other players.
For the even nerdier trophy hunters, it can also be an amusing exercise to track your achievements by hand. Using websites like PSN Profiles to monitor your progress toward specific platinum trophies or an overarching goal like reaching an 80% completion rate can be fulfilling. You can also choose to take it to another level by creating your own files to keep tabs on even more specific metrics! Spreadsheet and statistics fanatics will have even more excuses to bust out their favorite software of choice.
Cons
You might stick with a game even if you dislike it
On the flip side, the desire to have a clean trophy hunting profile can sometimes encourage players to persevere with games they probably should have let go a long time ago. Often, games that cause heartache can make trophy hunters even more determined, against their better judgment.
For example, the author acquired the platinum trophy and all the DLC achievements for the zombie survival horror game Days Gone. While I enjoyed my initial playthrough, subsequent trophy requirements soured the experience. One particular sticking point for me was the lack of fast travel in my second playthrough on the hardest difficulty. It got old having to drive through the entire map several times over. Also, the medal requirements for some of the DLC missions were downright ludicrous.
Most trophy hunters probably have examples of games just like this where they kept going in the spirit of completionism, even at the cost of their own enjoyment.
It’s harder to go back to other consoles
This entry might be more of a first-world problem. Some trophy hunters might be spoiled by how fun it is to get platinum trophies and turn their nose up toward other consoles as a result.
Xbox has achievements, sure, but no explicit acknowledgement for getting them all in the same way that PlayStation does. Nintendo also does not have any achievements, so it can sometimes feel like there’s no greater purpose to your gaming sessions when you play. Don’t despair, though; there are plenty of Nintendo games still worth checking out if you’re a tried-and-true completionist!
You avoid games because the trophies are awful
In stark contrast to drawback #1, trophy hunters might also find themselves avoiding otherwise good games with notorious trophy requirements. After all, it can feel like a gamble whether or not to add a new title to your library knowing that you might be committing to a 100+ hour slog should the game not click with you.
In doing so, sadly, you might be missing out on some real hidden treasures. You might not realize that the Monster Hunter series is right up your alley or that Call of Duty can be surprisingly fun if you never give them the chance.
You avoid “easy” games so you don’t dilute your profile
Trophy hunters that don’t shy away from a challenge might find themselves in a very different dilemma. Some truly great games have insanely easy trophy requirements that might give the wrong impression to other diligent hunters. Did this person platinum Donut County because it is an “EZ” addition to their trophy list, or because it is a genuinely fun game? Did they go for Undertale because you don’t even have to finish the game to get it, or because they heard good things and wanted to see what all the fuss was about?
I often find myself wondering whether it’s “too soon” to be playing another visual novel game because I don’t want to give the impression that I’m trying to artificially boost my numbers on my own profile. It’s a shame since it’s a genre that I really enjoy. Games like Raging Loop might be skipped over simply because they have an inflated completion rate due to others taking advantage of the system.
Being forced to play in a way that is less fun
Have you ever looked at a trophy list for a game you’re interested in, and been disappointed because there’s a required speedrun component? Or, perhaps, a required damage-less hard mode playthrough? You wouldn’t be the only one. Too many games ask players to engage with their content in a way that actively makes the experience worse.
Take the Last of Us, for example. There are trophies related to completing the game on the Grounded difficulty mode, which basically amounts to abusing stealth mechanics, melee weapons, and stuns in the form of bricks and bottles. It can be pretty tiring being forced to approach every encounter the exact same way every time, lest you be caught out and instantly defeated.
Another example is Tales of Vesperia. The trophy “Low Level Challenger” requires you to complete the first arc of the game (about 10 hours of playtime) while under level 15. That means avoiding all unnecessary battles and using holy bottles liberally. If you’re someone who likes the combat, this can actively detract from your enjoyment of the game.
Having to use a guide
Being a trophy hunter often means going for collectibles or completing tasks in-game that don’t come naturally. Whatever the case may be—at some point—you will need to follow a guide. Having to refer back and forth from your map on the television screen and a text or video walkthrough on your smart phone over and over can be quite tiring and immersion-breaking.
Even worse, sometimes these guides can accidentally spoil you on the game’s story. This is especially true if you’re looking ahead to check for missables or to make sure you don’t unknowingly pass a point of no return and see the author make a cheeky comment about a soon-to-be dearly departed character.
Waiting for guides to release for a new game
On a similar note, trophy hunters might expect new titles to have trophies that require guides to be completed in an optimal way. Long-running series with new entries like Persona fall under this category. Often, it is more efficient to wait and see trophy guides come out before jumping on a new game yourself. After all, no one wants to have to go through additional unnecessary playthroughs of a game they might not love.
Doing this can also lead to you having the story accidentally spoiled online by others. Not to mention, it is a shame having to wait to play a hotly anticipated title.
Post-release trophy stacks can be annoying
Some trophy hunters pursue not only platinum trophies, but 100% completion. That means that post-release DLC, whether paid or free, will eventually be obtained by these players.
For starters, this can be a pain for the wallet. Also, it is pretty common for games to put out new game plus modes or higher difficulties later on, which can be some of the more annoying trophies to deal with when you feel done with the game already. PlayStation studio titles like the Horizon and Spider-Man games are notorious for this.
Conclusion
As with anything, there are both positives and negatives associated with trophy hunting. Regardless of any minor annoyances, hunting for trophies is definitely worth it! What trophy hunting pros and cons did we miss? Figure out what type of trophy hunter you are here.
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