TROPHIES ARE GREAT, BUT IT’S TIME FOR THEM TO RECEIVE SOME SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES ON PS5.

PS5 is nearly here and I’ve got my fingers crossed for a trophy overhaul

After speaking with a few developers about how trophies work – the Platinum ones, in particular – it’s clear the games missing them are ones in which the developers totally forgot to add them

(or just flat-out don’t care).

That needs to change when PS5 rolls around. Every game needs a Platinum trophy, no matter how small or large. Beyond that, Sony’s next system has the opportunity to integrate an internal, OS-level trophy tracker, with progress bars so you can see how close you are to earning one. No more guessing!

Some trophies become unobtainable after a certain point, mostly due to online servers being shut down. This is the bane of trophy hunters’ existence. One effective solution? Simply add a backup trophy that could kick in once the servers go offline. This would require slightly more work, but we’ve seen individual trophies change after launch, so it’s possible.

MEDAL WINNER

Most importantly, I’d love to see better trophy lists overall. Some games have such mind-bogglingly awful trophy lists (looking at you, Predator: Hunting Grounds), that a portion of players won’t even touch it. Bad lists come in all shapes and forms, ranging from insultingly easy like My Name is Mayo – a game in which you can earn the Platinum trophy in 45 minutes – to unfair, like Gran Turismo Sport, which requires you to win nearly a hundred matches online, along with hours of grinding. ‘Let’s make our game as tough as possible’ isn’t a great motto. Instead, trophy lists should be challenging, while still being achievable. We’ve already seen an improvement in Sony’s first-party games this generation, with the likes of Horizon Zero Dawn, God Of War, and Marvel’s SpiderMan each having reasonable trophy lists. Better standards in how a list is structured could make sure games are even more rewarding to play.

Speaking of which, let’s finally get some rewards on PS5. Exclusive themes for Platinums, avatars, messaging stickers, or similar nonessential perks would make the metagame that much more enjoyable, and PS5’s community more vibrant and connected.