achievement hunter
/əˈtʃiːvmənt ˈhʌntər/
CommonA player who actively seeks out achievements or trophies in games, often as their main goal.
The term is mostly self-applied without shame. Some hunters are completionists; others cherry-pick easy games to boost their gamerscore or trophy level. The community has strong opinions about which counts as real hunting.
Real-world examples4 examples
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | as an achievement hunter this list is a nightmare. there's a speedrun trophy and an online trophy. I'm out. | The achievement requirements are too demanding or incompatible. | reddit, 2023 |
| 02 | achievement hunter brain is a curse. I played 6 hours of a game I hated just to finish the list. | The compulsion to complete a list overrode the enjoyment of the game. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | the achievement hunter community has whole tier lists for which games give the most gamerscore for the least effort. | The community optimizes for return on time investment, not game quality. | reddit, 2023 |
| 04 | she's an achievement hunter so gamepass is basically free dopamine. new list every week. | Game Pass provides constant new games and achievement lists to pursue. | x, 2024 |
Use it when
- Describing yourself or someone else who plays games primarily for achievements.
- Explaining why you are playing a game you would otherwise skip.
- Talking about someone who tracks their achievement or trophy progress seriously.
Do not use it when
- You mean someone who generally tries to win.
- You mean someone who is good at games.
Variations and related forms
Achievement hunter vs completionist
achievement hunter
Achievement hunter focuses specifically on unlocking achievements or trophies.
VS
completionist
Completionist wants to do everything in a game, including things with no achievement attached.
Origin and context
The term grew alongside Xbox Live's Achievements system (2005) and PlayStation's Trophy system (2008). Rooster Teeth's Achievement Hunter web series also helped popularize the identity.
- First seen
- mid-2000s
- Confidence
- medium
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/achievement-hunterUpdated: 2026-08-28License: CC BY 4.0