Steam Is Finally Separating DLC Achievements, and Vampire Survivors Is Already on Board

There's something particularly frustrating about earning every achievement in a game, seeing that satisfying 100% completion, and then watching it disappear because the developer has released another expansion.

It's a familiar problem for anyone who enjoys chasing Steam achievements, particularly in games that continue receiving updates long after launch.

Valve is finally doing something about it.

Announced on October 15, Steam Achievement Sets is a new feature currently in beta that allows developers to organise achievements into separate collections, including those belonging to the base game, downloadable content, multiplayer modes and seasonal events.

Each collection has its own progress bar and completion status, meaning that additional content no longer needs to interfere with achievements players have already earned.

Your completed achievements can finally stay completed

Under Steam's existing achievement system, new achievements typically become part of one continuously expanding list.

For games that receive regular updates, that can be particularly annoying. You might complete everything available at launch, only to discover that a new DLC release has added another dozen achievements and reduced your overall completion percentage.

Achievement Sets changes how that progression is tracked.

Developers can divide their achievements into separate groups, with completed sets receiving their own trophies on a player's Steam profile.

Those completed sets remain recognised even when additional achievements are introduced later.

Valve is also introducing separate tracking for paid DLC. Achievements associated with content you don't own won't count towards your overall progress until you have access to that content.

Base-game sets are displayed in blue, while DLC sets appear in purple.

It's a relatively small change to how Steam operates, but for players who put considerable effort into completing their games, it's long overdue.

Vampire Survivors is exactly the sort of game that needs this

The first game that comes to mind is Vampire Survivors.

Developer poncle has continued expanding the game with new characters, stages, weapons, achievements and downloadable content, leaving an enormous amount to work through.

As someone who enjoys tracking achievements across its various expansions, being able to see exactly which achievements belong to each DLC would make a substantial difference.

Rather than scrolling through hundreds of entries, there could finally be a straightforward way to check what's been completed in each expansion and what's still left to unlock.

And this isn't just wishful thinking.

In an update published on October 16, poncle confirmed that it intends to use Steam's new achievement functionality to separate main-game achievements from DLC achievements.

The developer plans to carry out the changes before the end of the year, alongside the full release of Vampire Survivors version 1.17.

There's an important distinction, though. Not every Vampire Survivors expansion currently has Steam achievements. Some crossover content, including Emergency Meeting, has traditionally used in-game unlocks instead, partly because of licensing concerns and the possibility of achievements becoming unobtainable.

Steam's new system gives developers more flexibility to deal with those situations, but it doesn't automatically turn every existing in-game unlock into a Steam achievement.

Exactly how poncle will organise its various expansions remains to be seen.

Unobtainable achievements won't have to ruin completion either

Another welcome addition is the ability for developers to archive achievements that can no longer be earned.

This could apply to seasonal events, retired game modes or content that has been removed from a game entirely.

Previously earned achievements remain visible for players who unlocked them, while archived achievements no longer prevent other players from completing a set or game.

For anyone who's encountered an impossible achievement because an online service shut down or a limited-time event ended years ago, this is a particularly useful improvement.

Of course, developers will need to make use of the archiving tools for those benefits to apply.

A redesigned achievements page

Valve is also updating how achievement progress is displayed throughout Steam.

The redesigned achievements page includes separate progress bars for individual sets, improved search and filtering options, and a clearer view of overall completion.

Players can compare their progress against up to three friends, including completed sets, rare achievements and DLC completion.

The Perfect Games section has also been renamed Completed, allowing players to view both fully completed games and games containing completed achievement sets.

Completed sets can now appear in Steam's Completionist Showcase too.

Which games support Achievement Sets?

The feature is currently available through the Steam Client Beta, with developers gradually adding support.

Valve has confirmed that several games already support the new system, including Portal 2, Team Fortress 2, DREDGE, Forza Horizon 5, Crusader Kings III and PowerWash Simulator.

Developers don't need to release a new game update to reorganise their existing achievements. The changes can be configured directly through Steamworks, which should make adoption considerably easier.

However, games won't automatically receive separate achievement sets simply because players have installed the Steam beta.

A welcome change for completionists

Steam achievements have been around for years, but the platform hasn't always kept pace with how modern games are updated and expanded.

DLC, seasonal content and long-running live-service games have made achievement tracking considerably more complicated than it once was.

Achievement Sets won't solve every frustration overnight, particularly while developer support remains limited, but it's a meaningful improvement to a system that has needed more flexibility for a long time.

And if it means finally being able to track Vampire Survivors achievements by expansion without digging through one enormous list, that's already a pretty compelling reason to look forward to it.

Steam Achievement Sets is available now through the Steam Client Beta, with wider support expected as more developers adopt the system.