Trophies and achievements have had a huge influence on gaming in recent years. At their best, they can encourage players to get the most out of their latest purchase by completing it fully, mastering a minigame they’d usually have ignored, trying new and unconventional playstyles, and so on.
At their worst, however, they’re a strong negative compulsion. Some achievement/trophy hunters will buy notoriously bad games just because they offer an ‘easy plat,’ or refuse to buy an excellent one because it doesn’t offer a platinum trophy, those shining jewels of the trophy hunter’s collection. Everybody’s free to game their own way, of course, but you’re missing out on some quality gaming experiences that way. Here are some of the best titles on consoles that don’t offer a platinum trophy.
10 Resident Evil 4
Capcom’s 2005 classic Resident Evil 4 received critical acclaim and is regarded by many as one of the best games ever made. Whether it’s one of the best Resident Evil games is a more controversial question (as it marked the beginning of the series’ switch to more of a TPS, more bullets-flying-around-than-every-Arnold-Schwarzenegger-movie-combined approach), but there it is.
Originally a GameCube exclusive, the title has since been ported to every system under the sun. Unlike some of its series brethren, however, it has never offered a platinum trophy, and its list, in general, is quite uninspired for such a classic.
9 Child Of Light
From one gaming industry giant to another, next up we have a Ubisoft effort: Child of Light. This RPG is quite obscure compared to the iconic Resident Evil 4, but many who played it fell in love with its undeniable charm, beautiful storybook visuals, bite-sized-yet-compelling story, and unique battle system.
Aurora’s journey through the fantasy world of Lemuria doesn’t require the kind of time commitment that many RPGs do, but it’s a solid and sufficiently lengthy experience with a decent-sized crop of sidequests and secrets to explore. Its trophy list does a decent job of getting the player to see much of what the kingdom has to offer, but it’s a shame that there’s no platinum trophy.
8 Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty
This beloved platforming duo has risen to become some of PlayStation’s most beloved characters. Granted, they’re no Mario as far as platforming icons go, but the series offers a blend of different genre elements and a whole lot of wacky fun.
Sadly, trophy hunters are sometimes left feeling short-changed by the series. Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest For Booty is one entry that doesn’t offer trophy support at all. When it was released as part of a package to apologize for PSN issues, this came as quite a blow. The game was shorter than other series entries (and priced appropriately), but it threw a lot of effective new ideas into the mix and was great overall. A patch would have done wonders.
7 Apex Legends
Apex Legends is a game that needs no introduction. It burst onto the scene with precious little fanfare back in February 2019, quickly establishing itself as the battle royale to watch. Respawn Entertainment’s effort certainly gave Fortnite something to fear, even if it’s struggled to maintain momentum on the same level.
It’s a quality effort for certain, though it’s more than a little lacking on the trophy/achievement front. To get that 100% rating/1000 Gamerscore, you’ll have to spend some time with a variety of different Legends, nab some legendary gear and such, but it’s nothing very taxing. There was a lot of room to be creative here.
6 Devil May Cry 4 (PlayStation 3)
With the release of Devil May Cry 5 back in March 2019, fan interest in the stylish hack and slash franchise spiked once more. Alongside the likes of Resident Evil and Street Fighter, the series is one of Capcom’s hottest properties, with legions of super enthusiastic fans who always make darn sure that their feelings are heard.
In an unusual case, the PlayStation 3 release of Devil May Cry 4 was sorely lacking compared to its Xbox 360 console counterpart: it had no trophy support. Achievements were present and correct, and trophies were added for the PlayStation 4 edition, so this was very unfortunate.
5 Sonic Mania
There’s no denying that Sonic the Hedgehog has had a wild ride during his decades in the business. Sega’s main mammal was at the top of his game in the nineties, an era when his loyal fans were defending him against Nintendo lovers in schoolyards around the world. Back then, Sonic was a superstar.
He had a hand in some of the best and most exhilarating platformers ever made but has lost his way in more recent years. Luckily, titles like Sonic Mania have proven that, when he gets back to his roots, he can still make some magic. It’s just a shame that, while Sonic Mania offers some quite challenging trophies, there isn’t a platinum on offer—or even a gold, in fact.
4 Journey
For many of today’s gamers, slow-paced, artsy titles are not the way forward. If there aren’t hapless enemies to no-scope and absurd team fights filled with explosive mayhem to take part in, why bother? Shooters are some of the most popular online gaming experiences, and for good reason, but it’s important never to overlook titles like Journey.
The true wonder of Journey, funnily enough, is in the… journey. There’s something incredibly unique about the title and its finely-crafted world, and finding the secrets that have been squirreled away is a pleasure. It has some clever (and enigmatic) trophies, but no platinum, and only a single gold.
3 Outlast
Horror games are in an interesting place just now. On the one hand, advances in technology (particularly in regards to VR) have made these sorts of experiences more visceral, real, and frightening than ever. On the other, certain aspects of these experiences start to have diminishing returns because they’ve become so common.
The very best horror games, then, are those that break new ground, that have the simple goal of terrifying the player (beyond simple jump scares) and never letting up. As anyone who’s played Outlast will tell you, Miles Upshur’s investigation of the Mount Massive Asylum certainly achieved that. You’ll need to complete the game (and its DLC) on its hardest modes to nab all of its trophies, but it only has a small crop of golds to its name and no platinum.
2 Trials Fusion
Trials Fusion is a game (and a franchise as a whole) that lends itself quite well to a wide and varied list of trophies/achievements. There are all kinds of ridiculous tracks that can be built, feats that can be performed on them and fiendishly difficult challenges to overcome. It could all be brilliantly frustrating.
Trials Fusion does indeed offer a varied and super difficult list, with Trials tracks to complete and record times you may have to try again and again to overcome. After putting in all of that work, you might well be disappointed that there’s no platinum trophy for your troubles.
1 Hitman 2
The Hitman franchise is one that will always hold a special place in the hearts of gamers. In the days before vast open worlds that you could actually disappear into and inhabit instead (just ask any MMORPG player), its sandbox gameplay was a revelation. Our mission objectives may have been straightforward, but there were so many different approaches to achieving them.
The reboot of the franchise stays true to that spirit, of course, but its episodic nature doesn’t really lend itself to a cohesive trophy list. As such, Hitman 2 offers more than 100 trophies in total without a platinum in the bunch.