The achievement system for Xbox consoles, dating all the way back to the launch of the cult-classic Xbox 360, has grown to be a staple of console gaming. Providing an overall tally of “gamerscore” to denote a tangible representation of how much time and effort a player has put into their account,Xbox achievementsare undoubtedly addictive and satisfying to unlock.
That being said, there are someXboxachievements that are notorious for pushing the boundaries of reasonable expectations and unlock difficulty. Aside from achievements that possess difficulty from the high level of skill needed to meet their unlock requirements, there are some achievements that take ludicrous amounts of real-world time to unlock, making them extremely rare badges of honor from those who have them.
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The Stanley Parable Achievements
A series of games that will instantly come to the minds of many gamers when thinking of achievements that take the longest real-world time to complete istheStanley Parablegames. The original version ofStanley Parable, which did not release for consoles, was infamous for having an achievement that simply required players to not launch the game for an eye-watering five years.
As this original version was not available on console, Xbox-based achievement hunters were initially spared the grueling wait for unlocking this cruelly comical achievement. However, the recent release ofThe Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxehas elevated this achievement-related gag to unthinkable new heights.The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxeis essentially a “dramatically expanded” remake of the original game, which was recently released for Xbox consoles with Series X and S optimization.
With this fresh console release came a new list of attainable achievements for the title, with the achievementaptly named “Super Go Outside"being a new addition. Building upon the five-year-long achievement of its predecessor, “Super Go Outside” instead requires players to not launch theDeluxe Editionfor a ludicrous ten yearsto meet its unlock requirements. Being worth 100 gamerscore, dedicated achievement hunters will lie in wait and hope they don’t accidentally launch the game at some point over the next decade, lest they restart the process. In the meantime, there is another that requires players to play for 24 hours on a Tuesday. In other words,Stanley Parableachievements are ridiculously hard to 100%.
Gears of War Achievements
Another franchise that has become notorious for consistently possessing achievements that require serious dedication to unlock isGears of War. ThroughouttheGearsgames, the infamous “Seriously” achievements have served as a grueling and harsh challenge to even the most dedicated achievement hunters. Being an Xbox exclusive IP, these achievements will be all too familiar for long-standing users of the console.
The “Seriously…” achievement forthe originalGears of War,which launched in 2006, sits at a respectable 50 gamerscore. However, this value quickly diminishes when the achievement’s unlock requirements are taken into account. The achievement requires players to amass a staggering 10,000 kills in ranked multiplayer, which understandably warrants a considerable amount of time to unlock. The achievement amassed such notoriety within theGearscommunity that it would become a tradition within most of the subsequent titles.
WithinGears of War 2,an achievement by the name of “Seriously 2.0” was present to carry on the gag, and somehow pushed the boundaries of reasonable achievement hunting even further than its predecessor. “Seriously 2.0” requires players to achieve a total of 100,000 kills, although this is across all modes and not just restricted to multiplayer. Also being worth an underwhelming 50 gamerscore, it can take weeks or even months of dedicated grinding to finally unlock this coveted achievement.
ForGears of War 3, the “Seriously 3.0” achievement carried the torch and expanded upon the required dedication of the prior achievements. To unlock “3.0,” players have to reach level 100 and unlock every single Onyx medal in the game. With there being a total of 65 Onyx medals, spanning a huge array of difficult challenges across allGearsof War 3’sgame modes, the 100 gamerscore for this achievement is reflective of the huge amount of time required to unlock it.
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Another classic achievement that has become storied within the Xbox discourse the originalDead Rising’s"7 Day Survivor” achievement. Deceivingly simple in its description, the achievement requires players to survive for seven days without dying. Withdays inDead Risinglasting two real-world hours, this achievement takes 14-hours of unbroken playtime without dying to unlock.
While only 14 hours may seem insignificant to the aforementioned achievements, the sheer scale of difficulty in surviving for that long while maintaining hunger and avoiding quite commonplace technical difficulties usually means that many unlock attempts will inevitably be made before being successful. Only being worth 20gamerscore, it is obvious as to why the “7 Day Survivor” achievement has become as infamous as it has.
Mortal Kombat - My Kung Fu Is Stronger
A lesser known but just as time-consuming achievement lies within 2011’sMortal Kombat.The achievement in question is called “My Kung Fu Is Stronger,” and only possesses a 0.31% unlock percentage for trackedXbox Live users.
To unlock this achievement, players have to gain mastery of all fighters within the game. In total there are27 playable characters withinMortal Kombat, and a litany of prerequisites have to be met to achieve mastery with each of them. To earn mastery, players will have to achieve 100 victories with a character, 100 fatalities, 150 landed x-rays, 10,000 pints of blood spilled, and 24 hours of playtime. Considering this has to be repeated 27 times, the sheer amount of real-world time and dedication needed to unlock this achievement is palpable to say the least.
