Stadia Achievements Have Finally Been Unlocked, Past Game Time Counted

Google's strategy when it comes to Stadia features is both reassuring but also mildly frustrating. On the one hand, the steady flow of new features and fine-tuning gives some confidence that Google is actively working on the platform, at least for now. On the other hand, it keeps one guessing when or even if the next promised feature will come. The latest feature to be dropped in users' hands is the achievement system that seems to deliver what it promised except for one set of Stadia subscribers.

Every game and gaming platform these days have achievements, one of the most tangible expressions of the gamification trend alongside leaderboards. It gave games a sense of mystery and mastery, marking moments when players reach a goal, whether said goal was known or not. For a modern gaming platform, Stadia's lack of such a system at launch seemed almost unbelievable but Google did promise it would eventually come.

That was a little over a month ago and Google has finally made true its word. It announced on Twitter that Achievements are now available on the system. More than that, any achievement you may have unknowingly reached prior to this are automatically credited to your account, no further action needed.

Stadia players can view their sweet goals on a TV via the Chromecast Ultra and on desktop and laptops via Stadia.com. If you noticed the distinct absence of mobile, you've stumbled upon one of the platform's other frustrating aspect. You never know which upcoming feature won't be available on which Stadia device.

The Stadia Achievement system doesn't seem that polished either, at least not yet. There is no way to clear achievements that pop up on screen before the delay is over and it lacks the finer details many achievement systems today have. Then again, Google can quickly iterate over these features to improve them, which is, again, both reassuring and frustrating at the same time.