For passionate Xbox fans that play a wide variety of different games on console, PC, and Xbox Ally, one of the ecosystem’s most valuable features is Achievements. Unlocking a game’s achievements is a way for players to display their passion for and mastery of the title in question, and racking up a high total Gamerscore from earning achievements across lots of games gives fans something to show off, too.
Achievements have been a core part of the Xbox experience since the Xbox 360 days two decades ago, but throughout that time, they’ve been updated very little, and fans have wanted the Achievements system to get an overhaul of some sort for years. And at long last, one is finally coming.
Microsoft announced a series of improvements being made to Achievements on Wednesday morning, with select Xbox Insider Program members able to test them now. The firm says these enhancements will gradually roll out to additional Xbox Insiders over time, with “broader availability coming later to all players.”
So, what’s new? Well, the core of the revamp is a complete visual refresh for unlocking Achievements that includes new icons and animations for “classic” and “rare” accomplishments. Notably, these will also match your chosen custom color for your Xbox user interface, which is another feature Microsoft is testing with the Xbox Insider Program right now. You can see an example of how all of this will look below.
