Achievement Scavenger vs RetroAchievements

Achievement Scavenger is a desktop companion for tracking game achievements and following completion guides. It tracks progress for Steam, PlayStation, RetroAchievements, and Xbox while detecting launched games and showing live achievement status and rarity. It can capture a screenshot when an achievement unlocks and warn about missable achievements before a point of no return. Community walkthroughs combine step-by-step text and embedded media with live tracking and interactive checklists for collectibles and side quests. Mini Mode stays on top while playing, offers five overlay styles, and can be toggled with Ctrl+Shift+T. A local server and QR code let users open a mobile-optimized tracker, walkthroughs, and checklists on a phone. GitHub Gists can back up and restore history and checklists across devices. The project is GNU GPL licensed and costs nothing. Installation is listed for Windows 10/11 and Linux/Steam Deck. Depending on the tracking services used, setup may require API keys, tokens, or accounts. Hints, chapters, checklists, and missable flags come from a separate community database.

RetroAchievements adds achievement goals and progress tracking to retro games. Players can build profiles, follow completion, and compete with friends. Its game listings span systems from Atari 2600 to PlayStation 2 and include Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and other platforms. Supported emulator options include PCSX2, Dolphin, PPSSPP, Flycast, and BizHawk, with choices for Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, iOS, and browser-based SkyEmu.

Hardcore mode disables save-state loading, cheats, and most speed-altering emulator features. It is required for game mastery and some leaderboards. Community events include RA Roulette and Achievement of the Week, and developers can use public API documentation. Players can report broken achievements and request manual unlocks by providing proof of completion. The service is free. Its web application source code is GPL-3, while achievement trigger logic is proprietary to the RetroAchievements community. The service does not host copyright-protected ROMs. A player must be connected to the internet when starting a session, so fully offline play is not supported. System support and new features depend on volunteers.