Nintendo Switch 2 Lacks a Built-In Trophy or Achievement Feature

The Switch 2 will not have a system-level achievement system like PlayStation and Xbox consoles do, but individual developers can decide to make them if they want.

During the recent Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, we saw that the Switch 2 editions of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom feature new achievement systems. Some thought this meant the Switch 2 would broadly support achievements, but Nintendo’s Bill Trinen told Polygon, “Nope.”

This is how it also worked with the original Switch.

For the two Zelda games, players also get access to a Zelda Notes section of the Switch 2 app. Here, players can track their achievements and progress to see how they stack up with everyone else. It remains to be seen if other Nintendo games could use a Zelda Notes-style achievement-tracking system.

As mentioned, Switch developers can create their own achievement systems, and some already do. Ubisoft, for example, tracks player progress and specific milestones via Ubisoft Connect.

Nintendo is known for blazing its own trail as opposed to following the playbooks of its competitors, and a lack of an official, system-level achievement system for the Switch 2 is another example of that.

The Switch 2 launches on June 5 for $450–or potentially more if Nintendo raises the price due to tariffs as some believe might happen.

You can also read GameSpot’s hands-on previews of the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World.