Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Windows Central
Windows Central
Technology
Brendan Lowry

DARK SECRETS: Microsoft is battling xbox achievement spam games with new developer rules - The Real Truth

Xbox Microsoft the Xbox Store
Xbox

What you need to know

  • Some developers publish "achievement spam" games on the Xbox Store that only take minutes to complete, with achievements that can be earned with little to no effort at all.
  • Microsoft is cracking down on these games with new rules added to its Xbox game certification requirements.
  • Moving forward, new Xbox games must have achievements that take more than a few minutes and require adequate player engagement to earn.
  • Aabs Animals, a 2013 game recently released on Xbox in which players do nothing but stare at a cat and get achievements for it, is an example of the type of game Microsoft is taking a stand against.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Women just want to work out in peace. Why all the thigh-rubbing lechery?
On Saturday Night Live last week, comedian Shane Gillis made a pathetic ‘joke’ about the clothes women wear to the gym. It was puerile – but also pernicious, writes Emma Beddington
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
‘He’s terrified, panicked, can’t sleep’: the tragic, lonely death of Beatles manager Brian Epstein
Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp paid £10k at auction for Epstein’s address book. He then used it to co-author a thrilling account of the swinging 60s – and an intimate portrait of a tormented man whose life was unravelling
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Qianlong vase found in Cornish property brochure sells at Sotheby’s for £304,800
A large imperial porcelain vase, standing thirty-seven centimetres tall and made for the Qianlong emperor, passed down through a single English family before arriving at Sotheby's. Estimated at between £100,000 and £200,000, it sold in November 2025 for £304,800, comfortably above the top end of the estimate. Its story combines…
The Times of India
The Times of India
Scientists Asked Coffee Drinkers to Quit for 14 Days — Here’s What Changed
What would happen if you gave up your morning coffee for two weeks? Would you sleep better, feel less anxious, or spend your mornings battling...
Saving Advice
Saving Advice
Michigan TikToker says neighbors allegedly called ICE on her family. Then asked her mom to save them some tamales
A promised batch of tamales, delivered anyway.
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Two strangers say a mom handed them her baby at a Phoenix concert. But when she came back, she told security a different story
No good deeds, huh?
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play