Steam achievements for non-Steam games?

[Maul Scarreign]

Let's say I purchase The Witcher 3 from GoG. It's available on Steam and has achievements on Steam but if I were to buy it from somewhere other than Steam, would the achievements be attainable? Would the game link in such a way that the achievement system recognizes a non-Steam game?

[₸ʌʟwıcĸ]

Escrito originalmente por ⎛⎝ KARR ⎠⎞:

Just about every game on Humble Bundle gives you a DRM free copy and a Steam Key.

A lot of games are available on their own websites (Eg: Prison Architect, Elite: Dangerous) and they will give you a Steam key if you want to activate it there too.

I've never seen that despite buying ~30 games from HumbleBundle; both games from pre-made bundles (where it would make sense that you cannot choose the DRM), and from the store (where I've never seen options for DRMs or a lack thereof). But that's just me...

I'll keep my eye out in the future then, I guess.

[Inferno]

Lets say I have many achievements in GTA5 by playing in Epic games, but now I wanna buy GTA5 in Steam and play with the same Social club account I played in Epic games. So, will the Steam achievements automatically be filled up? cause I already done those. Its confusing, anybody knows the answer?

[₸ʌʟwıcĸ]

Escrito originalmente por IceJackal:

Lets say I have many achievements in GTA5 by playing in Epic games, but now I wanna buy GTA5 in Steam and play with the same Social club account I played in Epic games. So, will the Steam achievements automatically be filled up? cause I already done those. Its confusing, anybody knows the answer?

It's hard to say as it depends on many things... such as how the games track achievements and how steam checks or is notified by the game.

For example, I have some games that can be played offline and when I return online all the achievements I've 'done' offline are awarded at the same time. But other games don't do this and I need to be online.

Since GTAV tracks achievements in-game, you might get lucky and Steam will recognise them. But if not and you're desperate, there are ways to trick Steam into giving achievements though it is probably against their TOCs and you could get a VAC ban for VAC protected games.

[crunchyfrog]

Escrito originalmente por IceJackal:

Lets say I have many achievements in GTA5 by playing in Epic games, but now I wanna buy GTA5 in Steam and play with the same Social club account I played in Epic games. So, will the Steam achievements automatically be filled up? cause I already done those. Its confusing, anybody knows the answer?

Depends entirely on the game.

As a general rule assume the worst - that there is ZERO crossover. Because for the most part achievements and such additions are mpart of the platform itself and NOT the game usually.

However, some games do have internal variable they use to hook into games. It's ioften found by looking to see if the achievments can be brought up by an in game menu. If they can, there SOMETIMES can be crossover.

For example, I had Dead Space 3 on Origin. PLayed it a bit, and when I picked it up on Steam cheap, it automatically did unlock all I'd earned thus far.

So short answer, it entirely depends on the game and you need to check individually. But generally, err on the side of no.

[crunchyfrog]

Escrito originalmente por ₸ʌʟwıcĸ:

Escrito originalmente por IceJackal:

Lets say I have many achievements in GTA5 by playing in Epic games, but now I wanna buy GTA5 in Steam and play with the same Social club account I played in Epic games. So, will the Steam achievements automatically be filled up? cause I already done those. Its confusing, anybody knows the answer?

It's hard to say as it depends on many things... such as how the games track achievements and how steam checks or is notified by the game.

For example, I have some games that can be played offline and when I return online all the achievements I've 'done' offline are awarded at the same time. But other games don't do this and I need to be online.

Since GTAV tracks achievements in-game, you might get lucky and Steam will recognise them. But if not and you're desperate, there are ways to trick Steam into giving achievements though it is probably against their TOCs and you could get a VAC ban for VAC protected games.

Incorrect I'm afraid.

Unlokcing achievements via SAM is entirely up to you but they are NOTHING to do with VAC.

and you won't get banned for their use in any way.

[₸ʌʟwıcĸ]

Escrito originalmente por crunchyfrog:

Incorrect I'm afraid.

Unlokcing achievements via SAM is entirely up to you but they are NOTHING to do with VAC.

and you won't get banned for their use in any way.

What if you try unlocking achievements for a VAC protected game while it is running and online? Because I've heard that's how a few people got bans. Even if it's been patched, probably not worth the risk. Just curious - I don't know much about VAC admittedly.

[crunchyfrog]

Escrito originalmente por ₸ʌʟwıcĸ:

Escrito originalmente por crunchyfrog:

Incorrect I'm afraid.

Unlokcing achievements via SAM is entirely up to you but they are NOTHING to do with VAC.

and you won't get banned for their use in any way.

What if you try unlocking achievements for a VAC protected game while it is running and online? Because I've heard that's how a few people got bans. Even if it's been patched, probably not worth the risk. Just curious - I don't know much about VAC admittedly.

Nope.

VAC has nothing to do with achievements. That's not how it works at all.

VAC checks for certain injections into game code. Achivements here do not work like that.

I'm afraid either people have either been lying to you, are misinformed, or simply confused. There's zero evidence for it.

It is safe, as stated. There's regularly threads on here about SAM and querying it's safety and always it's the same - it is fine. I've been using it for more than 10 years.

I only use it to unlokc broken achievements, and it is fine.

Consider this point though - you know why publishers and devs ban you from online games for cheating but do not from single player games with no online presence? Simply because the legality of that would be impossible to uphold. Your offline single player game has no affect on anyone else and by extension their business.

You see where I'm going with that? The point is that achievements have no bearing on others too. There have been a couple of cases in the past where certain devs did ban but it was quickly stopped.

[₸ʌʟwıcĸ]

Alright, good to know Thanks for the informative reply - I only put it there as a warning as I wasn't sure so it's good to know that SAM is safe. I've used it for broken achievements too.

[crunchyfrog]

Escrito originalmente por ₸ʌʟwıcĸ:

Alright, good to know :D: Thanks for the informative reply - I only put it there as a warning as I wasn't sure so it's good to know that SAM is safe. I've used it for broken achievements too.

No problem - I apprecaite the honesty and the altruism too.

[🦜Cloud Boy🦜]

Non-steam games won't get Steam achievements. If you have a game-key of a particular game, you have to activate it and add the game to your Steam library first. Then the game will count as a normal Steam game (same as any other game in your Steam library that you have purchased). Only then Steam features ( such as achievements, screenshot, workshop etc) will be unlocked.

[WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥🖕]

SO GOOD

[JackM]

yea

[Valeriya]

You can not unlock achievements on non-Steam games and belonging to other platforms, Steam does nothing but add the link to the game executable, moreover it would not be linked to the Steam account.

[₸ʌʟwıcĸ]

Escrito originalmente por 🦆Cloud Boy🦆:

Non-steam games won't get Steam achievements. If you have a game-key of a particular game, you have to activate it and add the game to your Steam library first. Then the game will count as a normal Steam game (same as any other game in your Steam library that you have purchased). Only then Steam features ( such as achievements, screenshot, workshop etc) will be unlocked.

Escrito originalmente por 𝓑𝓵𝓾𝓮𝓫𝓲𝓻𝓭:

You can not unlock achievements on non-Steam games and belonging to other platforms, Steam does nothing but add the link to the game executable, moreover it would not be linked to the Steam account.

That's not what IceJackal is asking. They are asking if they buy a game on Steam that they already own on another platform, will the achievements will carry over.