RetroAchievements

Earn achievements in GameCube and Wii games

Overview

Dolphin supports RetroAchievements integration, allowing you to earn achievements, track progress, and compete on leaderboards while playing GameCube and Wii games.

What is RetroAchievements?

RetroAchievements is a community-driven achievement system for retro games:

• Custom achievements: Community-created challenges for classic games
• Leaderboards: Compete with players worldwide
• Progress tracking: Monitor completion across games
• Rich presence: Show what you’re playing
• Badges & points: Earn rewards for achievements

RetroAchievements is free and requires creating an account at retroachievements.org

Setting Up RetroAchievements

1. Create Account

   Visit https://retroachievements.org and create a free account

2. Open Dolphin Achievements Settings

   Config > Achievements

3. Login

   Enter your RetroAchievements username and password

   Click “Login”

4. Configure Options

   Enable desired features:

   • Achievement notifications
   • Leaderboard submissions
   • Rich presence
   • Hardcore mode
5. Start Playing

   Load a game with achievement support

   Achievements appear automatically

Achievement Features

Standard Mode

Play with full emulator features:

• Save states allowed
• Cheats allowed
• Slowdown/fast-forward allowed
• Earn achievements: Yes (marked as softcore)
• Submit leaderboards: No

Hardcore Mode

Disables emulator advantages for legitimate achievement hunting:

Disabled in Hardcore Mode:

• Save states (in-game saves still work)
• Cheats and action replay codes
• Memory modification
• Slowdown/fast-forward
• Frame advance

Benefits:

• Achievements count as “hardcore”
• Leaderboard submission enabled
• Extra points awarded
• Community prestige

Hardcore mode can be toggled on/off, but achievements earned in softcore cannot be upgraded to hardcore.

Notifications

Achievement Unlocked

When you unlock an achievement:

• On-screen notification: Badge, name, description, points
• Sound effect: Confirmation sound
• Logged to account: Progress saved automatically

Leaderboard Submission

In hardcore mode, leaderboard achievements submit scores:

• Your rank: Position on global leaderboard
• Score/time: Your submitted value
• Notification: Confirmation of submission

Rich Presence

Shows what you’re doing in-game:

Playing Super Mario Sunshine
Current level: Delfino Plaza
Shines: 27/120

Visible on your RetroAchievements profile and Discord (if enabled).

Progress Tracking

In Dolphin

View achievement progress:

• Tools > Achievements: List all available achievements
• Progress bars: Track multi-step achievements
• Locked/Unlocked: See what you’ve earned
• Points: View total points for game

On Website

Your RetroAchievements profile shows:

• Total points: Across all games
• Game completion: Percentage for each game
• Achievement history: Timeline of unlocks
• Badges earned: Visual collection
• Leaderboard ranks: Your positions

Supported Games

Not all games have achievement sets. Check if a game is supported:

1. Visit RetroAchievements.org

   Go to https://retroachievements.org

2. Search for Game

   Use search to find your game

   Filter by platform: GameCube or Wii

3. Check Achievement Set

   Game page shows:

   • Number of achievements
   • Total points available
   • Leaderboards
   • Community discussion

Popular GameCube Achievement Sets

• Super Mario Sunshine
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
• Metroid Prime
• Luigi’s Mansion
• Super Smash Bros. Melee
• Many more…

Popular Wii Achievement Sets

• Super Mario Galaxy
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
• Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
• Donkey Kong Country Returns
• And more being added regularly

Achievement sets are community-created. Coverage varies by game popularity.

Leaderboards

Compete on time trials, score attacks, and other challenges:

Types of Leaderboards

• Speedruns: Complete levels/game as fast as possible
• Score attacks: Achieve highest score
• Challenge runs: Specific in-game challenges
• Collectathons: Fastest collection completions

Submitting Scores

1. Enable Hardcore Mode

   Config > Achievements > Enable Hardcore Mode

2. Complete Challenge

   Play the game and complete leaderboard objective

3. Automatic Submission

   Score submits automatically upon completion

   Notification shows your rank

4. View on Website

   Check full leaderboard on RetroAchievements.org

Mastery & Completion

Game Completion

Earn all achievements in a game:

• Softcore mastery: All achievements in standard mode
• Hardcore mastery: All achievements in hardcore mode
• Mastery badge: Displayed on profile
• Extra points: Bonus points for mastery

100% Completion

Some achievement sets include:

• Base achievements: Core game content
• Bonus achievements: Extra challenges

True 100% requires all achievements, including bonus.

Rich Presence & Discord

Show your gaming on Discord:

1. Enable Rich Presence

   Config > Achievements > Enable Rich Presence

2. Link Discord (Optional)

   RetroAchievements.org > Settings > Discord Integration

   Connect your Discord account

3. Play Game

   Discord status shows:

   • Game name
   • Current progress
   • Time played

Achievement Development

Interested in creating achievements?

Become a Developer

1. Gain Experience

   Earn achievements, understand the system

2. Join Community

   Participate in RetroAchievements Discord/forums

3. Apply for Developer Role

   Request developer permissions on the website

4. Learn Achievement Logic

   Study existing achievement sets

   Use achievement development tools

5. Create Achievement Set

   Develop achievements for unsupported or incomplete games

Achievement Logic

Achievements use memory conditions:

Memory Address 0x12345 == 100  (Health at max)
Memory Address 0x67890 > 50    (Score above 50)
Memory Address 0xABCDE != 0    (Item collected)

Combine conditions to create complex challenges.

Best Practices

For Players

• Start in softcore: Learn game mechanics first
• Progress to hardcore: Attempt hardcore after familiarity
• Read descriptions: Understand what each achievement requires
• Join community: Get help and share strategies
• Backup saves: Hardcore mode disables save states

For Developers

• Test thoroughly: Verify achievements trigger correctly
• Avoid spoilers: Description shouldn’t spoil story
• Balance difficulty: Mix easy, medium, hard achievements
• Check for bugs: Ensure no false triggers
• Engage community: Get feedback during development

Troubleshooting

Can't Login to RetroAchievements

• Verify username and password are correct
• Check internet connection
• Ensure RetroAchievements.org is accessible
• Try logging in on website first
• Update Dolphin to latest version

Achievements Not Appearing

• Verify game has achievement set (check website)
• Ensure logged into RetroAchievements in Dolphin
• Check game version/region matches achievement set
• Restart Dolphin after login

Achievement Didn't Unlock

• Verify you met all conditions
• Check if achievement is paused/disabled
• Review achievement description for requirements
• Report issue on RetroAchievements.org if legitimate

Hardcore Mode Won't Enable

• Close any save states
• Disable all cheats
• Restart game from beginning
• Hardcore must be enabled before loading game

Leaderboard Not Submitting

• Confirm hardcore mode is enabled
• Check internet connection
• Verify you completed leaderboard objective
• Look for submission notification

Privacy & Data

What Gets Shared

• Achievement unlocks: When you earn achievements
• Game playtime: How long you play
• Rich presence: Current game progress (if enabled)
• Leaderboard scores: Your submitted scores

Privacy Settings

Control on RetroAchievements.org:

• Profile visibility: Public or private
• Progress sharing: Show/hide game progress
• Discord integration: Enable/disable rich presence

Achievement Hunting Tips

Missable Achievements

Many games have achievements only available at specific points:

• Read all achievement descriptions before starting
• Use achievement guides on RetroAchievements.org
• Create manual save backups before major decisions

Grinding Achievements

Some achievements require repetitive actions:

• Combine with other objectives when possible
• Use in-game saves to checkpoint progress
• Take breaks to avoid burnout

Skill-Based Achievements

Difficult achievements may require practice:

• Practice in softcore first
• Watch videos of successful attempts
• Ask community for strategies
• Consider using save states for practice (softcore only)

Points System

Point Values

• Easy: 1-5 points
• Medium: 5-10 points
• Hard: 10-25 points
• Very Hard: 25-50 points
• Extremely Hard: 50-100 points

Point Bonuses

• Hardcore multiplier: 2x points in hardcore mode
• Mastery bonus: Extra points for completing all achievements
• Early adopter: Bonus for being among first to complete

Community Resources

• Website: https://retroachievements.org
• Discord: Active community for help and discussion
• Forums: Game-specific strategy discussions
• Achievement Guides: Walkthroughs for difficult achievements
• Developer Docs: Resources for creating achievements

Related Topics

TAS Tools

Frame-perfect gameplay tools (disabled in hardcore)

Cheats & Action Replay

Memory modification (disabled in hardcore)