Xbox Mythic Achievements Explained: What Insiders Are Testing

Xbox Insiders are now testing Mythic Achievements, a new completion system designed to recognise players who unlock every original achievement in a game.

Microsoft began the Insider rollout on September 29, 2026. The change adds more than a new badge: Xbox is also improving completion tracking, separating later add-on achievements from the original list and adding a new Gaming tab to player profiles.

For anyone who has spent years chasing 100% completion, this is one of the most substantial changes Xbox has made to achievements in a long time.

What is a Mythic Achievement?

A Mythic Achievement is earned when a player unlocks all of a game's original achievements.

The important detail is that achievements added later through DLC or post-launch updates are not required. Once Mythic status has been earned, Microsoft says the player keeps it even if the developer adds more achievements later.

Xbox's official Mythic Achievements announcement explains that the original achievement set is what determines Mythic completion.

That gives players a much clearer finish line. A game can continue receiving expansions without erasing the fact that its launch achievement list was fully completed.

DLC achievements are treated separately

Later achievements are labelled as add-ons in the updated interface.

They still unlock normally and still contribute to Gamerscore, but they do not prevent a game from reaching Mythic status.

This matters most for games that receive years of post-launch content. Under the traditional completion percentage, a title that once appeared complete can drop below 100% as soon as a new expansion adds achievements. Mythic status preserves the original completion separately.

A new Mythic progress bar

Xbox is adding a progress bar to each supported game's achievement list so players can immediately see how close they are to Mythic status.

There is also an option to focus specifically on the original achievements that remain unfinished.

Microsoft says similar completion information will appear elsewhere across Xbox, including the Guide and achievement details.

For games with large DLC histories, that should make it much easier to distinguish between the original completion target and optional later additions.

Xbox profiles are getting a Gaming tab

The achievement changes are also part of a wider profile update.

A new Gaming tab brings together:

• achievement history;
• completed games;
• Gamerscore milestone progress;
• Mythic Achievements;
• and other completion information.

Mythic games receive a distinctive frame so they stand out from ordinary entries in achievement history.

Players can also look at friends' Gaming tabs to see which games they have completed.

The system is designed around existing Xbox achievement history rather than making everybody start from zero.

Gears of War: E-Day shows how Mythic works

Microsoft has used Gears of War: E-Day prominently while demonstrating the feature.

Xbox's official achievement reveal confirms that E-Day has 54 original achievements, with full completion earning its Mythic Achievement.

You can see the full breakdown in Xbox's Gears of War: E-Day achievement list.

E-Day is also one of Xbox's biggest October releases. Our Gears of War: E-Day launch coverage covers the October 6 launch, early access and modes.

What happens if a game adds more achievements?

Imagine a game launches with 40 achievements and you unlock all 40.

That original completion can earn Mythic status.

If an expansion later adds another 10 achievements, those new objectives are treated as add-ons. They remain available to complete and can add more Gamerscore, but the Mythic completion already earned is not removed.

Microsoft states that once Mythic status is earned, it is yours to keep.

That distinction should be particularly useful for live-service games and long-running titles that regularly expand their achievement lists.

Do you need to buy DLC to earn Mythic?

Not simply to satisfy the original Mythic requirement.

Because later DLC achievements are excluded, players do not need to purchase every expansion just to preserve or obtain the completion award for the original game.

The exact categorisation of unusual achievement lists will be worth watching during the Insider test, but Microsoft's stated approach is to mark later additions clearly as add-ons.

Does Mythic replace Gamerscore?

No.

Gamerscore remains the familiar numerical system used across Xbox. Individual achievements still unlock and contribute their normal score.

Mythic adds another layer: recognition that the original achievement set of a particular game has been fully completed.

That means Xbox can show both lifetime achievement progress through Gamerscore and game-by-game completion through Mythic status.

Is Mythic retroactive?

The new profile examples already show players with existing Mythic completions, so this is not a system that simply begins counting from the day it launches.

Microsoft is using existing achievement history to identify qualifying completed games.

That is important for long-term Xbox users who may have completed large numbers of games over many years.

Who can use Mythic Achievements right now?

As of October 3, 2026, Mythic Achievements are being tested through the Xbox Insider programme.

Microsoft has not yet announced a firm date for when the feature will become available to every Xbox player.

Insider features can change during testing, so some interface details may be adjusted before the wider rollout.

Players interested in testing upcoming Xbox features can use the Xbox Insider Hub on supported Xbox consoles and Windows PC, although access to individual tests can vary.

What remains unknown?

The biggest unanswered question is the general release date.

Microsoft has explained the core Mythic rules clearly, but it has not yet said exactly when all Xbox profiles will receive the feature.

It will also be interesting to see how Xbox handles unusual older titles, discontinued achievements and games whose lists changed significantly after launch.

For most modern games, however, the rule is straightforward: complete every original achievement to earn Mythic status; later add-on achievements do not take it away.

For completionists, that gives Xbox a much clearer permanent record of which games have genuinely been finished at base-game level without replacing the Gamerscore system that already exists.