RetroAchievements
Earn achievements in retro games with RetroAchievements integration
Provenance integrates with RetroAchievements — a community-driven project that adds achievement systems to retro games. Earn badges, track progress, and compete on leaderboards across thousands of classic titles.
Overview
RetroAchievements works by monitoring game memory for specific conditions (e.g., "defeat boss X without taking damage"). When a condition is met, you earn an achievement — just like modern console achievements.
What you get:
Achievements and badges for thousands of retro games
Progress tracking across your entire retro library
Leaderboards and community rankings
Mastery awards for 100% completion
RetroAchievements is available for RetroArch-based cores only. Not all systems or games have achievement sets — check retroachievements.org for the full game list.
Setup
1. Create a RetroAchievements Account
Visit retroachievements.org
Click Register and create a free account
Note your username and password
2. Log In from Provenance
Open Provenance → Settings
Scroll to RetroAchievements
Enter your username and password
Tap Log In
A confirmation appears when you're connected
3. Play!
Launch any supported game using a RetroArch-based core. Achievements trigger automatically during gameplay — no additional setup needed per game.
Supported Systems
RetroAchievements are available for these systems (when using RetroArch-based cores):
NES / Famicom
1,500+ games
SNES / Super Famicom
1,200+ games
Game Boy
600+ games
Game Boy Color
400+ games
Game Boy Advance
900+ games
Nintendo 64
300+ games
Nintendo DS
200+ games
Genesis / Mega Drive
700+ games
Master System
200+ games
Game Gear
100+ games
Sega CD
50+ games
Sega Saturn
50+ games
PlayStation
900+ games
PSP
300+ games
Atari 2600
100+ games
Atari 7800
50+ games
Atari Lynx
30+ games
PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
100+ games
Neo Geo Pocket
30+ games
WonderSwan
20+ games
Total: 7,000+ games with achievement support across all systems.
Achievement counts are approximate and growing — the RetroAchievements community actively creates new achievement sets.
How Achievements Work
During Gameplay
Achievements pop up automatically when conditions are met
No need to pause or check manually
Progress towards achievements can be tracked on the RetroAchievements website
Hardcore Mode
RetroAchievements offers two modes:
Softcore
Allowed
Allowed
Allowed
No
Hardcore
Disabled
Disabled
Disabled
Yes
Hardcore mode proves you earned achievements legitimately — no save-scumming or cheating. It also enables leaderboard submissions.
Checking Your Progress
In-app: Achievements display during gameplay
Online: Visit your profile at
retroachievements.org/user/[YourUsername]Stats: Track completion percentage, points earned, and rankings
Tips
Check game compatibility first — Search your game at retroachievements.org to see if it has achievements
Use the correct ROM — Achievements are tied to specific ROM versions (usually No-Intro verified dumps). Hacked, translated, or bad dump ROMs may not trigger achievements
Hardcore for competition — Enable Hardcore mode if you want to appear on leaderboards
One game at a time — Achievement tracking works for the currently active game
Troubleshooting
Achievements not triggering
Verify you're logged in (Settings → RetroAchievements)
Check that you're using a RetroArch-based core — native cores don't support RetroAchievements
Verify your ROM is the correct version — achievements require specific ROM dumps (usually No-Intro). Check the game's page on retroachievements.org for supported hashes
Make sure the game actually has an achievement set
Can't log in
Double-check your username and password at retroachievements.org first
Ensure you have an internet connection
Try logging out and back in from Settings → RetroAchievements
Achievements not available for my game
Not all games have achievement sets. The RetroAchievements community creates them over time. You can:
Check if someone is working on a set at retroachievements.org
Request a set on the RetroAchievements forums
Learn to create achievement sets yourself (the community welcomes new developers!)
Hardcore mode is too restrictive
You can disable Hardcore mode in the RetroArch settings (pause menu → RetroArch Settings → Achievements). Softcore mode lets you use save states and fast forward while still earning achievements (but no leaderboards).
See Also
Game Saves — Battery saves and save states
Performance Optimization — Ensure smooth gameplay for achievement hunting
Cheats — Note: cheats disable Hardcore mode achievements
Need help? Ask on Discord or check the RetroAchievements Discord.
Last updated