15 Years and 403 Battlefield Trophies Later, BF6 Finally Moved Me Again

PlayStation Trophy hunting has been one of my biggest pastimes for well over a decade, but it didn’t start that way. Instead of hoarding as many achievements as I could, my early days of gaming on the PlayStation 3 were defined by the biggest multiplayer games of the time (Black Ops, Killzone 2, and Minecraft). This is because the PS3 wasn’t just another console, but basically served as my social tool to make friends. As a quiet, anxious, and overweight kid who had moved to a new area, playing games with the other high schoolers was my way to survive. I was able to become friends with virtually everyone, from the jocks and cool kids to the rejects and stoners. Multiplayer gaming saved me from being ignored or even bullied, and if that wasn’t enough, franchises like Battlefield also kick-started my eventual passion for trophy hunting.

Earning the Platinum Trophy for BF3 was a way for me to not just display my love for that game but also show off how determined I was to be good at it. It was a status symbol, a badge of honor, and a competitive achievement I could point to that finally said I was the best at something. But since then, it’s clear that Trophies have evolved into something more for me.

Trophy Collecting is a Spectrum, and I’m as Far on the Extreme End as a Person Can Get

Video game achievements are a fairly basic concept. Whether it’s Gamerscore on Xbox or Trophies on PlayStation, they’re basically a simple reward system to highlight one’s accomplishments across multiple games. They can be easily ignored, and by a vast majority of casual gamers, they often are. Most players won’t think twice about an achievement list, completely ignoring the optional goals and going about their way. Perhaps they’ll seek out the Trophies in their all-time favorite games, looking for new things to do in the titles they’ve replayed several times, but that’s as far as non-Trophy hunters tend to go. Realistically, this is the healthy approach to take, as when you’re bitten by the Trophy hunting bug, it’s hard not to get obsessive.

Some Trophy hunters will aim to get the hardest Platinums that they can, others will strive to have the most Trophies possible, and other groups will hone in on Trophy collecting within one particular franchise. Fortunately for me (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective), I’m a part of all those groups. For every difficult Platinum I have, like The Witcher 3, Black Ops 4, or Sekiro, I’ll have Platinumed 10 cheesy Trophy games to pad my stats. And whether it’s Uncharted, LittleBigPlanet, or the God of War series, there are certain franchises I feel a need to get every Platinum for.

At times, my love for Trophies has felt obsessive, whether it be me planning the most effective route to a Platinum when a list leaks online, or losing sleep to win Trophy competitions that nobody else was taking seriously. Yet at no point have I had any regrets about it or felt as if it’d all been a waste of my time. Hoarding Trophies is what I’m known for, and at least to some extent, it feels like it’s what I’ll be remembered for when I’m gone. Whereas other people’s legacies are their professional accomplishments, their children, and so on, being “the Trophy guy” in the eyes of my friends, family, and co-workers feels like my legacy—and it’s one that Battlefield played a key part in creating. All Battlefield games listed below are in chronological order.

Early Days With Battlefield and Trophy Collecting — 1943, Bad Company, and BF3 (2008-2011)

• Favorite game of this era: Battlefield 3 (Ticks every box, from thrilling launch maps and expansions to immersive audio and destruction)
• Least favorite game of this era: Battlefield: 1943 (Purely because the other games are so great and 3 maps saw the game getting a bit repetitive quickly)
• Most enjoyable Trophy list of this era: Battlefield 3 (Healthy balance between multiplayer and singleplayer Trophies)

Battlefield: Bad Company

• Release Date: June 23, 2008 (First played August 2010)
• Platinum: No
• Completion Percentage: 54%
• Trophies earned from this game: 30
• Proudest Trophy: Here is your DD-214 (complete ‘Ghost Town’ on Hard)

Alongside its sequel, Bad Company is widely regarded as the peak of the franchise’s campaigns, which is primarily what I played it for. Like 1943, I came to this game late, picking up a used copy from GameStop a couple of years after its initial release. This meant that the multiplayer wasn’t all that populated, as Bad Company had hit store shelves a few months prior to me playing its predecessor. Still, that didn’t matter to me, as I had a terrific time earning 54% of the achievements. I did all there was to do in the campaign outside of gathering the collectibles, as the need to Trophy Hunt hadn’t fully hit me by that point, and I wasn’t a completionist just yet. I remember the younger me getting frustrated at a few difficult fights against vehicles, as Hard mode wasn’t a breeze in the first Bad Company, but the memorable characters and not-so-subtle shots at Call of Duty clearly kept me hooked until the credits rolled.

Battlefield 1943

• Release Date: July 8, 2009 (first played in February 2012)
• Platinum: No (none possible)
• Completion percentage: 80%
• Trophies earned from this game: 10
• Proudest Trophy: Best Squad (Be in the Best Squad on all three maps)

When Battlefield 1943 was released in 2009, I was as deep into the competition as I could get, as Modern Warfare 2 was practically all my friends had any interest in playing. As if the hours of private matches on Rust and sniping battles on Highrise weren’t enough, my all-time favorite CoD, Black Ops, releasing a year later guaranteed I wouldn’t play 1943 in its prime. I did, however, give it a chance in 2012, as it was a pre-order bonus for those who purchased Battlefield 3 on PS3. I didn’t play it for very long (I’m missing 2 of the 12 available achievements, which are for completing 30 and 100 matches respectively), but I found it enjoyable enough—especially the classic map Wake Island. Still, since I got into it after BF3, it didn’t hit the same. And with no Platinum, I felt no need to grind for 100% completion of the Trophy list.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

• Release Date: March 2, 2010 (played at launch)
• Platinum: No
• Completion percentage: 54% (77% base game)
• Trophies earned from this game: 46
• Proudest Trophy: It sucks to be right. (finish ‘Airborne’ on Hard)

Bad Company 2 mirrored my Trophy hunting in the first game almost perfectly, though I did play a fair bit more multiplayer in this title, returning to it periodically until 2012 since it felt different from BF3 due to the destruction, maps, and weaponry. I earned 77% of the base game achievements, again playing on Hard and again ignoring the collectibles. I remember enjoying this campaign even more than the first; though it was a bit easier, I was fully attached to characters by this point and was invested in their adventure.

I managed to snag about half of the DLC Trophies, which doesn’t surprise me, because I loved Bad Company 2’s Vietnam expansion like everyone else and would love to see a full game featuring the weapons, maps, music, and vehicles of that era. My percentage of completion for the base game does feel like proof that I was inching closer to becoming a full completionist. It feels like a sign that I was slowly getting more into Trophy hunting, and I’ve regularly looked back at Bad Company 2 as one of the games I regret not getting the Platinum for since I loved it so much.

Battlefield 3

• Release date: October 25, 2011 (played at launch)
• Platinum: Yes
• Completion Percentage: 94%
• Trophies earned from this game: 60
• Proudest Trophy: Decorated (received one of each ribbon in the game)

This is where the Trophy hunting bubble finally burst for me, and I couldn’t pick a better game to have as my inaugural Battlefield Platinum. Battlefield 3 remains my all-time favorite entry in the series, and one of my favorite first-person shooters ever. I could gush about the game for hours, whether it be its satisfying vehicle gameplay and top-notch infantry combat, plethora of “Only in Battlefield” moments like the Damavand Peak dive, excellent expansions like Close Quarters, or its collection of brilliant maps like Operation Metro, Caspian Border, and Noshahr Canals. Sure, its campaign lacked the humor which Bad Company had in droves, but even that was worth a playthrough due to the mission variety and Blackburn’s story. Only 2.7% of Battlefield 3 players on PSNProfiles have the Platinum for the game, and while this is more reflective of how many people bought BF3 than the list’s difficulty, earning each ribbon was easier said than done due to the Stationary Emplacement ribbon (2 kills with Emplaced Launchers in a round) and the Air Warfare Ribbon (five air vehicle kills in a round).

Getting the Battlefield 3 Platinum came naturally for me, as no boosting was needed, and the only thing I had to “go for” was a Hard playthrough of the co-op campaign. Yet even though I didn’t struggle with this unlock, its rarity had me feeling proud of myself when I heard that oh-so-satisfying Platinum “bwing.” Apart from good grades in school, I didn’t have much reason to be proud of myself before online gaming; I wasn’t athletic, I wasn’t artistic, and I had no musical talent. And as great as I was at games, I was always second-best out of those I played with, as my best friend could have gone pro if he hadn’t pursued a career in the Air Force. Though I had picked up some easy Platinum Trophies prior to Battlefield 3, BF3 was one of the first Platinums where I felt an actual sense of accomplishment. And from that point on, I became a Trophy Hunter, seeking a mix of hard and easy Platinums so that I always had the biggest and most impressive Trophy collection out of everyone I knew.

Prime Trophy Hunting Days in Battlefield — BF4, Hardline, and BF1 (2013-2016)

• Favorite Game of this Era: Battlefield 1 (My second-favorite game in the Battlefield series, I loved everything from the War Stories to the unique multiplayer maps and arsenal)
• Least Favorite Game of this Era: Battlefield: Hardline (a guilty pleasure, but this game lacked the smoothness of mainline releases and wasn’t as memorable as BF4 and its levolution or BF1 and its setting)
• Most Enjoyable Trophy List of This Era: Battlefield 1 (easy, breezy plat in a phenomenal game)

Battlefield 4

• Release date: October 29, 2013 (played at launch)
• Platinum: Yes (Twice)
• Completion percentage: 67% on PS3, 83% on PS4
• Trophies earned from this game: 101
• Proudest Trophy: Full Arsenal (unlock all assignments and collectibles in the campaign)

I wasted literally no time applying this new philosophy to Battlefield 4, as I managed to get the PS3 version of the Platinum just 4 days after release. I no longer had an aversion to collectible hunting, as doing so meant I’d get more Trophies, so the Full Arsenal achievement that only 4% of players bothered to go for was no barrier for me. Overall, this list was a breeze, so much so that I Platinumed BF4 a second time once the PS4 version became available.

This became common practice for me, as I’ve platinumed entries in other franchises I love, such as the Borderlands series, multiple times. While I had a few dozen Platinums prior to the PS4 being released, it wasn’t long into that console generation before I had hundreds. And though BF4’s simple list would have had it on my radar regardless, as it would have been a way to pad my Trophy stats, I did thoroughly enjoy the game once the netcode issues were fixed. Levolution was hugely entertaining, as were all the Easter eggs like the Megalodon on Paracel Storm.

Battlefield: Hardline

• Release date: March 17, 2015 (played at launch)
• Platinum: Yes
• Completion Percentage: 69%
• Trophies earned from this game: 45
• Proudest Trophy: Menz in the Hood (Kill 25 enemies with a MAC-10 and 25 with a Double-Barrel Shotgun in multiplayer)

While Battlefield: Hardline is a bit of a black sheep for the franchise, I actually had a lot of fun with the spin-off. There aren’t many cops and robbers FPS games out there, and the uniqueness of that concept allowed for an enjoyable and different campaign. No, it wasn’t Bad Company, but I was always going to give it a chance because of my loyalty to Visceral—the team behind my all-time favorite horror series, Dead Space. Outside the solid campaign, the multiplayer had plenty of easy Trophies to collect, with Menz in the Hood only being “difficult” because the two guns needed for it required lots of effort to unlock.

And though completing all the challenges needed to get those weapons was a chore for many, I didn’t struggle all that much, keeping them in mind as I played and getting another Battlefield Platinum for my digital Trophy case. Hardline may have lacked the visual prowess and destruction associated with the series, as DICE’s expertise with Frostbite always shows, but it was a fun experiment that was a nice palette cleanser back when annual Battlefield releases were the norm.

Battlefield 1

• Release date: October 21, 2016 (played at launch)
• Platinum: Yes
• Completion Percentage: 68%
• Trophies earned from this game: 37
• Proudest Trophy: Master of adaptation (complete all challenges in the campaign)

Battlefield 1 is considered by many to be a modern masterpiece, and I’d agree with that take, as it ranks just behind BF3 in my personal Battlefield tier list. Fighting on top of zeppelins while battles take place below, sniping foes across gorgeous valleys and desert vistas, and some truly unique gear all made the WW1 game’s multiplayer stand out. Its trophy list focused on the War Stories single-player offering, which was a collection of short stories focused on a character or two. These were a fun experiment that showcased different heroes from across the world, honoring the legacies of veterans who fought over 100 years ago. I had a good enough time with War Stories that collecting everything and completing the mission-specific challenges was painless, making for another easy Platinum to add to my ever-growing collection.

However, after the stellar Battlefield 1, things started to shift for the franchise and the way I play games—and my Trophy collecting in Battlefield followed suit.

Falling Off (and Coming Back) to Battlefield Trophy Hunting — BF5, 2042, and BF6 (2018-2025)

Favorite game of this era: Battlefield 6 (a true return to form with exciting gameplay, gorgeous visuals, fun modes, and chaotic maps that remind me of BF3 classics like Grand Bazaar)

Least Favorite Game of This Era: Battlefield 2042 (While it did improve over time, it’s still the worst of these three games by a wide margin due to its unfocused maps, specialist dialogue, and awkward weapon balance. Not to mention a rough Trophy list with achievements tied to the unpopulated Hazard Zone mode)

Most Enjoyable Trophy List of This Era: Battlefield 6 (packed with fun references and a variety of tasks that force players to PTFO, something that is a must in any Battlefield entry)

Battlefield 5

• Release date: November 20, 2018 (played at launch)
• Platinum: No
• Completion percentage: 61%
• Trophies earned from this game: 16
• Proudest Trophy: Off-Hand (in multiplayer, kill 10 enemies with secondary weapons in a round)

With my high school class graduating in 2016, Battlefield 1 was a last hoorah of sorts. We didn’t realize it at the time, but as everyone took their own paths—be it college, the military, careers, marriage, or anything in between—we started hanging out together less and less with each passing day. This saw me playing Battlefield 5 largely on my own, and for that reason, I didn’t stick with it long. I still played through the War Stories, which were enjoyable if less memorable than those in BF1, and I liked Grand Operations a fair bit.

But with nobody to play with, grinding out multiplayer achievements just didn’t appeal to me, especially with controversial changes to TTK, DICE splitting its focus between the core modes and the Firestorm battle royale, and significant updates like War in the Pacific arriving too late to win me back. Even running around with the M1912 in an attempt to earn the Off-Hand Trophy and recreate my BF3 heyday with the M1911 just didn’t feel right to me. I wanted to like Battlefield 5, but I was never able to click with the game. As such, it brought an end to my streak of BF platinums.

Battlefield: 2042

• Release date: November 19, 2021 (played at launch)
• Platinum: No
• Completion percentage: 56%
• Trophies earned from this game: 17
• Proudest Trophy: CQC Specialist (Perform 20 melee kills in a round)

Everyone knows how disappointing Battlefield 2042 was at launch. It lacked core features, the maps were massive and empty, specialists proved annoying, and bugs were everywhere. Even after seeing Battlefield 2042’s reviews, I wanted to try the game for myself and form my own opinion, though I quickly found myself agreeing with all the criticism. After a few matches, I put the game down and didn’t touch it again for years, and some achievements being tied to the failed Hazard Zone mode meant I didn’t even have the motivation to play purely for the Trophies, as 100% was off the table. However, that was not the end of the story, as I recently came back to BF2042 after hearing how much it had improved.

While it still isn’t going to be anyone’s favorite Battlefield game, it is enjoyable in its current state, so much so that I convinced my fiancée to give it a try in the lead-up to Battlefield 6. She ended up having a great time as a revive-focused medic, so we ended up grinding through the entire Road to BF6 battle pass. In the process, we had plenty of fun moments, like melee-only Redacted matches in pursuit of the CQC Specialist Trophy or me teaching her how to snipe. Thanks to Battlefield 2042’s overhaul, I was able to fix the first issue that pulled me away from the series: I had someone to play with again.

Battlefield 6

• Release date: October 10, 2025 (played at launch)
• Platinum: No (Just one Trophy left!)
• Completion percentage: 82%
• Trophies earned from this game: 41
• Proudest Trophy: Super Bomb man (Arm or Disarm 5 M-COM Explosives in Multiplayer)

Enter Battlefield 6, which fixed the other issue that led to my hiatus from Trophy hunting in Battlefield: the need for a top-notch experience. After years of playing Trophy shovelware to reach personal goals, like top 150 in the US and top 1,000 worldwide, I only Platinum the games that I truly love nowadays. Since I haven’t loved a Battlefield game since BF1, that hasn’t been an option, but I can honestly say that BF6 is one of my favorite entries in the series and something I look forward to playing every chance I get. Having the perfect person to play it with helps, and the fact that BF6‘s Trophy list is full of references makes it an entertaining grind, but I wouldn’t have even considered going for it if the game wasn’t as terrific as it is.

I’ve seen all the criticisms about Battlefield 6, some fair (a lack of transparency around ticket changes and challenge-based battle pass progression), some overblown (the entire skins debate is tiring), and some that don’t apply to me (map size, as I’ve always loved infantry gameplay most of all). Yet this noise hasn’t stopped me from adoring the game, as whether it’s rushing a tank with C4, pulling off long-distance headshots from the Operation Firestorm mountain, or being the worst pilot imaginable in an air vehicle, I’m always having a blast in BF6.

The Trophy hunt has only made me love the game more, as I accidentally made the Super Bombman Trophy challenging by thinking all five M-COMs had to be blown up in one game. I pulled it off, though, and it turned a fairly simple achievement into my proudest one. All that’s left for the Platinum is 1996 revives, and considering how enjoyable being a medic already is in BF6, this last push should be a breeze.

What I’ve Learned From My Battlefield Trophy Journey

When looking back at this entire 400+ Trophy collection—which is just one saga in a long history of series-specific achievement hunts—I’ve learned a few things. First, if a Battlefield game is truly stellar, I tend to get the Platinum for it. Apart from the Bad Company games, since my completionist arc hadn’t started at that point, and Hardline, since it was a guilty pleasure of mine, my Trophy collection tends to mirror the general sentiment around the Battlefield franchise. If a Battlefield game is considered good (BF3, BF4, BF1, and now BF6), I get the Platinum for it, whereas “bad” entries like 2042 don’t get fully completed.

To me, it reflects that Battlefield 6—to borrow a phrase from my favorite wrestling promotion AEW—has successfully “restored the feeling” for the series. Players may have their nitpicks and critiques about BF6, but compared to recent entries, it’s a much-needed strong point for the IP. The journey also reflects what should be obvious about any multiplayer-focused franchise: having friends or loved ones to play with can make all the difference in how much enjoyment one gets out of a game.

As for what this little exercise has told me about myself, it’s that I finally know “why” I Trophy hunt. Had you asked me that before, I don’t think I’d have had a proper answer to the question. I may have just said that I do it for fun, or that I just play a lot of games and it happens naturally. You don’t end up with 1,427 Platinums and over 50,000 Trophies by accident, though. For me, the truth is that PlayStation Trophies aren’t JUST achievements; there’s a reason I don’t go for them on Steam or Xbox, after all.

Instead, they’re a collection of memories from my teenage years and young adulthood. They serve as markers to look back on, remembering where I was in life when I unlocked certain Trophies, who I was playing with, and whether I was having fun, suffering, or some combination of the two when trying to unlock the achievement in question. Sure, my Trophy obsession can be traced back to finding the BF3 Platinum so satisfying to earn, as I started chasing that dragon from then on. But since then, it’s evolved into a source of competition, an obsession, and a force of habit.

It’s a strange thing to say, but my Trophy collection feels like my legacy, as it’s a living document of all I’ve accomplished and will continue to accomplish in the gaming world. With all my goals achieved, I’m more selective about the Trophies I go for nowadays, but I’m still adding onto that legacy with each and every unlock. If it weren’t for the Battlefield series, this legacy might not exist, so I’ll forever be thankful to the franchise for providing the thing that makes me stand out when I otherwise wouldn’t.

Released

October 10, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-App Purchases, Users Interact

Developer(s)

Battlefield Studios