For nearly a decade, PlayStation players have been able to earn trophies in their games by completing certain challenges, giving them bragging rights and an opportunity to prove they’re the best out of all their friends. The most coveted of these is the Platinum trophy — awarded for unlocking every trophy in a given game — and Australian players will soon have a chance to win a real one through the PlayStation Plus Platinum Hunters competition.
Beginning on Tuesday, September 26 with FIFA 18, players who complete a series of tasks will be entered for a chance to win the real Platinum trophy (though they’re not made of, you know, platinum). First, they must earn a Platinum trophy in the supported game. In October, that will be Gran Turismo Sport, and it will be Call of Duty: WWII in November.
As you can see in the video above, the trophy looks identical to the icon for Platinum trophies on PlayStation console, with the system’s buttons engraved on its front. It’s surrounded by metal swirls that give it an almost holy aura, though it’s certainly attainable in several games.
After earning your Platinum trophy, you then have to share it to either Facebook or Twitter. On Facebook, it must be public and use the hashtag “#PlusPlatinumHunters” and on Twitter it must use the same hashtag and also tag the PlayStationAU account.
If you couldn’t guess by the name of the competition, you must be subscribed to PlayStation Plus in order to be eligible. As some trophies in games are online multiplayer-based, it’s likely impossible to earn a Platinum without subscribing, anyway. And if you don’t want to fork over the cash for a membership, ask your friends for a free trial card — nearly everyone with a PlayStation 4 has at least one of them lying in a box somewhere.
Sony’s PlayStation trophies were heavily inspired by Microsoft’s “achievements,” which were introduced with the launch of Xbox 360. Steam and Uplay both have their own similar systems, but Nintendo has thus far not introduced trophies. If you want your friends to believe that you beat Ganon without upgrading your health at all in Breath of the Wild, you better record your gameplay.
