On an iPhone running iOS 26, open Apple’s Games app to see your achievements, leaderboard positions and challenges for every game that uses Game Center. On older iOS versions, open each game’s Game Center screen from inside the game. On Android, games that use Google Play Games services record achievements on your Play Games profile, which you can open from the achievements button inside the game. Some games, including many small and offline ones, keep their trophies entirely inside the game, so check the game’s menu for a trophy or medal button.
How to see achievements on iPhone #
iOS 26: the Games app #
iOS 26 added a Games app that brings Game Center into one place. It lets you view achievements and leaderboard positions, start challenges, and manage your profile and friend requests. Open the Games app, find the game in your library, and open its page to see what you’ve earned and what’s left.
Game Center settings #
Apple removed the standalone Game Center app back in iOS 10 in 2016 and moved profile settings into the Settings app. If a game isn’t recording achievements, open Settings > Game Center and make sure you’re signed in with your Apple Account.
Inside the game #
Many games have their own achievements or trophy button that opens the Game Center list for that game. On older iOS versions, that’s the main way to see them.
How to see achievements on Android #
Android games that use Google Play Games services keep achievements, leaderboards, a player profile and, in some games, saved progress tied to your Google Account. Your Play Games player level now goes up to 99, up from the old cap of 50.
The most reliable way to see a game’s achievements is from inside the game. Look for an achievements button, often a trophy or a small game-controller icon, which opens your Play Games achievements for that game. Your overall Play Games profile, with all your games together, is reachable through Google Play. Exactly where it sits varies with your phone and your Play Store version.
Where else your achievements might be #
- Console accounts. The PlayStation App shows PlayStation trophies, and the Xbox app shows Xbox achievements, including for games you play through those services.
- Game accounts. Big online games often track achievements in their own account system, visible inside the game whatever phone you use.
- Inside the game only. Many games keep achievements purely in the game, with no outside service at all.
Why do some games keep achievements inside the game? #
Because it’s simpler and it works offline. A game that saves its trophies on your phone doesn’t need you to sign in to anything, doesn’t send your progress to an outside service, and works on a plane. The trade-off is that those trophies don’t show up in the Games app or Play Games, and they only follow you to a new phone if the game’s saved data does.
Flappy Kittens works this way. Its 17 trophies live in the game’s own menu and pay between 25 and 1,000 fish each, from First Flight for your first point to Legendary Cat for a score of 100. Separately, every run can earn a medal on the game-over screen, from bronze at 8 to diamond at 100. Three trophies also give you cats that can’t be bought: Sir Goldfur, Nebula and Prism. Everything is saved on your phone. Our full list of Flappy Kittens achievements covers what each one takes.
Why do achievements feel so good? #
They turn “get better” into a clear goal #
“Improve at the game” is vague. “Reach a score of 25” is a target you can hit tonight. Clear, reachable goals are one of the most reliable ways to keep people motivated.
They show competence #
Psychologists who study motivation, most famously Edward Deci and Richard Ryan with their self-determination theory, point to competence, the feeling of getting good at something, as a basic human need. An achievement is proof you’ve improved.
They’re a collection #
A list with a few locked entries nags at you. Completing the set is its own reward, which is why achievement lists show the ones you haven’t earned.
They point you at things you’d skip #
Good achievements nudge you toward a mode, a character or a play style you’d never have tried.
They’re something to show #
A rare achievement, or a medal on a share card, is a small brag you can prove. For the score side of that, our guide to what counts as a good Flappy Bird score explains the medal tiers in the original game.
The downside is completionism. Achievements like “play 100 games” can turn a fun game into a checklist. Chase the ones you enjoy and ignore the grind.
Tips for hunting achievements #
- Read the list early. Some achievements can be missed if you don’t know about them.
- Do the cheap ones first. First-time achievements often pay the most for the least effort.
- Stack them. Plan runs that tick off two or three at once.
- Don’t pay to finish. If a game sells shortcuts to an achievement, the achievement means less anyway.
- Stop when it stops being fun. The list will still be there next week.
Frequently asked questions #
Why aren’t my achievements showing in Game Center? #
Check that you’re signed in under Settings > Game Center. If you are, the game may not use Game Center at all and may keep its achievements in its own menu instead.
Do achievements carry over to a new phone? #
Game Center and Google Play Games achievements follow your account. Achievements a game stores on the phone depend on how the game saves, and our guide on transferring game progress explains what moves and what doesn’t.
Can I reset my achievements? #
Usually not for Game Center or Google Play Games. Games that keep achievements in their own menu sometimes offer a full reset. In Flappy Kittens, Reset Progress in Settings erases trophies along with everything else, and it can’t be undone.
What’s the difference between achievements, trophies and medals? #
Achievements and trophies are the same idea under different names. PlayStation calls them trophies, for example. Medals in flappy games are different: you earn one per run based on your score, rather than once for good.
Does Flappy Kittens use Game Center or Google Play Games? #
No. Its trophies and medals are kept inside the game and saved on your phone, so they work offline and need no sign-in.