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Overview

Dolphin supports RetroAchievements integration, allowing you to earn achievements, track progress, and compete on leaderboards while playing GameCube and Wii games.

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What is RetroAchievements?

RetroAchievements is a community-driven achievement system for retro games:
  • Custom achievements: Community-created challenges for classic games
  • Leaderboards: Compete with players worldwide
  • Progress tracking: Monitor completion across games
  • Rich presence: Show what you’re playing
  • Badges & points: Earn rewards for achievements
RetroAchievements is free and requires creating an account at retroachievements.org

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Setting Up RetroAchievements

1

Create Account

Visit https://retroachievements.org and create a free account
2

Open Dolphin Achievements Settings

Config > Achievements
3

Login

Enter your RetroAchievements username and passwordClick “Login”
4

Configure Options

Enable desired features:
  • Achievement notifications
  • Leaderboard submissions
  • Rich presence
  • Hardcore mode
5

Start Playing

Load a game with achievement supportAchievements appear automatically

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Achievement Features

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Standard Mode

Play with full emulator features:
  • Save states allowed
  • Cheats allowed
  • Slowdown/fast-forward allowed
  • Earn achievements: Yes (marked as softcore)
  • Submit leaderboards: No

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Hardcore Mode

Disables emulator advantages for legitimate achievement hunting:
Disabled in Hardcore Mode:
  • Save states (in-game saves still work)
  • Cheats and action replay codes
  • Memory modification
  • Slowdown/fast-forward
  • Frame advance
Benefits:
  • Achievements count as “hardcore”
  • Leaderboard submission enabled
  • Extra points awarded
  • Community prestige
Hardcore mode can be toggled on/off, but achievements earned in softcore cannot be upgraded to hardcore.

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Notifications

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Achievement Unlocked

When you unlock an achievement:
  • On-screen notification: Badge, name, description, points
  • Sound effect: Confirmation sound
  • Logged to account: Progress saved automatically

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Leaderboard Submission

In hardcore mode, leaderboard achievements submit scores:
  • Your rank: Position on global leaderboard
  • Score/time: Your submitted value
  • Notification: Confirmation of submission

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Rich Presence

Shows what you’re doing in-game: 
Playing Super Mario Sunshine
Current level: Delfino Plaza
Shines: 27/120
Visible on your RetroAchievements profile and Discord (if enabled).

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Progress Tracking

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In Dolphin

View achievement progress:
  • Tools > Achievements: List all available achievements
  • Progress bars: Track multi-step achievements
  • Locked/Unlocked: See what you’ve earned
  • Points: View total points for game

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On Website

Your RetroAchievements profile shows:
  • Total points: Across all games
  • Game completion: Percentage for each game
  • Achievement history: Timeline of unlocks
  • Badges earned: Visual collection
  • Leaderboard ranks: Your positions

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Supported Games

Not all games have achievement sets. Check if a game is supported:
1

Visit RetroAchievements.org

Go to https://retroachievements.org
2

Search for Game

Use search to find your gameFilter by platform: GameCube or Wii
3

Check Achievement Set

Game page shows:
  • Number of achievements
  • Total points available
  • Leaderboards
  • Community discussion
  • Super Mario Sunshine
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
  • Metroid Prime
  • Luigi’s Mansion
  • Super Smash Bros. Melee
  • Many more…
  • Super Mario Galaxy
  • The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
  • Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
  • Donkey Kong Country Returns
  • And more being added regularly
Achievement sets are community-created. Coverage varies by game popularity.

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Leaderboards

Compete on time trials, score attacks, and other challenges:

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Types of Leaderboards

  • Speedruns: Complete levels/game as fast as possible
  • Score attacks: Achieve highest score
  • Challenge runs: Specific in-game challenges
  • Collectathons: Fastest collection completions

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Submitting Scores

1

Enable Hardcore Mode

Config > Achievements > Enable Hardcore Mode
2

Complete Challenge

Play the game and complete leaderboard objective
3

Automatic Submission

Score submits automatically upon completionNotification shows your rank
4

View on Website

Check full leaderboard on RetroAchievements.org

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Mastery & Completion

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Game Completion

Earn all achievements in a game:
  • Softcore mastery: All achievements in standard mode
  • Hardcore mastery: All achievements in hardcore mode
  • Mastery badge: Displayed on profile
  • Extra points: Bonus points for mastery

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100% Completion

Some achievement sets include:
  • Base achievements: Core game content
  • Bonus achievements: Extra challenges
True 100% requires all achievements, including bonus.

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Rich Presence & Discord

Show your gaming on Discord:
1

Enable Rich Presence

Config > Achievements > Enable Rich Presence
2

Link Discord (Optional)

RetroAchievements.org > Settings > Discord IntegrationConnect your Discord account
3

Play Game

Discord status shows:
  • Game name
  • Current progress
  • Time played

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Achievement Development

Interested in creating achievements?

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Become a Developer

1

Gain Experience

Earn achievements, understand the system
2

Join Community

Participate in RetroAchievements Discord/forums
3

Apply for Developer Role

Request developer permissions on the website
4

Learn Achievement Logic

Study existing achievement setsUse achievement development tools
5

Create Achievement Set

Develop achievements for unsupported or incomplete games

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Achievement Logic

Achievements use memory conditions: 
Memory Address 0x12345 == 100  (Health at max)
Memory Address 0x67890 > 50    (Score above 50)
Memory Address 0xABCDE != 0    (Item collected)
Combine conditions to create complex challenges.

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Best Practices

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For Players

  • Start in softcore: Learn game mechanics first
  • Progress to hardcore: Attempt hardcore after familiarity
  • Read descriptions: Understand what each achievement requires
  • Join community: Get help and share strategies
  • Backup saves: Hardcore mode disables save states

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For Developers

  • Test thoroughly: Verify achievements trigger correctly
  • Avoid spoilers: Description shouldn’t spoil story
  • Balance difficulty: Mix easy, medium, hard achievements
  • Check for bugs: Ensure no false triggers
  • Engage community: Get feedback during development

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Troubleshooting

  • Verify username and password are correct
  • Check internet connection
  • Ensure RetroAchievements.org is accessible
  • Try logging in on website first
  • Update Dolphin to latest version
  • Verify game has achievement set (check website)
  • Ensure logged into RetroAchievements in Dolphin
  • Check game version/region matches achievement set
  • Restart Dolphin after login
  • Verify you met all conditions
  • Check if achievement is paused/disabled
  • Review achievement description for requirements
  • Report issue on RetroAchievements.org if legitimate
  • Close any save states
  • Disable all cheats
  • Restart game from beginning
  • Hardcore must be enabled before loading game
  • Confirm hardcore mode is enabled
  • Check internet connection
  • Verify you completed leaderboard objective
  • Look for submission notification

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Privacy & Data

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What Gets Shared

  • Achievement unlocks: When you earn achievements
  • Game playtime: How long you play
  • Rich presence: Current game progress (if enabled)
  • Leaderboard scores: Your submitted scores

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Privacy Settings

Control on RetroAchievements.org:
  • Profile visibility: Public or private
  • Progress sharing: Show/hide game progress
  • Discord integration: Enable/disable rich presence

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Achievement Hunting Tips

Many games have achievements only available at specific points:
  • Read all achievement descriptions before starting
  • Use achievement guides on RetroAchievements.org
  • Create manual save backups before major decisions
Some achievements require repetitive actions:
  • Combine with other objectives when possible
  • Use in-game saves to checkpoint progress
  • Take breaks to avoid burnout
Difficult achievements may require practice:
  • Practice in softcore first
  • Watch videos of successful attempts
  • Ask community for strategies
  • Consider using save states for practice (softcore only)

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Points System

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Point Values

  • Easy: 1-5 points
  • Medium: 5-10 points
  • Hard: 10-25 points
  • Very Hard: 25-50 points
  • Extremely Hard: 50-100 points

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Point Bonuses

  • Hardcore multiplier: 2x points in hardcore mode
  • Mastery bonus: Extra points for completing all achievements
  • Early adopter: Bonus for being among first to complete

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Community Resources

  • Website: https://retroachievements.org
  • Discord: Active community for help and discussion
  • Forums: Game-specific strategy discussions
  • Achievement Guides: Walkthroughs for difficult achievements
  • Developer Docs: Resources for creating achievements

TAS Tools

Frame-perfect gameplay tools (disabled in hardcore)

Cheats & Action Replay

Memory modification (disabled in hardcore)