Xbox has a shovelware problem — 40% of 2025 releases were Gamerscore spam, according to a new report

Xbox Achievements is a system that rewards players with Gamerscore for completing specific objectives, from just finishing levels to more obscure things like challenges. For many players, they add extra motivation and replay value beyond simply finishing a game.

However, TrueAchievements, the popular achievement tracking platform, has published a detailed breakdown of games released on Xbox in 2025. Its data shows that more than 40% of those releases were designed primarily to offer easy Gamerscore.

These low-effort titles, often referred to as shovelware, have increasingly flooded the Microsoft Store, making up a significant portion of last year’s releases. While the issue has been building for years, the scale seen in 2025 highlights just how widespread it has become.

Over on PlayStation, Sony has recently taken steps to clamp down on spam and shovelware games. With that in mind, it raises an obvious question. Is it time for Xbox to take similar action?

How widespread spam Gamerscore games have become

Again, all credit goes to TrueAchievements here. Its breakdown is thorough, so it is worth digging into exactly what the data shows.

Of the more than 2,200 games released on Xbox in 2025, TrueAchievements estimates that over 880, or 39%, were shovelware titles designed around easy achievements. That represents a 204% increase compared to 2024, which saw just 290 such releases.

With so many games launching last year, 2025 also became a record-breaking year for achievements, and Gamerscore added to the Xbox ecosystem. The sheer volume of releases directly fed into that growth.

Across games, add-ons, and DLC, more than 64,000 achievements worth over 3.5 million Gamerscore were made available to unlock. TrueAchievements estimates that 21,601 of those achievements, accounting for over 2 million Gamerscore, came from shovelware titles alone.

For comparison, shovelware games contributed just 647,000 Gamerscore in 2023, highlighting how dramatically the situation has escalated in a short space of time.

What can Microsoft do?

Microsoft could start by following Sony’s lead. Sony recently removed over 1,000 shovelware titles from its storefront, showing that active intervention is possible when the problem reaches a tipping point.

Beyond outright removals, Microsoft needs to be more selective about what it allows onto the Microsoft Store in the first place. As TrueAchievements notes, requiring ID@Xbox titles to support Xbox Play Anywhere would significantly reduce duplicate releases across console and PC, cutting down on achievement farming through repeated releases of the same games, letting users double up on the same achievements.

This whole situation highlights how messy Xbox achievements have become. What was once a fun and competitive system that helped keep me invested in the platform now feels increasingly neglected and marred by shovelware.

Xbox Achievements helped shape modern gaming, pushing PlayStation and Steam to introduce their own alternatives. Today, Xbox’s system risks being left behind, with meaningful updates still feeling distant and the ecosystem less rewarding than it once was.

Do you think Microsoft needs to take stronger action against spam Gamerscore games on Xbox? Share your thoughts in the comments or take part in our poll below:

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