How to Remove Steam Achievements from a Game: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

Why Would You Remove Steam Achievements?

There are a few good reasons:

• Replay value — you want to earn them all again from scratch.
• Shared computer — someone else unlocked them on your account.
• Testing — developers and modders reset achievements while working.
• Clean profile — you want your achievement showcase to reflect your real progress.

Whatever your reason, the process is the same. It takes about five minutes.

Is It Safe? Will I Get Banned?

This is the question everyone asks. Here is the honest answer:

• VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) — SAM does not touch game files or memory. It only talks to the Steam client. There are no known VAC bans from resetting achievements.
• Game bans — extremely rare for achievement resets. Unlocking achievements you did not earn is riskier than removing them.
• Steam account — Valve has never banned accounts just for using SAM to manage achievements.

That said, use it at your own risk. Do not use it while playing VAC-secured multiplayer games, and never use it to cheat in online play. If you want to be extra safe, run Steam in offline mode while using SAM. For more account safety basics, see our Steam account security guide.

What You Need

• A Windows PC — SAM is Windows-only.
• Steam Achievement Manager — free, open source. Get it from the official GitHub page.
• Admin rights — you need to run SAM as administrator.
• 5 minutes — the whole process is quick.

Step-by-Step: Removing Steam Achievements

Step 1: Download Steam Achievement Manager

Go to the Steam Achievement Manager GitHub page and download the latest release ZIP. Extract it to a folder you can find easily, like your Desktop.

Step 2: Close Steam Completely

This step matters. Right-click the Steam icon in your system tray and choose Exit. Do not just close the window — Steam keeps running in the background otherwise. Check Task Manager to make sure no Steam process is running.

Step 3: Run SAM as Administrator

Open the folder you extracted. Right-click SAM.Picker.exe and choose Run as administrator. Click Yes on the Windows prompt.

Step 4: Select Your Game

SAM shows a list of your Steam games. Find the game you want and double-click it. A new window opens showing all its achievements. Locked ones are unchecked, unlocked ones are checked.

Step 5: Uncheck the Achievements

Uncheck every achievement you want to remove. You can click them one by one, or use the buttons at the top to lock or unlock all at once.

Step 6: Click “Store”

Click the Store button (sometimes labelled Commit). SAM writes the changes to the Steam client. Wait for it to finish — it only takes a few seconds.

Step 7: Reopen Steam and Check

Start Steam again. Go to the game’s achievement page. The achievements you unchecked should now show as locked. Steam syncs the change to its servers automatically.

Troubleshooting

• SAM shows no games — Steam was not fully closed, or you did not run SAM as admin. Close everything and try again.
• Achievements come back — the game re-syncs them on launch. Some games check your save file and re-award achievements. For these, you may need to start a new save too.
• “Failed to initialize” error — your antivirus may be blocking SAM. Add an exception or temporarily disable it.
• Game not in the list — SAM only lists games you own with achievements. Make sure the game is installed and you are logged into the right account.

Tips for a Smooth Reset

• Back up your saves first. Some games tie achievements to save data. Copy your save folder somewhere safe.
• Do one game at a time. It keeps things clean and easy to verify.
• Use offline mode. Set Steam to offline before running SAM if you want zero server contact during the change.
• Check the game’s forums. Some games are known to re-lock or re-award achievements. Knowing this saves frustration.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Leaving Steam running. The number one reason SAM fails. Exit Steam fully from the system tray.
• Not running as admin. SAM needs admin rights to talk to the Steam client properly.
• Forgetting to click Store. Unchecking boxes does nothing until you commit the change.
• Using SAM during online play. Do not run it while in a multiplayer match. Close the game first.

Running into other Steam issues? Our Steam troubleshooting hub covers common fixes.

FAQs

Can you remove Steam achievements?

Yes. Steam Achievement Manager lets you lock (remove) achievements from any game you own, and Steam syncs the change.

Is Steam Achievement Manager safe?

Yes for achievement management. It is open source, widely used, and does not modify game files. There are no known VAC bans from resetting achievements.

Will the achievements come back?

They can, if the game re-awards them based on your save file. Starting a fresh save usually prevents this.

Does this work on Steam Deck?

Not directly — SAM is Windows-only. You would need to run it on a Windows PC with the same Steam account, or use Windows on your Deck.

Can I remove achievements from just one game?

Yes. SAM works per game. Pick the game from the list and only its achievements are affected.

Do I need to reinstall the game?

No. Nothing about the game itself changes. Only the achievement flags in the Steam client are updated.

Is there an official Steam way to do this?

No. Steam has no built-in achievement reset feature, which is why SAM exists.

Conclusion

Removing Steam achievements is easy with Steam Achievement Manager: close Steam, run SAM as admin, uncheck what you want gone, and hit Store. Five minutes and your achievement list is clean.

Just remember to close Steam fully first, run as admin, and back up your saves. Happy replaying!

For official Steam support, visit store.steampowered.com and the Steam Support pages.