PS5 Trophies to Reward Players, but Maybe Not for All Games

We all want to be awarded for our achievements, and it looks like Sony will be doing precisely that with the PS5. Typically, Trophies on the PS4 were merely bragging points among friends. Hit a “Platinum” on some massive RPG, and you’d be the “King (or Queen) of Gaming” in your little circle. With the PS5, however, you may be able to expand your video game prowess and notoriety to anyone you come in contact with.

During the PS5 User Interface reveal, there appeared to be hints that Trophies will be tied to digital rewards. MP1st caught one of these potential rewards, which was linked to a Bronze Trophy named “Rookie” for the upcoming Desruction AllStars.  The text under the Trophy name suggests that scoring “Rookie” awards the player with a profile banner. “Earn all of the star objectives for… Profile Banner,” the Trophy card reads. A second title card for the Gold “Wreckognised” Trophy states that players would receive a Profile Avatar.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case with all Trophies or games. The User Experience feature started with gameplay of Sackboy: A Big Adventure. When scrolling through the PS5’s user menu, two Trophies attached to the game, “Bounder” and “Bubble Binger” were shown, neither evidently tie to any user reward. Despite being “Rare” and “Very Rare” Trophies, there didn’t seem to be an incentive for completing them beyond those bragging rights.

Sony hasn’t confirmed how often Trophies will be attached to digital rewards or whether they’re exclusively for first-party titles. With under a month left until the PS5 launch, we can expect a deeper dive into the console’s Trophy system in the coming weeks.

The PlayStation 5 User Experience feature offered a deep dive into some of the control center mechanics, starting with the much-talked-about quick-start that near instantly launches games where the player left off. With the press of a button, players will have access to a card-based UI that provides a detailed look into Trophy progress, in-game Activities, up-to-date news on publishers, screenshots, and so much more.

Activities are among the newest features coming to the console and provide players direction throughout the game. By using personalized playtime, the PS5 can estimate how long it will take players to complete and activate. Players can also jump to specific objectives needed to complete the activity or find helpful videos (not available in all PS5 games).

Though Activities and Trophies are two different components, they will likely be tied together. Players can expect completing specific Activities will also unlock Trophies. For more on the PS5 interface, check out the full User Experience video below: