According to Windows Central, a new report from TrueAchievements reveals a massive shovelware problem on Xbox. The data shows that of the more than 2,200 games released on Xbox in 2025, over 880—or 39%—were low-effort titles designed primarily to offer easy Gamerscore. That’s a staggering 204% increase from 2024. These spam games alone contributed over 2 million Gamerscore from more than 21,000 achievements last year. The situation highlights a growing storefront quality issue, especially as Sony has recently taken aggressive action to remove similar content from PlayStation Store.
Why this matters to players
Here’s the thing: achievements and Gamerscore used to mean something. They were a fun meta-game, a badge of honor showing you mastered a level or found a secret. Now? A huge chunk of that point total is just digital junk food. It devalues the entire system for everyone who cares about it. If you can buy 1,000 Gamerscore for $5 in 20 minutes from some asset-flip “game,” what’s the point of the 100-hour grind in a real RPG? The competitive aspect gets totally diluted. And for regular players just browsing the store, it makes finding quality, interesting indie games harder because they’re buried under mountains of spam.
What Microsoft could do
So, what can Xbox do? Well, they could start by looking at Sony. As noted in a recent Reddit discussion, PlayStation removed over 1,000 shovelware titles in one sweep. That’s a clear statement. Microsoft needs similar curation. TrueAchievements suggests one smart fix: requiring ID@Xbox titles to support Xbox Play Anywhere. That would stop developers from releasing the same game separately on console and PC just so players can double-dip on achievements. It’s a simple gate that would cut down on a lot of the duplicate spam. Basically, they need to be more selective about what gets on the store in the first place.
The bigger picture for Xbox
This isn’t just about cleaning up a digital shelf. It feels symptomatic of a platform that’s lost some focus. Xbox Achievements pioneered this whole concept, pushing PlayStation and Steam to create Trophies and the like. But now, while others iterate and refine their systems, Xbox’s feels a bit neglected. The ecosystem is less rewarding. When the core engagement loops you built your brand on start to feel cheap and inflated, that’s a problem. It chips away at platform loyalty. Microsoft has to ask itself: does it want the Microsoft Store to be a curated experience or a digital flea market? Because right now, it’s leaning towards the latter, and that has long-term consequences for how players perceive the value of their Xbox.
