Minecraft Update Fixes a Problem That’s Been Around for a Year

Last year, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition brought add-ons to the game, offering changes based on Java Edition mods. Unfortunately, players that installed these add-ons could not earn achievements. Thankfully that’s finally changing. Mojang has announced that players will now be able to earn achievements no matter how many add-ons they’ve installed (though the developers advise players not to stack too many). It’s unclear why it took so long for this to be taken care of, but this should make a lot of achievement hunters happy. This will also apply across all of Minecraft‘s current platforms.

While the importance of achievements varies based on the player, it is nice to see Mojang finally get this resolved. It’s not clear exactly why Minecraft achievements weren’t possible with add-ons prior to this change, but there may have been some internal debate among the developers. In the announcement, Mojang specifically mentions the fact that some achievements will now be easier to pull off thanks to certain add-ons. The developers seem to largely be fine with that, but they are trying to prohibit the creation of add-ons that only exist to unlock achievements early.

“Yes, some add-ons may indirectly make it easier to earn achievements. For example, any enhanced weapons, gear, or food will likely make it easier to defeat the Ender Dragon. However, we believe that the majority of players just want to play the game, and many see earning achievements as an important part of the experience,” a post on the game’s official website reads. “We don’t want them to miss out on the fun of earning achievements just because they are using an add-on. To prevent add-ons from posing an unfair advantage, we have put new policies in place for creators to prohibit add-ons that are specifically designed to earn difficult achievements or as many achievements as possible.”

The decision to allow players to unlock achievements in Minecraft even if there are add-ons present is probably the right one. At the end of the day, achievements are just meant to be something fun for players to pull off. The only real reward (besides the change to your Gamerscore) is the fun sound effect. Since add-ons are all officially released through Mojang, it should all still count, and there shouldn’t be any gatekeeping about it. This change might even make some players more likely to use add-ons!

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Since add-ons were brought to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition in 2024, a significant number have been made available by Mojang. These add-ons can be obtained in the game for free or by using MineCoins. Some free examples provide scary furniture, or offer different soundscapes. Those types of additions shouldn’t make it any easier to unlock specific achievements, but they do help players customize the game to their liking. That’s really what Minecraft is all about, so hopefully players take full advantage of what’s available.

Are you happy that this change was made to Minecraft? Should players still be able to get achievements if they’re using add-ons? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!