Forever Ago Achievements Guide — All 29 Trophies

If you're chasing Forever Ago achievements, you're in for a relaxed but sneaky hunt. Third Shift's debut is a story-driven road trip about Alfred, an elderly man retracing a coastal journey his late wife Audrey left behind in a journal — and most of its 29 trophies hide in quiet moments between chapters.

There are 29 achievements worth 1,000 XP total, and none of them require combat, speedruns, or hard-mode clears. Instead, you'll earn XP for things like taking selfies, throwing sticks for a dog, napping at scenic overlooks, and beating an arcade high score. This guide breaks down every trophy, how much XP each one pays out, and what to watch for so you don't finish the roughly four-hour story with a half-empty list.

Check out beginner guide for more details.

Forever Ago Achievements List: All 29 Trophies

The full set below is based on the official Epic Games Store achievement list. XP values range from 15 for small optional moments to 105 for the two biggest time-sinks. Note that the unlock percentages shown on storefronts were near zero at launch simply because the game had just released — don't read them as difficulty ratings.

Missable vs. Unmissable: What You Can Actually Lose

Here's the good news straight from reviewers who finished the game: no major story beats are missable. The narrative achievements — Alright, First Coffee, Back On The Road, You Can't Plan Life, and Trip's Cancelled — fire automatically as you progress through the nine chapters.

The optional content is where things get slippery. Based on player experience, the following are the ones most likely to slip past you:

• Make A Wish — you have to spot a shooting star quickly, so keep an eye on the night sky during evening scenes.
• It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Doggo — photograph the dog instead of the bird's nest. It's a deliberate "wrong" choice, so don't overthink the objective.
• Patience Of A Saint — let Milton finish talking. Interrupting him voids the unlock.
• Hatless — you must specifically lose Alfred's hat by napping. If you never rest in that spot, you'll miss it.

Because there's no chapter select confirmed at launch, the safest approach is to be thorough on your first playthrough rather than planning a cleanup run.

Photo Achievements: Focus Finder, Picture Perfect, and Self-Portrait Photography

Alfred's instant camera is the backbone of the achievement list, and three trophies stack naturally if you photograph everything that catches your eye.

The math is forgiving. Over roughly four hours of play, 50 total photos averages out to about a dozen per chapter. If you take a selfie at each major stop and photograph scenery between them, all three unlock well before the finale. Community reports suggest the counter only tracks in-game camera shots, so don't rely on screenshot tools.

There's also Snooping Shutterbug, a separate 15 XP trophy for photographing every curious object in Alfred's room. This one is confined to the opening domestic scenes, so sweep the room early — check shelves, the desk, and any personal items tied to Audrey before you leave.

Collectibles: Vignettes, Pumpkins, and Bobbleheads

Forever Ago hides a small set of collectibles, and two of them anchor their own achievements.

Vignettes — Glimpse Into The Past and Petal Collector

Finding your first vignette unlocks Glimpse Into The Past (15 XP). Tracking down every single one earns Petal Collector (80 XP), one of the bigger payouts on the list. These appear as optional memory scenes scattered across locations, and since exploration is light, they're easy to walk past if you beeline toward objectives.

Mosaic Pumpkins and Marley's Bobblehead

Back at home, Audrey's mosaic pumpkins are tucked around the property — collect them all for World's Largest Mosaic Pumpkin Collection (30 XP). Separately, The Plundered Plumage (15 XP) asks you to find Marley's bobblehead, a small item that's easy to overlook in cluttered rooms.

Minigames and Optional Interactions Worth 100+ XP

Some of the most valuable trophies come from goofing around rather than following the story. Two of them pay 105 XP each — the highest tier in the game.

Old Bones (105 XP)

Take every opportunity to rest for a moment. Every bench, log, and scenic overlook with a rest prompt counts. This is the single easiest big payout if you're disciplined about pausing, and it pairs nicely with Hatless if you nap in the right spot.

Bowside 360 (105 XP)

Do a 360 spin with a boat. This is a pure novelty unlock — when you get behind the wheel of a boat, spin it all the way around before continuing.

Smaller Optional Trophies

• Guardian Lord — beat the arcade's high score. Expect a simple retro minigame.
• Green Thumb — beat Sam in watering her plants. A short competition, not a puzzle.
• Olympic-Level Stick Thrower — start three rounds of fetch with Doggo.
• Shaun and Jason — call out for Doggo at least 30 times during the climb. Yes, really.
• What's In A Name — give Doggo a name when prompted.
• Have a Swantastic Day — carve your initials into a memorable tree.
• Shopaholic — buy every item at Karl's Pump 'n' Mart.
• Stupid Thing! — "fix" the broken kitchen drawer in a way that definitely doesn't fix it.
• Scallyrat Roberts — learn what caused the resort's collapse by digging into optional dialogue and environment details.
• Chrono Selfie — take a selfie with Milton, an 80 XP trophy tied to a specific character encounter.

Tips to Unlock Everything in One Playthrough

Since the game is short and linear, one thorough run should be enough. Here's the approach that works:

1. Rest at every prompt you see. Old Bones requires all of them, and resting is also how you trigger Hatless.
2. Photograph constantly. Selfies at landmarks, scenery in between. You need 10 selfies and 50 photos total.
3. Never skip dialogue. Patience Of A Saint and Scallyrat Roberts both depend on letting conversations and optional details play out.
4. Sweep every new location before advancing. Vignettes, pumpkins, and the bobblehead all reward exploration.
5. Interact with Doggo at every opportunity. Three separate trophies — fetch, naming, and the climb call-outs — involve the dog.
6. Save the boat spin and arcade session for when you find them. Both are one-off minigame moments in fixed locations.

If you want to verify the full list against the official source, the Forever Ago achievements page on the Epic Games Store is the most reliable reference, since third-party tracker sites often sit behind bot-protection walls.

How Long Does the 1,000 XP Take?

Forever Ago runs about four hours across nine chapters, according to the Day One review. A completionist pace adds maybe an extra 30 to 60 minutes for collectibles, extra photos, and minigames — assuming you're not replaying chapters.

The spread matters because the biggest XP values — Bowside 360, Old Bones, Chrono Selfie, Petal Collector, and You Can't Plan Life — are all optional or easily rushed past. Skipping them leaves you with a surprisingly thin profile for a game this short.

A Quick Note on Tone and Pacing

One thing worth flagging: Forever Ago deals heavily with grief, love, and regret, and the review notes it can hit close to home if you've recently experienced loss. The achievement hunt is a nice low-pressure way to engage with the world, but pace yourself. The game is also a genuine walking simulator in structure — slow movement, light interaction, no real puzzles — so achievement hunting here is about attentiveness, not skill.