Clarifying RetroAchievements’ Goals
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Original Link: https://retroachievements.org/forums/topic/32727
October 8, 2025
TL;DR
RetroAchievements supports openness and celebrating retro gaming, but we will not provide a platform for games that contain illegal, hateful, or otherwise abhorrent content. Achievement sets for such titles will not be allowed. Our goal is to keep RA a safe, legal, and welcoming community while celebrating gaming history.
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Clarifying RetroAchievements’ Goals
For over 13 years, RetroAchievements has taken a neutral stance toward the content of games that receive achievement sets. However, the planned release of Pokémon Clover’s achievement set has made it clear that neutrality is not enough.
This decision was not made to placate any particular group. When we initially approved Pokémon Clover, we opened dialogue with our community to understand the impact of our policies. Through this dialogue, we quickly realised our view was too narrow. We failed to consider how hosting certain content affects the safety and inclusivity of our community, and for that, we apologise. This policy change reflects our evolving understanding of our responsibility as a platform.
When an achievement set is uploaded, it signals that we promote, facilitate, and reward players for experiencing that game. To many, this looks like an endorsement of the game’s content. To live up to the ideals we believe in, RetroAchievements must ensure that the content it supports remains within legal and broadly acceptable standards. This is why we do not support titles such as The Guy Game, which is illegal to own or distribute.
Most officially published video games go through ratings boards and are therefore generally suitable for wide audiences. Hacks, homebrew, and unlicensed games, however, do not. As such, they need to be more heavily scrutinized. They may contain glorified hate speech, sexual exploitation, content that depicts or glorifies extreme violence against vulnerable groups, or other content that conflicts with our community’s values.
Giving these games a platform is not in line with RetroAchievements’ goals. While we value our community-driven approach to retro gaming, “neutrality” in this context would mean implicitly promoting ideas that do not belong here.
Hate speech does not belong on RetroAchievements.
Even when disguised as a joke, it normalises real-world hate and harms our community. There is a difference between juvenile humor and outright hate speech. What Pokémon Clover calls humor is hate speech. RetroAchievements will not legitimize bigotry by hosting an achievement set for it.
Content Policy for Achievement Sets
RetroAchievements will no longer approve achievement sets for games that contain:
* Illegal content. Content that is illegal to own or distribute in major jurisdictions.
* Glorified hate speech. Content that intentionally targets individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics.
* Sexual exploitation. Glorification of sexual assault, non-consensual acts, or child sexual abuse material.
* Extreme or abhorrent content. Content that violates community standards in a way that undermines RetroAchievements’ values.
Games that have been rated by official ratings boards (ESRB, PEGI, or similar organizations) are considered acceptable, as these games have undergone professional content review. The only exception is if a game contains content that is illegal to own or distribute, regardless of its rating status.
Hacks, homebrew, and unlicensed games do not undergo ratings board review and will receive additional scrutiny to ensure compliance with this new policy.
This policy provides guidance, but is not exhaustive. The RA team reserves the right to evaluate games on a case-by-case basis and make determinations in the best interest of maintaining a safe, legal, welcoming, and inclusive community.
THE FOLLOWING GAMES HAVE BEEN REMOVED UNDER THIS UPDATED POLICY:
Not officially rated:
177 (PC-88)
Custer’s Revenge (Atari 2600)
Unlicensed releases:
Pokémon Clover (Hack, GBA)
Pokémon Periwinkle (Hack, GBA)
The following games are still banned on RetroAchievements:
The Guy Game (PS2)
Lolita Syndrome (PC-88)
My Lolita (PC-88)
We recognise that some developers invested significant time and effort creating achievement sets for some of these games. We do not take the removal of their work lightly. However, our responsibility to maintain a safe and welcoming community must take priority.
We hope this list will remain short. Our aim is not to censor, but to protect RetroAchievements as a welcoming and responsible platform for celebrating gaming history.
We recognise and understand that there are concerns that some Code of Conduct violations may not have been well-handled. Attacks on groups or individuals, or attempts to assign blame have never been tolerated, and never will for any situation. Our focus will be on building a better community together. Our moderation team has been working continuously to address these issues, such as by muting or banning those who broke our Code of Conduct, though many of our actions take place behind the scenes. We are also in discussion on how we can make our moderation actions more visible so we can be held accountable.
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FAQ
Were there threats against RA staff?
No direct threats have been confirmed at this time, and any that might arise would not alter the decisions above. Our moderation team has addressed all reported threats within the community. We take member safety seriously and will continue to act decisively against such conduct.
Will more games be banned?
Only if they contain illegal, hateful, or otherwise extreme content that conflicts with our values. We expect the list to remain small.
Does this mean all hacks or homebrew are banned?
No. Most hacks and homebrew titles are welcome, provided they don’t include illegal or hateful material. Many creative and fun projects are supported on RA.
What about games with dark or mature themes?
Mature or dark content alone is not grounds for removal. The issue is with content that is exploitative, illegal, or promotes hate.
Are existing achievement sets at risk?
Only if the game itself clearly violates these principles. In nearly all cases, existing achievement sets are unaffected.
What happens to achievements and points I earned on removed sets?
The achievements, points, and badges have been removed. We understand this is disappointing for players who earned them, but consistency with our updated policy requires this action.
How will games be reviewed going forward?
If a game raises concerns, we will evaluate it against the policy stated above.
Can a decision be appealed?
Decisions to remove games under this policy are final. However, if you believe a game was removed in error or have questions about why a specific decision was made, you may contact RAdmin to request clarification. We will explain our reasoning, but the removal will stand unless there was a clear factual error in our assessment.
Is RA trying to censor gaming history?
No. Our goal is to celebrate gaming history, but we also have a responsibility not to normalise harmful or illegal content. Banning the presence of an achievement set for a small number of games allows us to preserve the vast majority responsibly.
How can I share feedback or concerns?
We encourage open dialogue with our moderation team through direct messages to RAdmin. While we understand passions run high on important topics, we ask that you approach discussions constructively rather than creating inflammatory forum threads that divide the community. We’re listening, and we’re committed to improving.
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Closing Message
Thank you to everyone in the RetroAchievements community for your passion, dedication, and support. Our goal has always been to celebrate the joy of gaming across generations, and that hasn’t changed.
Together, we can continue building a platform that honours gaming history while respecting the community that makes RetroAchievements possible.
[Editor’s note: Site founder proceeds to leave the following comment on an outsider’s recent blog post accusing Retro Achievements of platforming “hate speech.”]
Hi – I want to first say “thank-you” because this is an extremely well-written post-mortem for the events at the weekend. I’ve asked the staff to read over this as a guide to help understand the impact what has happened so far and to appreciate the effect our choices are having.
I especially appreciate the “Nobody likes taking medicine” part above. This outlines really well how we ought to deal with this. I’m planning to out a statement asap that helps govern the next steps that fits the site and the community well.
I completely agree it shouldn’t remotely take this long to say “hate speech is bad, no thanks”.
[Editor’s note: Site founder leaves the following messages in the RA Discord.]
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