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Identify Games with RetroAchievements Sets but Invalid Hashes

LaunchBox for Windows

Note: This feature depends on the implementation of the following feature in order to be possible: Add RetroAchievements Game Page ID to LaunchBox Games Database

📋 Summary

Enable users to audit their LaunchBox library by identifying games that have a RetroAchievements set available, but where their local ROM does not match the required hash to unlock achievements.

🎯 Feature Overview

Add functionality to flag games that are eligible for RetroAchievements but are currently not compatible due to a mismatched hash. This could appear as a new badge variant (e.g. a slashed achievement icon), a playlist filter option, or be included in audit/export tools.

🛠 Example Use Case

  • A user scans their library and sees badges showing which games could support RetroAchievements but currently don’t because of incorrect or outdated ROMs.

  • They filter or create a playlist of these titles and update the ROMs accordingly to gain compatibility.

  • Users avoid the frustration of launching games expecting achievements, only to find none are loading.

📦 Benefits

  • Helps users bring their library into full compatibility with RetroAchievements.

  • Improves transparency of which games need attention or updated ROMs.

  • Supports achievement-focused collectors and players who want to “complete” their setup.

Posted by AstroBob ·
Status: Open To Community3 comments

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Comments3

  • 22guit

    •

    Aug 29

    I would love to see this expanded into a full RetroAchievements collection audit tool.

    For example, I could select a platform such as Game Boy and have LaunchBox compare my collection against all games that currently have a RetroAchievements set, showing something like:

    • 🟢 Compatible — I have the game and my ROM matches a RetroAchievements hash.

    • 🟡 Hash/version mismatch — I have the game, but my ROM doesn't match any known RetroAchievements hash, possibly because of region, revision, bad dump, metadata, etc.

    • 🔴 Missing — RetroAchievements has a set for the game, but I don't have it in my LaunchBox collection.

    • ⚪ No achievements — I have the game, but there is currently no RetroAchievements set for it.

    This would make it much easier to determine whether a game is actually missing from my collection or if LaunchBox simply isn't recognizing the ROM because I'm using a different revision/region or there is a metadata/hash issue.

    Ideally, this could use the RetroAchievements Game ID to establish a reliable relationship between LaunchBox games and RetroAchievements sets.

    For large collections, this would be an incredibly useful auditing tool and would turn RetroAchievements integration into much more than just checking whether the ROMs you already have are compatible.

    • AstroBob

      Team•

      Aug 29

      I love this idea! Thanks for sharing this

  • EazyCheeze1978

    •

    Sep 8, 2025

    Additionally - some compression formats - like CSO or CHD - may either fundamentally change the verification value of the compressed ROM or otherwise cannot be scanned through to verify said value, and thus the achievement display does not happen for the game - and outside/unofficial verification does confirm the game’s presence and cheevo progress for the user. Recommend that the user be able to manually assign a particular game within RetroAchievements’ setup to their particular acquired ROM within LB, when the scanning process fails.

    If the dynamic cheevo display shown for correctly validated ROMs cannot be shown for cheevo presences so manually added, at least give us the link to the cheevo page on the website, similar to the “globe” icon for games that have been identified, so we can check our progress anyway.