Achievement System and Unlock Conditions#
Back to the Dawn names its achievements after tarot cards, in keeping with the game’s narrative tone. This page lays out the achievement information that has actually been verified, and offers a way to plan playthroughs with achievements in mind.
To be clear about scope up front: the full achievement list has not been officially published. The only reliable sources currently confirm four tarot-themed achievements (and that comes from a single guide-site compilation). This page therefore invents no achievement list at all. What you get here is an organized summary of verified information plus a planning framework reasoned out from the confirmed design.
Verified Achievements#
| Achievement | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Wheel of Fortune | Story mandatory | Guide-site compilation (single source) |
| The Fool | Story mandatory | Same as above |
| The High Priestess | Story mandatory | Same as above |
| The Hierophant | Story mandatory | Same as above |
All four share one critical attribute: story mandatory. Per the source wording, they unlock naturally as the main story advances, which makes the first rule of achievement hunting very clear: finishing the main story is the foundation of all achievement work.
Reading the Tarot Theme#
Naming achievements after tarot cards is not an accident. Read alongside the game’s multiple endings, the naming reveals at least two layers of intent:
- Narrative-node oriented: tarot cards map to images of fate and stages of life, which suggests the achievement system is built around narrative milestones rather than execution difficulty. That lines up with the “story mandatory” classification.
- Echoing the multiple endings: cards such as the Wheel of Fortune echo the thematic imagery of the endings (see All Ending Conditions and Routes for the notes on “The Hermit”, “Justice” and “The Emperor”), so achievements and endings most likely share the same narrative vocabulary.
Following that thread, the four verified achievements can be cross-read against the game’s narrative skeleton. Note that the table below reads the resonance between card imagery and the verified classification; it is not a breakdown of when each achievement unlocks:
| Achievement | Card Imagery | Resonance With Verified Information |
|---|---|---|
| The Fool | The start of the tarot sequence, symbolizing departure and the unknown | Fits the “story mandatory” classification, since every story line begins the moment the protagonist is thrown into prison |
| The High Priestess | Guardian of secrets and knowledge | Echoes the intelligence-driven main story imagery of Thomas collecting evidence and breaking out to clear his name within 21 days |
| The Hierophant | Symbol of order and the system | Echoes the core stage formed by Rockfall City’s corrupt system and prison rules (roll call, yard time, curfew) |
| Wheel of Fortune | Turning point and cycle of fate | Directly related to the thematic imagery of the multiple endings (see All Ending Conditions and Routes) |
The value of this comparison table is not prediction but anchoring: it hooks the achievement system back onto the game’s narrative skeleton so that you roughly know what the system cares about while pushing the main story. As for the exact unlock conditions of each achievement, the in-game achievement panel remains the authority.
To stress it once more: the above is a design reading based on confirmed facts, not a preview of unannounced achievements. The full list is whatever the in-game achievement panel says it is.
Achievement-Oriented Playthrough Planning#
Although the full list is unpublished, the framework for achievement work can be set up now. Based on the “story mandatory” classification and the dual-protagonist, multiple-ending structure, here is a planning approach:
First Playthrough: Main Story Completeness First#
| Planning Item | Suggested Approach | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Protagonist | Thomas route | Carries the core narrative frame of gathering evidence and breaking out to clear his name within 21 days |
| Ending direction | Clear his name first, then escape (broadcast hall route) | Fully experience the main story loop and the final confrontation |
| Quest trade-offs | Take side quests around the main quest chain | See Main Story Walkthrough and Key Choices |
The goal of the first playthrough is not to grab as many achievements as possible, but to walk every main-story link solidly. Since all four verified achievements are story mandatory, the completeness of your first playthrough is the baseline stock of achievements.
Second Playthrough Onward: Difference First#
The multiple endings and dual protagonists naturally justify a second run:
- Switch protagonist: move from Thomas (intelligence gathering and social interaction) to Bob (combat and stealth) for a completely different set of solutions.
- Switch ending direction: if the first run went down the exoneration route, the second can take the “Hermit”-style escape-first route, or the reverse.
- Switch play style: try different attribute leanings and conflict-resolution combinations under the same protagonist (see Character Attributes and Skill System).
- Switch quest routes: the quest pool is sizable (over 100 quests, per Brief.news, single source), and a single playthrough only covers part of it, so the difference in quest coverage is itself a source of replay value.
Each of these differences may correspond to unannounced achievement space. That is a structural inference, not a promise, but it does give multiple playthroughs a sense of direction.
How Achievements Interlock With Other Systems#
Achievement work is not about grinding a list in isolation. Its interaction with every other system deserves a pass of its own:
| Linked System | Meaning for Achievement Work | Related Page |
|---|---|---|
| Main story | The carrier of story-mandatory achievements | Main Story Walkthrough and Key Choices |
| Ending system | Different ending directions may map to different narrative nodes | All Ending Conditions and Routes |
| Quest system | The 100-plus quests are the main pool of narrative content | Quest System and Side Events |
| Escape routes | Multiple routes are a natural source of varied experience | Escape Route Planning Overview |
| Schedule system | The time skeleton of roll call, yard time and curfew sets the pace of narrative nodes | Time Management and Schedule Planning |
| Relationships | Gang and inmate relations steer side content and may be a hidden source of narrative nodes | Relationships and Affinity System |
| Intelligence system | Evidence gathering is the core action of Thomas’s main story | Intelligence Gathering and Clue System |
How to use this table: do not break your system rhythm for the sake of achievements. During the main story, follow the optimal strategy on each system page and achievements will accumulate along with narrative nodes; in the multi-playthrough phase, fill the gaps along the difference axes.
An Honest Note on Achievement Data#
The following items have no reliable source, and this site makes no claim about them:
- The total number of achievements and the complete list.
- Unlock percentages and difficulty ratings for each achievement.
- Whether ending-specific, collection-based or execution-based achievements exist.
- Whether achievements carry across platforms or carry over between versions.
- The exact binding between achievements and systems such as affinity, money and items.
If you see “full achievement list” content elsewhere, verify it against the in-game achievement panel. Guide-community compilations can lag behind or spread errors, and this site would rather leave a blank than mislead you.
Practical Advice on Tracking Progress#
Fold achievement work into your regular rhythm instead of cramming it all after the credits:
| Timing | Action | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Every main story node | Glance at the achievement panel for progress changes | Confirm that story-mandatory achievements are accumulating normally |
| End of each playthrough | Log the ending direction and key branches of that run | Keep a record for planning the next run’s differences |
| Before starting a new playthrough | Compare with the last run’s record and pick a difference axis | Make sure every playthrough has something new |
This costs almost nothing and saves you from the awkward spot of discovering after the credits that your achievement progress does not add up.
Achievement Pace Under the 21-Day Limit#
The time skeleton of Thomas’s route is explicit: gather evidence and break out to clear his name within 21 days. Together with the schedule system (fixed roll call, yard time and curfew, plus the window for sneaking around at night), that limit sets the pace at which narrative nodes advance, and indirectly the pace at which story-mandatory achievements unlock:
| Phase | Main Story Action | Meaning From an Achievement View |
|---|---|---|
| Early | Learn the prison schedule and layout, build a network of contacts and information | Laying the foundation, since all four verified achievements are anchored to main story progress |
| Mid | Advance the evidence chain and weigh side quest trade-offs | A dense period of nodes, when achievement panel changes are most worth watching |
| Late | Settle on an escape plan and ending direction | The main story converges, and story-mandatory achievements should already be covered |
Daily time-slot allocation is covered in Time Management and Schedule Planning, and how to push the evidence chain is covered in Intelligence Gathering and Clue System. Only one thing needs to be remembered here: deadline pressure belongs to the narrative and pacing layers. For achievement work, what actually deserves management is the quality of how you spend action points, so just let your pace follow the main story.
Version Timeline and the Shelf Life of Achievement Data#
Achievement data has a version shelf-life problem, and this game’s version timeline spans quite a while. Laying it out helps you judge whether a guide in front of you is out of date:
| Date | Version Milestone | Relation to Achievement Data |
|---|---|---|
| November 3, 2023 | Steam Early Access begins | Achievement data from Early Access does not necessarily carry into the full release |
| July 17/18, 2025 | PC full release (the two sources differ by one day) | Most existing guide-site achievement data was formed after this stage |
| March 5, 2026 | NS2/NS release | No reliable source on whether console achievement data matches PC |
| October 22, 2026 | PS5 release (adds Chinese/Japanese voice work) | No reliable statement on achievement differences for the new platform version either |
In addition, a snapshot from a third-party software site lists the PC build as v2.0.0.34 (updated 2026-10-16), so the game is still being updated and the achievement data may be adjusted. Conclusion: any achievement information carrying a specific date should be checked against which version it belongs to. This site makes no guesses about cross-version achievement differences.
The Dual-Protagonist Structure as an Achievement Observation Point#
From an achievement perspective, the dual-protagonist structure deserves separate attention. The verified character frame is this: the fox reporter Thomas is framed and imprisoned by the mayor’s people while investigating the truth, and specializes in intelligence gathering and social interaction; the black panther undercover cop Bob debuts in the full release, focuses on combat and stealth, and has his own story line. That brings three observation points:
- Whether story lines count achievements separately: two independent story lines mean narrative milestones may come in duplicate, but whether the two protagonists’ achievements are counted separately has no reliable source, so this site will not guess.
- Achievement space matching play styles: Thomas’s social and intelligence play versus Bob’s combat and stealth play solve problems in visibly different ways (see Dual Protagonist Deep Dive and Conflict Response and Risk Control), but whether style differences map onto achievements is again a question for the in-game panel.
- The denominator effect of content volume: Brief.news (single source) states that each protagonist’s main story runs over 20 hours and the game has over 100 quests; AGamer states there are 47 inmate NPCs with exclusive backstories (the wiki says 48, and both figures are listed side by side). The larger the content pool, the longer the coverage cycle for narrative-node achievements, which is another reason to spread achievement work across playthroughs instead of rushing it in one.
Quick Answers#
Can missed achievements be recovered? Story-mandatory achievements unlock as the main story advances, so switching endings or running the main story again in a new playthrough will cover them. The exact recovery mechanics are whatever the game says they are.
Which should I plan first, achievements or endings? Endings first, achievements second, because the ending direction determines the shape of a playthrough while achievements accumulate along with it. Planning the other way around tends to put the cart before the horse.
Do both protagonists have independent achievement space? No reliable source confirms whether the two protagonists’ achievements are counted separately. The in-game panel is the authority, and this site will not guess.
Does progress unlocked during Early Access count? The game entered Steam Early Access in November 2023 and launched in full in July 2025. Whether the achievement data of the two stages is fully consistent has no reliable source, so go by the in-game achievement panel of the version you are playing.
Do PS5 and PC achievements carry over between platforms? Cross-platform achievement syncing has no reliable source, and this site makes no statement about it. The PS5 version launched on October 22, 2026; platform differences are detailed in PS5 Console Version Experience and Differences.
Related Pages#
- All Ending Conditions and Routes – how ending directions map to narrative nodes
- Dual Protagonist Deep Dive – the character frame behind the achievement observation points
- Time Management and Schedule Planning – pace management under the 21-day limit
- PS5 Console Version Experience and Differences – version differences on the new platform
- Review and Buying Advice – how much multi-playthrough value weighs in a purchase decision
- Common Beginner Mistakes and FAQ – frequent questions about playthrough planning