Xbox is cracking down on duplicate game releases that come with identical achievement lists and no distinct gameplay, according to a report from TrueAchievements. The target is the so-called triple stack.
TrueAchievements says it has seen an email Xbox sent to developers. In it, Xbox says that, going forward, releasing identical games that “don’t provide distinct experiences” will break section 10.1 of the Microsoft Store Policies, Distinct Function & Value; Accurate Representation. Xbox also warned that as it enforces the rule, it may stop duplicate releases from automatically getting access to the wider Xbox ecosystem.
Xbox hasn’t announced the change publicly, so the details here come from TrueAchievements’ report.
What’s a triple stack?
Developers have been able to release the same game three times on the Microsoft Store: once on Xbox Series X|S, once on Xbox One and once on PC. Each version has its own listing, is bought separately and has its own achievement list. Achievement hunters call that a triple stack, because it’s the same game with three identical lists.
TrueAchievements points out that not every double or triple stack is shovelware. Some developers release separate versions for legitimate reasons, such as getting a game onto different generations of Xbox hardware. The problem is low-effort games built mainly for easy Gamerscore, with achievements that take a few minutes to unlock.
The numbers
TrueAchievements’ data shows triple stacks went from 37 in 2024 to 246 in 2025, most of them from publisher Afil Games. That’s 738 individual releases. So far in 2026 there have been 233 triple stacks, or 699 releases.
Triple stacks offered roughly 2.3 million Gamerscore in 2025, including DLC and title updates. Games typically launch with 1,000G, but some get title updates that take them to 2,000G, and later updates can push each version to 5,000G.
What developers are told to do instead
According to the email, developers who want to release the same game on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC should either use a single product with Xbox Play Anywhere support, or use game binding. Game binding links different versions of a game so they share Xbox services such as achievements, saved progress and multiplayer, while each version can still be released separately.
Xbox also made clear that genuine games offering a distinct gameplay experience can still use Xbox services.
TrueAchievements’ Sean Carey adds that sources inside Xbox told him people there have pushed to deal with the problem since these games first started flooding the Store, but those efforts struggled to gain traction.
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