Choose your game in SAM.Picker.exe and open it with a double-click. Change the award’s checkbox in the manager, then press Commit Changes. Checked requests unlocked, unchecked requests locked. Steam must stay open, signed in and connected while you do this. Use Refresh and the Steam achievement page to check what was saved.
An achievement and a save are two different records. Say you’re missing a boss achievement: editing its checkbox doesn’t defeat the boss or advance the save. You’ll still have that part of the game to play.
What Is Steam Achievement Manager?
Steam Achievement Manager, usually shortened to SAM, is gibbed’s open-source achievement editor for Windows. You choose a game in one window and edit its records in another. There are two tabs to pay attention to: Achievements and Statistics.
Unlock
Tick an achievement and submit the change.
Lock again
Untick it and submit. Your saved game isn’t reset.
Statistics
Edit a game-defined counter, if that field permits it.
Some records won’t accept an edit. A game can protect achievements or keep the deciding record on its own server. Seeing the game in SAM’s picker doesn’t tell you which of its awards can be changed.
Step-by-Step Guide to Using SAM
1. Download SAM from a Trusted Source
The download is on gibbed’s GitHub releases page. Look under the release’s assets for the application ZIP. “Source code” is the wrong download if you just want to use SAM.
- Download the application ZIP.
- Extract its contents into a folder.
- Leave the extracted files together.
- Locate
SAM.Picker.exe.
No separate SAM login is involved. Authentication belongs in Steam, not in a form asking you to hand over a password or Guard code to an achievement editor. An unexpected security warning is another reason to pause and check the download. We don’t recommend adding antivirus exclusions for suspicious files.
2. Record Starting Values and Back Up Saves
Before touching a checkbox, take a screenshot of the award and its current state. For a statistic, note the field name and original number. The screenshot or note gives you a reference for the edit, but neither is a backup of your saved game.
Save backups are game-specific. Find the game’s save-file instructions and keep a separate copy of those files. Exit the game before editing its records.
One more check for anyone using a shared game library: whose Steam account is open? Being able to launch a title doesn’t mean you’re looking at the intended account’s achievement history.
3. Launch Steam and SAM
With Steam open on the account you want, launch SAM.Picker.exe. You’ll first get the picker, not an achievement list. Double-clicking a game opens its separate manager window. Entries can include games that aren’t installed on this PC.
Check which edition you’re opening. A demo, remaster and original release aren’t interchangeable just because their titles look alike. For a loading failure, the useful checks are account access, a current SAM release and a complete extraction of its ZIP. Running everything as administrator isn’t the normal setup.
4. Select a Game and Modify Achievements
The Achievements tab puts each award beside a checkbox. Match the name and description with the award you had in mind. Ticked requests unlocked, unticked requests locked. While you’re choosing, those are only selections in the window. The submission happens at Commit Changes.
Filter starts matching at three characters, against both names and descriptions. Show only narrows the list to locked or unlocked awards. An apparently missing entry may simply be outside your current filter.
| Control | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Achievement checkbox | The requested locked or unlocked state. |
| Commit Changes | Submits the edits you’ve selected. |
| Lock All / Unlock All | The checkboxes in the displayed achievement list. |
| Invert All | Reverses the displayed checkbox selection. |
| Refresh | Reads the recorded states again. |
| Reset | Starts a statistics reset, with another confirmation about achievements. |
Leave Reset alone if all you want is to relock one award. Unticking that one box is the relevant control. Reset has a much wider scope.
The Statistics tab is different. Its grid has Name, Value and Extra columns, and the Value cells stay read-only until you tick the risk acknowledgment below. Even then, a protected statistic can refuse the edit.
A counter might control progress or trigger other awards. An unfamiliar field is best left alone. The grid contains statistics defined by that game, not your Steam inventory. Even a counter called “time” isn’t the account’s profile playtime total.
5. Verify Changes and Exit
Press Commit Changes and read the response. A successful operation reports how many achievement and statistic edits were stored, then refreshes the manager. Compare that refreshed state with the achievement page in Steam.
Close SAM before returning to the game. If the game restores the previous state, repeating the edit won’t repair the save or override a record controlled by its server.
Common SAM Errors
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| A checkbox immediately switches back | SAM rejects edits to protected achievements. Leave that record alone. |
| A statistic’s Value cell won’t edit | The acknowledgment below the grid must be selected. It doesn’t override protection on an individual field. |
| An “Invalid value” warning | Check the field’s required format. Guessing numbers until the warning disappears can leave the wrong value behind. |
| An error retrieving statistics | Check the Steam account and access to that game. SAM’s generic-error explanation can point to ownership. |
| “Failed to load schema.” | SAM couldn’t load the game-data definitions. This is broader than one locked award. |
| An error while storing changes | The save operation failed. Read the refreshed values to see what is actually recorded. |
Requirements and Platforms
- Windows.
- Steam running with your account signed in.
- Network access.
- Achievement or statistics data that the application can access.
SAM’s official application is for Windows. Having Steam installed on a Mac doesn’t make the editor a native macOS app. Running it through another environment is a separate compatibility question.
Tips for Safe Usage
There isn’t a setup that makes achievement editing risk-free across every game. Network access is one of SAM’s requirements, which rules out the common advice to use it offline as a safety precaution. Keeping a profile private is a privacy choice, not an exemption from a game’s rules.
- Use the original download.
- Record starting values.
- Back up saves separately.
- Read the game’s rules and any leaderboard rules you care about.
- Close the editor before playing on protected servers.
- Stop when a protected field refuses an edit.
Risks and Ethical Considerations
SAM can report success without settling the rules question. Game developers and achievement communities set their own policies for edited records. The project’s open-source licence isn’t an approval from Valve.
VAC Bans vs Game Bans vs “No Action”
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VAC ban | Valve Anti-Cheat enforcement for VAC-secured servers. VAC bans are permanent, although an incorrectly issued ban can be removed automatically. |
| Game ban | A restriction imposed by the game’s developer under its rules. |
| No visible action | You haven’t seen a restriction. That doesn’t establish permission or immunity. |
We wouldn’t treat another player’s “nothing happened to me” as a safety guarantee for your account.
Ethical debates
There’s a difference between replacing an award you earned and claiming a completion you never played. Achievement leaderboards may still treat both as edited records, regardless of your reason. Their eligibility policy is worth reading before you use an editor on an account you submit to them.
Alternatives to SAM
A missing award isn’t always broken. Difficulty restrictions, end-of-run triggers and hidden conditions are all worth checking in the achievement’s requirements.
- A developer patch or documented workaround may fix that particular award.
- A supported save backup may let you repeat the trigger without restarting the whole game.
- For awards controlled by a server, the developer is the useful contact.
- Mods and console commands need checking too. Some games disable achievements when they’re used.
A different editor isn’t automatically a safer alternative.
FAQs
Is Steam Achievement Manager safe to use?
“Safe” depends on more than whether the app opens. A genuine download doesn’t settle a game’s policy on edited achievements, and a successful edit doesn’t establish permission. Going offline doesn’t provide a documented protection against penalties.
Can I get banned for using Steam Achievement Manager?
Don’t rely on a promise that you can’t. VAC bans, developer-issued game bans and achievement-community penalties are separate things, with different rules.
Does SAM work with all Steam games?
No. It needs accessible achievement or statistics data. A particular award can also be protected or controlled by the game’s server.
Will SAM reset my game progress?
A locked achievement and a reset save aren’t the same thing. The checkbox changes the award’s recorded state. Statistics edits and the Reset control affect more records, so don’t substitute either for a one-award edit.
Can SAM change my Steam playtime?
It isn’t an editor for the hours shown on your Steam profile. A time-related statistic defined by a game is a different record.
Summary
For a single award, use its checkbox, commit and check the result. Keep Statistics and Reset out of that workflow unless you understand the extra records they affect.
