> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rivalryze.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rivalryze.com/fair-play/auto-pop-and-fair-play.md).

# Auto-Pop and Fair Play

When you connect multiple gaming platforms, some achievements unlock automatically — say, you earned them on Steam and they instantly appear on PSN when you link both accounts. This is called an **auto-pop**, and it's not unique to RivalRyze; it's how cross-platform achievement systems work.

The problem is that auto-pops can inflate scores in Contests. If you grind 100 achievements on Steam over a year, then connect PSN one day before a "Most achievements this week" Battle, all 100 auto-pop onto PSN within minutes — making it look like you earned them in a week.

RivalRyze's **Fair Play** system detects these patterns and adjusts how they're counted.

## How detection works

RivalRyze analyzes your achievement data for signals that distinguish organic play from auto-pop or suspicious unlocks:

* **Timestamps and timing patterns.** Real achievements unlock at the pace of play. Cross-platform auto-pops typically share the **exact same timestamp on first launch** (Steam) or appear in **2–5 second intervals as the list syncs** (PSN).
* **Cross-platform signals.** When the same game is on multiple connected platforms and unlocks appear in both, the system can identify which side was the original and which is the auto-pop.
* **Unlock distribution.** Real players unlock achievements in patterns roughly matching the overall player population. Sequences that ignore typical progression order (e.g., end-game achievements before tutorial achievements) get flagged.
* **Unlock volume.** A volume of unlocks far exceeding plausible playtime is suspicious.

Detection produces an **Auto-Pop Group (APG)** — a labeled cluster of suspect achievements with a confidence score (0–100) and a source tag.

## The three Fair Play categories

| Category                          | What it is                                                                                 | Confidence                        | Source tag                               |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| **Known Cross-Platform Auto-Pop** | You earned the achievement on one platform, and it auto-popped on another linked platform. | 85–100                            | `from:STEAM`, `from:PSN`, `from:UBISOFT` |
| **Unknown-Source Auto-Pop**       | Batch unlocks detected without an obvious source platform link.                            | 70–90                             | `from:UNKNOWN`                           |
| **Suspicious Pattern**            | Timing, ordering, or volume patterns that don't match normal play.                         | 30–60 (higher when signals stack) | `from:CHEAT`                             |

The three categories have different treatment in Contests and on your profile.

## How each category is treated

| Scenario                          | Contest Impact                                                       | Leaderboard / Profile Impact                       |
| --------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| **Known cross-platform auto-pop** | **Excluded by default.** Doesn't count toward your Contest score.    | Annotated on your profile; community-configurable. |
| **Unknown-source auto-pop**       | **Host decides.** Counts by default; flagged for the host to review. | Counts toward leaderboards but flagged.            |
| **Suspicious pattern**            | **Host decides** (exclusion recommended).                            | Flagged; auto-exclusion available for hosts.       |

{% hint style="info" %}
New, organically earned unlocks **always count**, even if your historical achievements are flagged. Fair Play looks backward — it doesn't penalize you for ongoing real play.
{% endhint %}

## What you see as a player

On your profile, achievements may be annotated with a small Fair Play badge if they're part of an APG. Hover or click for details: which APG, what confidence, what source.

You'll see the same annotation on Contest leaderboards where it's relevant.

If you join a Contest that excludes auto-pops by default, your score reflects only your organic unlocks. You can preview this on the Contest page before joining.

## What hosts see and decide

Hosts of Contests involving achievements get notified when a participant has flagged Auto-Pop Groups affecting the Contest:

* **Known cross-platform auto-pops** are excluded automatically — no host action needed.
* **Unknown-source APGs** appear in the host's review panel. Each APG card shows: number of achievements, confidence score, source tag, timestamps, and population context.
* **Suspicious APGs** are highlighted. The host can include, exclude, or pass.

Hosts can also set Contest-wide rules upfront, like:

* "Auto-exclude all APGs above confidence 80."
* "Apply Fair Play rules only to in-Contest unlocks, not historical."
* "Apply rules to all-time totals (for Collector-style Battles)."

## What players can do

If you have flagged APGs and want to clean up your classification:

1. **Connect every platform you play on.** The more cross-platform signal RivalRyze has, the better it can correctly attribute auto-pops. An unknown-source APG often becomes a known cross-platform APG once you connect the missing platform.
2. **Dispute an APG.** If you're confident an APG is wrong (e.g., the system flagged organic play as suspicious), contact [support](/help-and-faq/contact-support.md) with details. We can review and reclassify.
3. **Play organically going forward.** New unlocks always count. Your future Contest scores improve as your organic unlock history grows.

## What this means for Contests

The practical impact:

* **Joining a Battle** that scores on achievement points: only achievements unlocked during the Battle window count, and Fair Play classifications apply. You start fresh — historical APGs don't disqualify you.
* **Joining a Bounty** that's a Hunter race: the specific achievement / platinum / completion must be earned organically during the Bounty window. A historical auto-pop of that exact achievement does **not** mark you as a winner.
* **Hosting a Contest**: you may get a few notifications about APGs to review. You can leave defaults alone for casual Contests, or tune them tightly for competitive ones.

## Glossary

* **Auto-Pop Group (APG)** — A cluster of suspect achievements with a confidence score and a source tag.
* **Confidence** — A 0–100 score representing how likely an APG is to be a real auto-pop or unfair pattern.
* **Source tag** — The likely origin of an auto-pop: `from:STEAM`, `from:PSN`, `from:UBISOFT`, `from:UNKNOWN`, or `from:CHEAT`.

## Related

* [What is a Contest](/contests/what-is-a-contest.md)
* [Battles](/contests/battles.md)
* [Bounties](/contests/bounties.md)
* [Troubleshooting Sync Issues](/connecting-gaming-platforms/troubleshooting-sync.md)
* [Contact Support](/help-and-faq/contact-support.md)