Over the Hill achievements and how to unlock all 62
Every Over the Hill achievement with how to unlock it, Steam unlock rates and a checklist that remembers your progress.
Updated . Checked after the 16 October update, which fixed achievements not unlocking for Next Fest demo players. Unlock rates are Steam global numbers from 19 October.
I’d put a good few hours into Over the Hill before I found out that six of its 62 achievements don’t appear in the list at all. Steam hides them until you unlock them, which is a polite way of saying you’ll never know to go for them. (My first one was Professional Driver, and I got it by rolling the truck off the first hill I properly looked at, so I’m not sure that counts as a plan.)
Quick answer
There are 62 achievements and 6 of them are hidden on Steam. All 62 are in the checklist below. Fifteen are held by more than half of players and come on their own, so the real work is the distance counters (1,000 km is the big one), the wildlife set and the two passports for finishing Canada and Algeria. Tick things off as you go and it remembers your progress in this browser.
The checklist is in the order I’d go through them. You can also sort it by how many players have each one, or filter by type if you only care about, say, the wildlife ones. The bits underneath cover the groups that need more explaining.
0 of 62 done
- Welcome to the WildEasy79.0% of players
Complete the tutorial.
It unlocks when the tutorial ends. Read the prompts instead of mashing through them, because it covers Low Range, the Jack and the manual winch, and you’ll lean on all three later.
- New StyleEasy79.6% of players
Equip your first cosmetic.
Put any cosmetic on any vehicle. Even the ugly one counts.
- Getting BetterEasy78.9% of players
Purchase your first upgrade.
Buy the cheapest upgrade you can find. Every vehicle has 16 upgrade stages, so you will not run out of things to spend on.
- Handy HelperEasy63.2% of players
Use your first tool.
Any tool counts, so the Jack or the portable winch is the lazy way. Cabins refill your equipped tools, so you can burn them freely.
- Dirt BaptismEasy78.5% of players
Complete your first trail.
There are 23 trails and the game opens Emerald Lake and Tassili n’Ajjer from the first minute, so start with either.
- First AidEasy69.9% of players
Recover your first vehicle.
Do the first recovery mission you find. Look for the question mark on the map, winch onto the stranded vehicle and tow it to the marked drop-off. It pays 25 Pebbles plus 5 for finishing, and a cosmetic the first time.
- Back to the CabinEasy77.3% of players
Fast travel to an unlocked cabin.
Find a cabin to unlock it (it pays 10 Pebbles the first time), then fast travel back to it.
- Under the StarsMedium7.5% of players
Set up a campsite for the first time.
Hidden on Steam. You need the Camp tool (in co-op everyone has to be together), and camping also skips time forward, so it helps with the sunrise, sunset and night achievements further down. Only 7.5% have it because nobody thinks to go looking.
- Scenic RouteEasy72.6% of players
Reach a scenic viewpoint.
There are 40 scenic points and each pays 15 Pebbles the first time. The first one you drive past will do.
- New HorizonsEasy51.1% of players
Find the exit from an area.
Areas are 4 km by 4 km, so drive towards an edge until the game offers the way out into the next one. It takes a while, but it’s very hard to miss.
- Say Cheese!Easy62.6% of players
Photograph your first animal.
Open the radial menu and pick the camera. Land animals notice a vehicle within about 15 m, so stop early. The Safari Camera picks them up from as far as 100 m.
- Shiny RockEasy44.3% of players
Extract your first meteorite.
Use the Meteorite Radar to find one, then winch it out. Keep the ropes no more than 120 degrees apart or it will not budge. Go for a small rock: the first three sizes need one player and pay 15, 20 and 30 Pebbles.
- A Handful of PebblesEasy76.4% of players
Collect 100 pebbles.
Crates pay 5, cabins 10, scenic points 15 and a trail 15 to 40, so you’ll be there before you’ve finished the first area.
- ExplorerEasy59.0% of players
Discover 20 points of interest.
It comes on its own while you drive around doing everything else. Cabins reveal the points of interest near them on your map, so hit those early.
- Taking FlightEasy42.7% of players
Make a jump with your vehicle. One second in the air without the body touching anything.
Hidden on Steam. Find a crest, keep your speed up and do not brake. Getting airborne is easy. The landing is what hurts.
- Professional DriverEasy46.8% of players
Flip your vehicle. Three seconds on the roof.
Hidden on Steam. Roll it and then leave it on its roof for three seconds. Do it together with Back on Track below, so one rollover pays for both.
- Back on TrackMedium37.8% of players
Recover from a rollover. After three seconds rolled over.
Sit on your roof for three seconds first, then get back on your wheels. The Jack flips the vehicle upright, or you can use the game’s recovery option. Carry the Jack either way.
- Under the WaterEasy66.3% of players
Completely fill the water resistance bar so that the vehicle shuts down.
Hidden on Steam. Park it in deep water and wait for the engine to quit. It floods after 8 seconds with the air intake underwater (10 and 12 with the water resistance upgrades), so don’t buy those until you’ve got this one. Do this at a lake where you can reach something to winch to, because Close Call is next door.
- Close CallMedium37.6% of players
Pull your fully submerged vehicle out of the water using the winch.
Sink it on purpose (see Under the Water), attach the winch to something on the shore and pull. The vehicle has to be fully under, so go for the deepest bit you can find.
- All Dressed UpEasy60.9% of players
Equip at least 5 cosmetics at the same time.
Stack five on one vehicle. Five of the trails and every recovery hand out a cosmetic, so check the menu after you finish one.
- Soundtrack to the JourneyEasy50.7% of players
Drive 10 km without stopping the music.
Start the music at the beginning of a long trip and leave it alone. No pausing.
- Smooth RideMedium42.4% of players
Complete a trail without taking any damage.
Pick a trail you already know and drive it slowly in Low Range, which gives you the traction. Replaying one you know is the safest way.
- Night WatcherMedium32.3% of players
Photograph a nocturnal animal.
Five species only come out at night and ten are around day and night, so go after dark. Camp to skip the daylight.
- Morning DriveMedium29.9% of players
Witness a sunrise.
Camp until morning (camping speeds time up) and be somewhere with a view when it gets light.
- Golden HourMedium17.2% of players
Witness a sunset.
Same trick. Camp ahead to the evening and park at a scenic point before the sun goes.
- CollectorMedium28.1% of players
Unlock 6 vehicles. Vehicles owned from the start count too.
There are 21 vehicles. You start with three (The Ding, The Protector and The Trailrat) and the other 18 are trail rewards, one trail each, so this is three trail wins.
- JalopyMedium23.8% of players
Destroy your vehicle.
Damage builds up with every hit, so keep hitting things and leave the repair kit alone. Make the Mechanic your respawn point first so the walk back isn’t long. Do not do this on a Smooth Ride run.
- Rare EncounterMedium23.5% of players
Photograph a rare animal.
Egyptian Vulture, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear and Striped Hyena count, and so do the two legendary animals, Sasquatch and the Saharan Cheetah.
- Making MemoriesStart early19.6% of players
Take 20 photos.
Wildlife and scenery both count, so take pictures as you go and it will be done long before the other camera achievements.
- Noisy NeighborStart early30.8% of players
Scare 20 different animals.
Ground animals react to your horn within 30 m and notice the vehicle at around 15 m. Move on to a new animal each time, because the same one twice does not help.
- Night WalkerMedium15.6% of players
Drive 20 km at night.
Night runs from 20:00 to 05:00 in game time. Night is only about 27 real minutes of every 73-minute day, so camp ahead to the evening, put the headlights on and go.
- Off the Beaten PathStart early14.1% of players
Drive 50 km off-road.
Every surface except dirt and gravel counts, so mud, sand, snow and water all push it along.
- A Sack of PebblesStart early13.4% of players
Collect 1,000 pebbles.
I’d assume it counts everything you’ve earned, but Steam doesn’t say. If it hasn’t popped when your total says it should, hold off spending for a bit.
- Master MechanicMedium11.1% of players
Fully upgrade a vehicle.
That’s 16 stages and 675 Pebbles for one vehicle. Pick one you actually like driving.
- Sound of NatureStart early11.1% of players
Drive 10 km without listening to music.
The opposite of Soundtrack to the Journey, so do one long trip with music and one without. Mute it before you set off.
- Enjoy the JourneyStart early10.2% of players
Drive 20 km in Low Range.
Low Range is slower but gives you traction, so use it on trails and rough ground and let the kilometres add up.
- Storm ChaserMedium8.3% of players
Drive 20 km in the rain.
You can’t make it rain, so when it does, keep driving instead of waiting it out. Weather lasts 3 to 12 real minutes, and leave the Cloud Clearing Bell at home, because it sets the weather to clear.
- Wish Upon a StarMedium8.1% of players
Spot a falling meteorite. The falling meteorite has to stay in view for half a second.
Once you take one, a replacement falls somewhere between one and five minutes later. Pull one out and then keep your eyes on the sky.
- Close EncounterMedium7.6% of players
Photograph a mammal from less than 10 meters away.
Land animals notice you at around 15 m, so that window is tight. Creep in slowly and don’t honk.
- Many Small Steps…Start early7.1% of players
Drive 100 km.
Every other distance achievement feeds this one, so it arrives by accident.
- Nobody Left BehindMedium5.4% of players
Tow another vehicle for 1,000 meters.
Recovery missions have you towing stranded vehicles to a drop-off, so that’s the obvious place to do it, and a co-op partner works too. Go for one long tow with the winch on.
- The Twelve LaboursMedium4.1% of players
Complete 12 trails.
That’s just over half of the 23. Eighteen of them unlock a vehicle, so this helps Collector and Fleet Owner on the way.
- Held by a ThreadHard1.1% of players
Hang suspended by your winch for 10 seconds, while completely in the air.
Hidden on Steam. Hook the winch to something solid above a drop, roll off the edge and wait ten seconds with all four wheels in the air. It’s a faff, and only 1.1% have bothered.
- A Gift from the StarsHard3.7% of players
Collect a meteorite within 5 minutes of its impact.
You have to be near the fall when it lands. Meteorites drop at fixed spawn points, two or three at a time, so wait by one with a small rock in mind and pull as soon as it lands.
- SnowcatGrind3.5% of players
Drive 20 km on snow.
Snow, deep snow and shallow snow count. Ice does not. Head up into the Canadian mountains and drive laps.
- Sand SurferGrind3.5% of players
Drive 20 km on sand.
Sand, deep sand and quicksand all count. Tassili n’Ajjer is open from the start and is a desert, so go there.
- A Tale Come TrueHard3.4% of players
Photograph a legendary animal.
Either one will do. Sasquatch lives at Emerald Lake and the Saharan Cheetah at Tassili n’Ajjer, and both areas are open from the start.
- A Mountain of PebblesStart early2.6% of players
Collect 2,000 pebbles.
The one-time sources add up to around 3,240 Pebbles, so clearing the places on the map gets you there with no tricks.
- Treasure HunterGrind2.4% of players
Open 50 crates.
The game has 86 crates and each pays 5 Pebbles the first time. Tassili n’Ajjer has 21 of them.
- Law of the LandHard1.0% of players
Equip a blue livery and the ‘Red & Blue Beacons’ or ‘Red & Blue Beacon Bar’ at the same time.
Hidden on Steam. The blue livery of The Polyana, The Marshal, The Boar, The Tinny, Das Lynx or The Grand Woodman works, and so does the black livery of Das Lynx. You need to own one of them.
- Fleet OwnerGrind1.4% of players
Unlock 18 vehicles. Vehicles owned from the start count too.
You start with three vehicles, so that’s 15 trail rewards.
- Problem SolverGrind1.2% of players
Perform 10 recoveries.
These are the question mark missions. The game has 14 and nine of them are in Algeria. Tassili n’Ajjer alone has seven.
- Wildlife EnthusiastGrind0.3% of players
Photograph 20 animals.
There are 27 species. Steam doesn’t say if repeats of one species count, so aim for 20 different ones to be safe.
- BirdwatcherGrind0.2% of players
Photograph at least 5 bird species.
Seven of the 27 species are birds, so you only get two spares.
- Star CollectorGrind0.6% of players
Collect 20 meteorites.
Small ones pay 15 Pebbles and need one player. The big ones need up to four players and pay up to 80, so this one gets much easier in co-op.
- NaturalistHard0.6% of players
Complete a region’s wildlife compendium.
Each Algerian area has 8 species, against 10 to 12 in the Canadian ones, so Algeria is usually the quicker one to finish.
- OdysseusHard0.6% of players
Drive for 1 hour without going near a cabin.
Emerald Lake has the fewest cabins, with six, so it’s the best place to try. Keep away from them and don’t stop.
- Canadian PassportHard1.8% of players
Complete everything in Canada.
By my count that’s 13 trails, 5 recoveries, 49 crates and 18 scenic points, plus the cabins. Steam doesn’t spell out what everything includes.
- Algerian PassportHard0.1% of players
Complete everything in Algeria.
10 trails, 9 recoveries, 37 crates and 22 scenic points, plus the cabins. It’s the bigger of the two, which is why it is at 0.1%.
- …Make a Long JourneyGrind0.1% of players
Drive 1,000 km.
Joint rarest in the game. Areas are 4 km by 4 km, so that’s a lot of laps. Let the other distance achievements do the work.
- Get Out of My SwampGrind0.1% of players
Drive 20 km through mud.
Mud and deep mud count. Find a patch and drive laps in Low Range.
- Wet SocksGrind0.1% of players
Drive 5 km through water.
Find a shallow stretch you can run laps on, and stay out of the deep bit, or Under the Water kicks in and ends your lap.
Nothing matches those filters.
Hidden achievements
Six are hidden on Steam until they unlock. None of them is hard to work out once you know it exists.
| Achievement | What it asks | Unlocked by |
|---|---|---|
| Under the Water | Fill the water resistance bar until the vehicle shuts down | 66.3% |
| Professional Driver | Flip the vehicle and stay on the roof for three seconds | 46.8% |
| Taking Flight | One second in the air without the body touching anything | 42.7% |
| Under the Stars | Set up a campsite for the first time | 7.5% |
| Held by a Thread | Hang from your winch for 10 seconds, completely in the air | 1.1% |
| Law of the Land | Blue livery and the Red & Blue Beacons (or Beacon Bar) at once | 1.0% |
The first three barely need trying for. Over the Hill will happily drown you, flip you and launch you off a crest without being asked, which is why they sit at 40% and above. Under the Stars is just the Camp tool, and only 7.5% have it because nobody thinks to camp.
The last two take some effort. Held by a Thread wants the winch hooked to something solid above a drop, then you roll off the edge and wait ten seconds with the wheels in the air. Law of the Land needs a blue livery from The Polyana, The Marshal, The Boar, The Tinny, Das Lynx or The Grand Woodman (or the black one on Das Lynx), plus the beacons, so you have to own one of those six.
Distance and terrain
A lot of these are just kilometres counted in different ways. They’re separate counters and nothing says they cancel each other out, so I’d drive as if they stack.
| Achievement | Distance | What counts |
|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack to the Journey | 10 km | Music on the whole way, no stopping it |
| Sound of Nature | 10 km | No music at all |
| Wet Socks | 5 km | Driving through water |
| Enjoy the Journey | 20 km | Low Range |
| Night Walker | 20 km | Between 20:00 and 05:00 in game time |
| Storm Chaser | 20 km | In the rain |
| Snowcat | 20 km | Snow, deep snow and shallow snow. Ice does not count |
| Sand Surfer | 20 km | Sand, deep sand and quicksand |
| Get Out of My Swamp | 20 km | Mud and deep mud |
| Off the Beaten Path | 50 km | Every surface except dirt and gravel |
| Many Small Steps… | 100 km | Anywhere |
| …Make a Long Journey | 1,000 km | Anywhere |
| Odysseus | 1 hour | Without going near a cabin |
Snow, sand, mud and water all count towards Off the Beaten Path as well, because it takes anything that isn’t dirt or gravel. A kilometre of mud in Low Range is a kilometre on three counters, so play it that way. The 1,000 km one is a pain in the arse, to be honest. It’s tied for rarest in the game at 0.1%, and areas are only 4 km by 4 km, so that’s a lot of laps. Let everything else carry it.
Snow means heading up into the Canadian mountains. Sand is the easier one, because Tassili n’Ajjer is a desert and it’s open from the first minute.
Sunrise, sunset and rain
The Camp tool runs time 50 times faster, so 12 in-game hours take about 44 real seconds and you don’t have to wait around for the time of day you need. Camp until morning for Morning Drive, camp ahead to the evening for Golden Hour and Night Walker, and set up camp once anyway for Under the Stars. Park somewhere with a view when you’re waiting for the sun, a scenic point is perfect.
Weather is the one thing you can’t skip to. Storm Chaser needs 20 km in the rain, so when it starts raining, drive. Don’t sit it out in a cabin like I did the first three times.
Wildlife
There are 27 species in the game: 19 mammals, 7 birds and 1 fish. Twelve only show up in the daytime, five only at night and ten are around day and night. Ten achievements are about them.
| Achievement | What it asks |
|---|---|
| Say Cheese! | Photograph any animal |
| Night Watcher | Photograph a nocturnal animal |
| Close Encounter | Photograph a mammal from under 10 m |
| Rare Encounter | Egyptian Vulture, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Striped Hyena, Sasquatch or the Saharan Cheetah |
| A Tale Come True | Sasquatch or the Saharan Cheetah |
| Birdwatcher | At least 5 bird species |
| Wildlife Enthusiast | Photograph 20 animals |
| Naturalist | Complete one region’s wildlife compendium |
| Noisy Neighbor | Scare 20 different animals |
| Making Memories | Take 20 photos |
Land animals notice a vehicle at around 15 m, your horn alerts ground animals within 30 m, and the Safari Camera picks animals up from as far as 100 m away. That makes Close Encounter the awkward one, because the window is 10 m and they notice you at 15. Go slowly and keep your finger off the horn.
Sasquatch lives at Emerald Lake and the Saharan Cheetah at Tassili n’Ajjer, and both areas are open from the start. For Naturalist, each Algerian area has 8 species against 10 to 12 in the Canadian ones, so Algeria is usually the quicker compendium to finish. Only 7 of the 27 species are birds, so for Birdwatcher you can only miss two.
Meteorites
Four achievements. Meteorites fall at fixed spawn points, two or three at a time, and a replacement lands one to five minutes after one is taken. The 16 October update moved the spawn points, so any spot you wrote down before then is out of date.
You pull them out with the winch, with the ropes no more than 120 degrees apart. Meteorites come in seven sizes that pay 15, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 80 Pebbles, and the bigger ones need two, three or four players to pull, so Star Collector gets much easier in co-op. For A Gift from the Stars, wait near a spawn point and pull a small one as soon as it lands. If you’re looking at the sky when it falls, Wish Upon a Star should come along with it.
Trails, recoveries and passports
| Region | Trails | Recoveries | Crates | Scenic points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 13 | 5 | 49 | 18 |
| Algeria | 10 | 9 | 37 | 22 |
| Whole game | 23 | 14 | 86 | 40 |
Both passports ask you to complete everything in a region, and Steam doesn’t say exactly what “everything” covers. I’d treat it as every trail, recovery, crate, scenic point and cabin. Canada is at 1.8% and Algeria at 0.1%, so do Canada first. Algeria is the bigger of the two.
The counts help with the smaller ones too. Twelve trails is just over half of the 23, and 18 of the trails unlock a vehicle, so The Twelve Labours, Collector and Fleet Owner all come from the same trail runs. Nine of the 14 recoveries are in Algeria, which makes Problem Solver an Algeria job. And Treasure Hunter is 50 of the 86 crates, with Tassili n’Ajjer holding 21 of them.
Do these together
| Together | How |
|---|---|
| Professional Driver and Back on Track | Roll, stay on the roof for three seconds, then use the Jack to flip back up |
| Under the Water and Close Call | Sink it in a lake, then winch it out from the shore |
| Night Watcher and Night Walker | Camp to the evening, then drive and photograph after dark |
| Under the Stars, Morning Drive and Golden Hour | Camp, skip ahead and watch the sky |
| Wish Upon a Star, A Gift from the Stars and Star Collector | One long meteorite session at a spawn point |
| Smooth Ride and Enjoy the Journey | A damage-free trail run in Low Range |
| Rare Encounter and A Tale Come True | Sasquatch or the Saharan Cheetah counts for both |
| Say Cheese, Making Memories and Wildlife Enthusiast | Same camera, same trip |
The one thing you shouldn’t combine is Jalopy and Smooth Ride, because one is wrecking the vehicle and the other is not scratching it.
Where I would start
Do Emerald Lake or Tassili n’Ajjer first, since both are open from the start, and tick off the first 15 or so while you’re learning the controls. Camp for the time-of-day ones, and from then on leave the distance counters running in the background while you do everything else: Low Range off-road, music on for one trip and off for the next. The ones nobody has will still be there afterwards.
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us
Guide by
Josh
Josh plays a lot of Arc Raiders and yells “friendly!” into proximity chat more than he should. He gets shot anyway. He’s also a horror fan who has quit more games at the first jump scare than he’ll admit, and he runs a Supermarket Simulator shop he’s weirdly proud of.
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