Overview
  • Estimated trophy difficulty: 6 (5.95 - taken from difficultly rating poll)
  • Total: 31 , 13 , 2 , 1
  • Offline: 28 , 11 , 1
  • Online: 3 , 2 , 1
  • Approximate amount of time to : 20-25 hours
  • Minimum number of playthroughs needed: 1 + revisting races to finish in 1st place.
  • Number of missable trophies: None
  • Glitched trophies: None
  • Do cheat codes disable trophies?: There are no known cheat codes.
Introduction


Split Second is a fast-paced, arcade racer that is similar in style to Burnout Paradise, except that instead of dodging traffic and taking down opponents with your car, you're using the track to take out your opponents. Powerplays are the key to becoming the master of Split Second and to that sweet platinum trophy. Mastering Split Second isn't a tricky task either. If you're familiar with fast arcade racing games, then you'll settle into Split Second easily. Even gamers with little experience at racing games should have few problems getting the hang of this game, but that doesn't mean to say that the trophies are all straight forward.

Overall, most of the trophies in this game are not too tricky. They are mostly offline and require the player to complete the season fully, plus utilise a number of the most powerful power plays to maximum effect. A few of the offline trophies will require patience (see the Beat the Team trophies), but most will come simply by playing through and enjoying the season mode. There are a few trophies which may look like a grind from the outside, but should come simply by playing through offline and online. The online trophies may appear to be daunting at first with an unforgiving ranking system, but using the right tactics should result in a quick rise to the top rank.

Roadmap


The quickest and easiest way to platinum Split Second is to follow this 3 step roadmap:

Step 1 - Complete The Season
Offline is your best place to start. Playing through the 72 event long Season will help you to learn all 11 of the race tracks, which will give you a tactical advantage when you're ready to go online. All 13 trophies under the season category below should be yours if you win every event available. You should also focus on many of the secret trophies during the season as this will avoid having to go back to repeat races in Quick Play later. Trophies such as 'Frequent Flyer', 'Swept Away', 'The Pain Train', 'Shipwrecked' and 'High Pipe' are associated with a particular track. Reading the trophy description is enough to work out which track you can get these trophies on, and then getting them to pop is simple and fun! There are others such as 'Bully', 'Cheapskate' and 'Better Luck Next Time' that will come just as naturally as pressing to accelerate, but others such as 'Untouchable', 'Eliminator Efficiency', and 'Fearless' may require some planning. Please refer to the trophy guide below for specific tips.

Buying the Full Vehicle Unlock DLC before you start the season is optional, but it would help you save time as you'll have instant access to all of the best cars.


Step 2 - Clean up Offline
Once you've completed the season you'll very likely have about 30 trophies. It's at this stage that you can turn your attention to the two most fustrating trophies in the game - 'Beat The Team' and 'Beat The Team II: The Revenge'. These two trophies will need a little bit of patience to master and can be done in quick play, which will be easier as you can choose any car you want. Depending on how good you are the 4 grind trophies - 'Heavyweight', 'High Five', 'Great Explorer' and 'Going The Distance' - may pop during this step. I'd consider myself to be a pretty good racer and got all four either just before or after finishing the Season. You may also still have a few of the secret trophies left to unlock at this stage, all of which can be done in quick play. 'Convoy' will need to done in Quick Play however. Tips and strategies are below.


Step 3 - Mastering Online
Once you've completed all of the offline trophies it's time to test your skills online. The best way I found to do this is to select a highly ranked car (if you're able to handle the Elite GT12, then I strongly recommend this as your vehicle of choice) and choose an online race. You can also opt to do Survival and Elimination online, but I found these events to be less populated and therefore it would take longer to rank up. 'Start Me Up', 'Team Blackrock' and 'Giant Killer' will come with ease, but it's the ranking trophies that will require time. Please refer to the trophy guide for a more in-depth ranking system explanation and tips.

[PS3T Would Like to Thank AstroFlibble for this Road Map]

Split/Second Trophy Guide

Printable Guide
Show completed trophies
Show secret trophies

47 trophies ( 13  31  18  )

  • Awarded to players who have earned every other trophy.

    Once you have mastered the season, beaten the team twice, and have ascended to rank 1 online, then you will be the proud owner of another shiny platinum trophy.

  • Win a round of the Season Championship.

    There are 12 rounds, each made up of 6 events, in the Season. All you have to do is win one of them for this trophy.

  • Qualify for the first round of the Season Championship.

    The very first event you play in Season mode is a qualifier. All you have to do is pass that event for this trophy.

  • Complete round six of the Season Championship.

    Round 6 is half-way through the season championship. Progress past that round to unlock this trophy.

  • Complete the Season Championship.

    Finish all 72 events in the season championship to unlock this trophy. You don't need to be first for this trophy.

  • Complete the Season Championship in first place.

    At the end of each round you will face a race against the elite drivers, and at the end of each race you will be shown the standings. You need to be in 1st place in these standings after you've completed all 12 races to unlock this trophy.

  • Complete every event and Season Championship in first place.

    There are 12 rounds and 72 events in the Season Championship - you have to finish 1st in each one of them to get this trophy. The descriptions for 'The Time Is Right', 'Keep On Trucking', 'On The Run', and 'Clear Skies' provide tips for the 4 trickier event types. My best tip for getting through all events quickly and efficiently is to go for 1st place one after the other, as you will unlock the faster cars more quickly (unless of course you buy the DLC). Leaving it so that you have many unfinished events in earlier rounds will make the season tougher during later rounds.

  • Win your first Bonus Round.

    See 'Leading The Way'.

  • Win 6 Bonus Rounds.

    See 'Leading The Way'.

  • Win every Bonus Round.

    The bonus rounds are locked when you enter a new stage of the season. To unlock them you have to reach a certain milestone within that stage, such as wrecking a certain amount of rivals. Once you have reached this milestone the bonus round will unlock. To get this trophy you have to win all 12 bonus rounds.

  • Win your first Race event.

    This trophy will come by playing through the Season - just win a race event.

  • Win your first Elimination event.

    See 'Race Winner', except this time you need to win an Elimination event.

  • Trigger your first Level 1 Power Play.

    This should pop during your first proper race. All you need to do is build up enough power to trigger a level 1 power play (one segment fully charged) and then push the button when you see the blue powerplay icon hovering above one (or more) of your opponents.

  • Trigger your first Level 2 Power Play.

    You should also get this trophy very quickly. Once you have fully charged your power meter (all three segments), then you should be able to unleash a level 2 power play by pressing when you see a red icon above one of your opponents.

  • Wreck 1000 rivals with Power Plays.

    1000 rivals seems like a lot, but you can easily do 20+ in one race using the right tactics. Most of these should come by playing through the season, although online takedowns will also count towards the total. If you're still short after completing the season and online, then playing quick play is the best way to polish off the rest. Sticking to the back of the pack should help you take out plenty of rivals in one race.

    To see how many rivals you have taken out, go to Extras on the Main Menu and then select Statistics (this screen will also show you how far along you are for 'Great Explorer' and 'Going The Distance').

  • Spend a total of five minutes airborne.

    This trophy should come by simply playing through the game. However, if you do finish the game before getting this trophy, then the best track to use to grind out the rest is Downtown Central. Triggering the route changer at the end of lap 1 will take you down a route over 4 rooftops, with 4 jumps. I managed 5 seconds of airtime in one lap using this method. Seeing as Quick Play only lets you do 2 lap events, it is best to use the Elite Race in Episode 12 (Out With A Bang) as this is 3 laps long, meaning you should get 10 seconds of air time in one race.

    To see how much air time you have gained you need to press at the end of the race when the results screen is displayed. This will show you the total for that race and overall.

  • Trigger a total of 50 route changer Power Plays.

    To activate a route changer you must fully charge your power meter and then press once the route changer symbol appears on the screen. Seven of the eleven race tracks have a route changer, although there are three which have more than one. The remaining four have none. I have outlined below how many each track has.

    Downtown Central - 1
    Airport Terminal - 3
    Construction Site - 0
    Ferry Wharf - 2
    Port Bridge - 1
    Airplane Graveyard - 0
    Dry Docks - 3
    Expressway - 1
    Power Plant - 0
    Storm Drain - 0
    Canyon - 1

  • Drive a total of 1,081 miles.

    This is the biggest grind trophy in the whole game, but it isn't a monster of a grind by any stretch of the imagination! You simply need to drive for a total of 1081 miles for this trophy to pop. If you quit a race before its finished, the mileage won't be added to your total.

    You should get this trophy before finishing the game, but if you have done everything else and still haven't got it then doing quick races would be the best way to grind out the extra milage needed. It's hard to say which track is the longest without seeing how far you have driven by doing a 2 lap race on all 11 tracks. Port Bridge is the fastest, and is perfectly suited to the Elite GT12, so this track may be best to try and grind out the rest of the mileage on as quickly as possible.

  • Win your first Season Detonator event.

    Detonator is an event where you race against the clock with the track exploding all around you. Power plays will trigger ahead of you and it is your job to avoid them all and cross the line in a quick time. It should usually take a few attempts to beat the quickest time as not every power play on the track will be triggered, so you will need to learn which ones will and the best route to take to avoid them all, as one crash means the fastest time is out of the question. Once you've mastered one, this trophy is yours.

  • Beat 1 minute 7 seconds on Construction Site in Detonator.

    This is arguably the hardest trophy in the game. Beating the required time takes practice, patience and a little bit of luck! The Elite GT12 is the best car to use for this trophy - I got a time of 1:06.91 using it. The video below highlights the best route to use.

    Video credit goes to Zero_Q8.

  • Beat 1 minute 18 seconds on Power Plant in Detonator.

    If you can get the first 'Beat the Team' trophy, then this one should be doable. Arguably the easiest of the pair, this challenge is best done with the Ryback Cyclone RS, which I got a time of 1:17.91 with. The video below shows how to beat the time.

    Video credit goes to Zero_Q8.

  • Win your first Season Survival event.

    Survival is an event where you have to avoid explosive barrels that are 'launched' off the back of a truck, while trying to overtake as many trucks as possible. There are two types of barrels - blue and red. Blue barrels will cause you to drift and lose speed, but you'll keep going. Red barrels will destroy your car, losing your multiplier.

    The key here is to build up a multiplier from the start. The earlier trucks are much easier to avoid as they move slower and launch less barrels, so building up your multiplier as early as possible will give you the easiest possible ride. I'd also recommend using the AI-controlled cars as a 'buffer' - place them between yourself and the red barrels so they are taken out and you survive. Simply win one Survival event during the season for this trophy.

  • Win your first Season Air Strike event.

    Air Strike is a race against the Split Second helicopter. It will launch missiles at you in waves, which will start out as only a few per wave, but slowly increase with each wave you pass. To win you need to rack up enough points to beat the high score without losing all 3 of your lives. The best way to win an Air Strike event is to get a high mutliplier, which is much more easily done from the start. Choosing a car which is pretty quick and doesn't drift too much should do the trick. Once you've won one Air Strike event the trophy will unlock.

  • Win your first Season Air Revenge event.

    Air Revenge is similar to Air Strike, but this time you're racing against the clock and have to take down the Split Second helicopter to win. Charging your power meter to full capacity is the best way to attack the helicopter, as this will take out 4 pieces of health (out of 16) in one shot and is much more effective than just charging up one segment of the power meter (which takes out 1 piece of health). If you're having trouble winning an Air Revenge event, reverse at the start and wait a few seconds before accelerating over the start line. This should mean that the helicopter locks onto you very quickly, shaving off some vital seconds. Simply beat an Air Revenge event to unlock this trophy.

  • Win an online event.

    Simply win any online event to unlock this trophy.

  • Get an online form of 75 or better.

    See 'World Beater'

  • Get an online form of 25 or better.

    See 'World Beater'

  • Get an online form of 1.

    The online ranking system on Split Second is very unforgiving. To reach an online form of 1 you have to keep winning. You'll start at rank 99 and can move up and down the rankings depending upon your results, so if you slip up often, then this trophy will take longer to obtain. Moving up and down the rankings basically boils down to how many other racers you beat. If you win a full 8 player race, then you will move up 7 ranks, but if you finish bottom of an 8 player race then you'll lose 7 ranks.

    Here is a breakdown of the points for a full race:

    1st - up 7 places
    2nd - up 4 places
    3rd - up 2 places
    4th - up 1 place
    5th - down 1 place
    6th - down 2 places
    7th - down 4 places
    8th - down 7 places

    For a 7 player race the breakdown is like this:

    1st - up 6 places
    2nd - up 4 places
    3rd - up 2 places
    4th - no movement
    5th - down 2 places
    6th - down 4 places
    7th - down 6 places

    So the less players you play with, the more slowly you'll rank up. The quickest way to reach rank 1 would be to win 14 full races in a row (7*14=98), but unless you're a master of the Elite GT12 and have the luck of 14 full races in a row, then it'll take a lot longer.

    No matter how badly a race may be going, DO NOT quit the race as this is an automatic deduction of 10 ranks. It is always better to continue, as your rivals may take each other out and help you from last to midtable quite quickly. I found this out the hard way when my PS3 jammed half-way through a race.

    The best car to use is a matter of taste, but if you can master the Elite GT12 then I'd strongly recommend always using it. There are many players online who cannot use this car (and other top cars) and so are easy to beat. You're unable to control which track is up next, but when you see Port Bridge come up the Elite GT12 is a must have as it is a fast track with very few tight sections, and so suits this car perfectly. On this track I have been 10-15 seconds ahead of 2nd place while using the Elite GT12.

    If you're having problems with ranking up using race mode then it's worth trying out Survival mode. If you can build up a high multiplier (x3 or x4 should do), then its likely that you'll finish at or near the top.

  • Beat an opponent with an online form of 10 or better.

    If you play an online event against someone who is ranked 1-10 (and by now this should be common), then all you'll need to do is place higher than them in the event to make this trophy pop.

 

Secret trophies

  • Win a Race event without crashing.

    This trophy does exactly what it says on the tin. Win a race and don't crash. It's fine to hit opponents, just don't crash. You should get this during one of your first races.

  • Win a Race event by less than a second.

    Over the course of a full season you'll do this at least once. If by some miracle it hasn't happened once you've completed the game, then replay one event and make sure you cross the line just ahead of second place.

  • Win an Elimination event by being in 1st place at each elimination.

    You'll have a minute from the start of an Elimination event to get into 1st place. Once you're there, make sure you stay 1st at every elimination. If you slip to second place between one elimination and the next, you should still be fine as long as you can get back in 1st before the next elimination. If you're having problems getting this trophy during the Season, then switch to Quick Play and set the opposition to Easy.

  • With 5 seconds or less on the clock, escape from last place and certain elimination.

    It doesn't matter which elimination you do this at, just as long as you escape from certain elimination with less than 5 seconds left until the next one. This trophy should come during the season, but if you want to speed it up stay right behind the 2nd to last car until there are 5 seconds left, and the either take him out or breeze past.

  • In an event, change the track twice with a Route Changer Power Play.

    You can change the track twice on three circuits: Airport Terminal, Ferry Wharf and Dry Docks.

    Airport Terminal: The first of the three here is a tall tower roughly half-way around the track - the one just past the runway. The second you'll encounter at the end of the first lap and opens up an underground route through a car park. The third is also close to the start/finish line and involves opening up a route behind the airport.

    Ferry Wharf: The first is half way around the track - you should have enough time to drift/draft to a full power meter before you reach it. When rounding a 180 degree corner roughly half-way around the track, you'll be able to blow-up part of an aircraft carrier. The second involves crashing a large ship into the track just after the start/finish line.

    Dry Docks: Two involve the massive ship about half-way around the track. Just like the first two tracks, you should have enough time to fill up all segments of your power meter by drifting/drafting. The route changer is triggered as you're coming out of a 180 degree right corner, just before the ship. Build up your power meter to the maximum again and hold onto it until you are at the same point on the second lap. Then you will be able to trigger the second route changer. The third you'll see as you're approaching the start/finish line and involves 'toppling' a ship part-way onto its side, extending the track along its desk.

  • Use a shortcut that a rival has triggered.

    There are many tracks that feature a shortcut - Airport Terminal, Ferry Wharf, Port Bridge, Airplane Graveyard, Dry Docks, Power Plant, Storm Drain & Canyon. Once a rival directly ahead of you has triggered one of these, simply follow him through for the trophy.

  • Get wrecked by a shortcut that a rival has triggered.

    This is essentially the same as 'Cheapskate', except you have to be taken out by the entrance to the shortcut as it's closing.

  • Use a route changer to go from 8th to 1st place.

    Using a route changer is a very effective way of moving up the field when you are having a bad race. Very often you'll take out most of the field, but on occassions when they're all close together you can take all of your rivals out in one blow. To get this trophy most effectively you'll need a track with a route changer about half-way around (Airport Terminal, Ferry Port and Dry Docks are the best tracks). Make sure you stick to 8th place and drift/draft your way quickly to a full power meter. Then, making sure you stay last, trigger the route changer and all of your rivals should be taken out with one blow. Even if they aren't all taken out, as long as you go from last to first you should be fine. I did this trophy on Ferry Port, but it can also be done effectively on the other two tracks I've mentioned above.

  • In an event, wreck 3 rivals by crash landing a plane.

    The track: Airport Terminal

    The goal: Crash land a plane using a level 2 power play and take out at least 3 rivals.

    To get this trophy you'll need to trigger the route changer on lap 1 by toppling the tower, opening up a new route along the runway. When you're approaching this runway on the next lap make sure you have your power meter filled up and that you're towards the back of the field (ideally with 3 opponents in view). You should see the red power play trigger appear over your rivals - trigger this and a plane will crash-land onto the runway taking out any rivals standing in its way.

  • In an event, wreck 3 rivals by destroying a dam.

    The track: Canyon

    The goal: Take out 3 rivals by destroying the dam.

    You won't have enough time to build up your power meter to trigger the route changer on lap 1, so make sure you have all segments filled at the start of lap 2. With at least 3 rivals in front of you, trigger the route changer when you're approaching the dam and watch as your rivals are swept away.

  • In an event, wreck 3 rivals by derailing a train.

    The track: Expressway

    The goal: Take out at least 3 rivals by derailing a train onto the track.

    At the end of the 1st lap you should have filled your power meter up. As you're rounding the second to last corner you'll be able to trigger a power play that will make a train shoot along the track, crash and explode, taking out your rivals. Just make sure there are at least 3 in front of you and you should get this trophy.

  • In an event, wreck 3 rivals by launching a ship sideways across the track.

    The track: Port Bridge

    The goal: Use a level 2 power play to take out 3 rivals with a ship.

    This is the slightly harder of the 6 'rival wrecking' trophies. Not long after the start of this track there is a large ship standing to the right-hand side of the track. You can use a level 2 power play to trigger this ship, making it sweep across the track and drop into the harbour, taking out anyone in its way. The trophy is only harder to obtain as you have a smaller window of opportunity to take your opponents out. Ideally you need 3 opponents just a short distance in front of you. Triggering the power play at the right time should leave them in the path of the ship and you with a shiny, new trophy.

    This trophy can also be done on Dry Docks if you've triggered the route changer just past the start/finish line. The ship will be in the section of track that has been unlocked.

  • In an event, wreck 3 rivals by demolishing a cooling tower.

    The track: Power Plant.

    The goal: Demolish one of the two cooling towers and take out 3 rivals at the same time.

    40-45 seconds into the Power Plant track you'll come across the first of the two cooling towers, with the second just a short way down the track. Make sure you have at least 3 rivals in front of you and trigger a level 2 power play to demolish the first tower. This should take out 3 rivals if they've taken the shortcut under the tower. If not then you can demolish the second tower on lap 2. This trophy may take a few attempts, but there will be more than one chance to play this track during the season.

  • Overtake 5 trucks in a row during Sudden Death in a Survival event.

    The easiest way to unlock this trophy is to use the first Survival event in the Season. Stay just behind and to one side of the first truck (so you won't be hit by the barrels). Once the timer ticks down to 0 sudden death will start. Accelerate past the truck - this is your first of 5. The next 4 should be relatively easy to pass - just remember to use the AI cars as a shield and you should be able to unlock this trophy.

  • Get three Perfect Waves in a row in either a Air Strike or Air Revenge event.

    At the start of either an Air Strike or Air Revenge event make sure you survive the first three rounds without taking any damage. It is much easier to unlock this trophy at the start of an event as you will only have to dodge a few missiles, as opposed to the pounding you'll take on later waves!

  • Beat a member of the development team or someone who has beaten them.

    I got this trophy in the first race I did online and by now I would imagine that any player who has done a few races online will also have this trophy. Just do a few online races and it'll pop.

  • In an event, wreck every rival with a Power Play.

    This is essentially the same as 'Zero To Hero', as you have to take out all of your rivals with powerplays in one event. If you get that trophy, this one will unlock as well.

  • Overtake 12 trucks in a row without crashing in a Survival event.

    Choose the first Survival event in Quick Play and select a car that is pretty fast, doesn't drift too much and that you're able to handle well. Then just keep playing until you've passed the 12th truck in a row, without crashing or being taken out by a barrel. If you crash once, it's best to start the event again, as it is much more easily done from the start.

You might also like

Guide navigation

Author

  • AstroFlibble

Game navigation