🔗 Share this article

So, how did you experience 2025 in your household? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on online? Full of top marks for your offspring and wild costume celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only occasional fun moments? Could any part be authentic, or are we all AI-generated synthetic personas with perfect smiles?

I have gathered the family for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the most important thing in twelve months: which video games we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Fair enough.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life.

Title the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after family time.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I understand that it has great art and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Debate between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names shouted from the back door at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or phone use, but it burns like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured back in the 90s.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI.
And it will come out in 2026, even if we have to wait patiently until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.