Our Household Unofficial Gaming of the Year List for This Year
So, how was 2025 in your family? Could it be described as all as good as people post on online? Overflowing with A-grades for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic entertaining highlights? And was any of it genuine, or are we all AI-generated AI slop beings with perfect dental work?
I've corralled the family for a chat, willing or unwilling, to discuss the crucial thing in twelve months: which video games we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:
Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Horizon Zero Dawn
"Can’t you pick just one?"
"It’s not my personal ranking."
In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."
"Virtually?"
"In real life."
Title Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Fair enough.
Release Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She's attempting to get into drama school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life.
Game the Partner Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.
Release I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for grownups. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Impressive Gaming Family Member This Year
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.
Title I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.
Game I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.
Game I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could deal with my demons so effectively in real life.
Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)
Blue Prince
I'm unwilling to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.
Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.
Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I received a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a glitch in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sure. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I get that it has great art and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.
Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025
Close call between business deals that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names bellowed from the back door at tea time.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or phone use, but it is sore like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected back in the day.
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 stretch time until the cows come home.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
