🔗 Share this article

Alright, how did you experience the past year in your household? Could it be described as entirely positive as one might claim on Facebook? Full of academic success for your offspring and wild themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Or was it a ocean of frustration with only sporadic entertaining highlights? And was any of it authentic, or have we all become seven-fingered virtual entities with unrealistic dental work?

I've assembled everyone together, ready or not, to reflect on the most important thing in any given year: which video games we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"It’s not my personal ranking."

On her phone, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In the actual world."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I even asked. I respect that.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into theatre school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world.

Title the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner 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

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that endlessly add to their range is you have a moment of clarity and see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

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 eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a technical issue 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 commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an astute judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I get that it looks ace and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both morally indefensible and unpleasant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the garden at bedtime.

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 is sore like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.