This Household Unofficial Gaming of the Year Roundup for This Year
Well, how was 2025 in your family? Could it be described as truly wonderful as people post on Facebook? Packed with top marks for the children and elaborate costume birthday parties for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only rare fun highlights? And was any of it genuine, or have we all become digitally altered virtual entities with unrealistic dental work?
I've corralled my thoughts for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to reflect on the paramount thing in twelve months: which video games we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:
Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Horizon Zero Dawn
"Why can't you pick just one?"
"It’s not my personal ranking."
On her phone, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."
"Digitally?"
"In real life."
Title Second Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. I respect that.
Title Youngest Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was playing Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.
Release the Spouse 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. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.
Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can be a man 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
There was no contest for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.
Game I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted strategy digital pastime, 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 wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with fomo-fuelled 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. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my demons so effectively in real life.
Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)
Blue Prince
I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after family time.
Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so creative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.
Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I received a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sure. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I acknowledge that it has great art and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.
Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025
Toss-up between corporate partnerships that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and concerning.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names called from the garden at bedtime.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 wait patiently until the heat death of the universe.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
