Our Household Personal Gaming of the Year Roundup for The Past Year
So, how did you experience this year in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as one might claim on social media? Full of A-grades for the children and wild dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or was it a swamp of frustration with only sporadic fun flotsam? And was any of it authentic, or are we all AI-generated synthetic personas with celebrity teeth?
I've assembled everyone for a chat, willing or unwilling, to discuss the paramount thing in twelve months: what titles we played the most. So here goes:
Title First Daughter Played the Most
Horizon Zero Dawn
"Why can't you pick just one?"
"This isn't my definitive list."
Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."
"In the game?"
"In real life."
Release Second Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. I respect that.
Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She's attempting to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.
Title the Spouse Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.
Release I Teased My Kids About 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 persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the 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.
Game I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this remarkably 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 catch about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin.
Game I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Glorious reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.
Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)
Blue Prince
I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.
Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It
Balatro
I know Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play any time. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I experienced a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.
Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Fine. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I acknowledge that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my mid-fifties. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.
Biggest Gaming News of 2025
Close call between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names bellowed from the doorstep at tea time.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or doomscrolling, but it burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 stretch time until the cows come home.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
