🔗 Share this article

So, what did you think of this year in your home? Was it entirely positive as people post on Facebook? Full of A-grades for your offspring and riotous dress-up gatherings for the adults? Or was it a swamp of letdowns with only rare fun flotsam? And was any of it authentic, or is everyone now digitally altered AI slop beings with celebrity dental work?

I've corralled the family for a chat, ready or not, to discuss the crucial thing in a calendar year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In the actual world."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. I respect that.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Game the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Release I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated 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 wake up one day and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based 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 classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after evening drinks.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different joker cards are so creative it has become a game I could play constantly. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I mentioned how a technical issue 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 appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader 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 appreciate the effort, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I understand that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into challenging games, 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 my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names shouted 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 doomscrolling, but it burns like anything 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 make 2026 last until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.