This Household Personal Gaming of the Year List for This Year

Alright, how did you experience this year in your home? Could it be described as all as good as one might claim on online? Overflowing with top marks for your offspring and riotous costume birthday parties for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a sea of frustration with only sporadic fun flotsam? Is any of this authentic, or is everyone now seven-fingered AI slop beings with perfect teeth?

I've corralled my thoughts together, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the crucial thing in twelve months: what titles we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into theatre school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with significantly better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.

Game the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and finished the year at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted strategy competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play constantly. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a bit of backlash when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I get that it looks ace and is ideal 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 fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Close call between business deals that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and unpleasant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names bellowed from the back door at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, but it burns like hellfire 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.