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So, what did you think of 2025 in your household? Could it be described as truly wonderful as you pretended on Facebook? Full of A-grades for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only occasional enjoyable moments? Is any of this authentic, or is everyone now AI-generated virtual entities with perfect dental work?

I've assembled my thoughts for a chat, ready or not, to reflect on the most important thing in twelve months: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my games column."

In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Point taken.

Title Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into drama school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% 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 remove pins.

Game I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can grow up and play games for adults. It's a classic 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 incredible. More impressive than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

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

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that endlessly add to their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So enjoyment soured 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. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after evening drinks.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in 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.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive 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 reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". How delightful. I understand that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Debate between business deals that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious 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 garden 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 console gaming or phone use, but it aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after back in the past.

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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.