Our Household Personal Gaming of the Year List for This Year

Well, what did you think of the past year in your household? Was it truly wonderful as one might claim on social media? Overflowing with A-grades for the children and wild dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only sporadic enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or are we all seven-fingered synthetic personas with unrealistic smiles?

I've corralled the family together, ready or not, to debate the crucial thing in a calendar year: which releases we played the most. Let's get started:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my personal ranking."

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

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. Fair enough.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.

Game the Wife 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. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Release I Laughed at 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 classic comedy bit. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

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

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and see it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could deal with my problems so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a glitch 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 experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and she is obviously an astute judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Debate between corporate partnerships that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names shouted 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 doomscrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 wait patiently until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.