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So, how was 2025 in your household? Did it seem truly wonderful as one might claim on online? Packed with top marks for your offspring and wild dress-up gatherings for the adults? Or was it a ocean of disappointment with only rare enjoyable moments? And was any of it actually real, or are we all AI-generated virtual entities with perfect dental work?

I have gathered my thoughts for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to debate the crucial thing in any given year: which releases we played the most. Without further ado:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Point taken.

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 playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a blooming 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 began 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 mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix 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 digital pastime, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize 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 was deleted.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my issues so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play constantly. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". What a joy. I understand that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between business deals that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and repugnant.

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 called from the back door at bedtime.

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 endless scrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 stretch time until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.