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Well, how was this year in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as you pretended on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress birthday parties for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of letdowns with only rare fun highlights? And was any of it actually real, or are we all AI-generated AI slop beings with unrealistic dental work?

I have gathered everyone for a chat, ready or not, to reflect on the most important thing in twelve months: which video games we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In reality."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Release the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. This defines our 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. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a legendary 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'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker 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 definite peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift 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 bit of backlash when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I appreciated even more after slogging through 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 "bitter, confused resentment". I share that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an astute 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 don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I acknowledge that it has great art and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the garden 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 button mashing or endless scrolling, but it burns like the mines of sulphur 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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.