🔗 Share this article

So, what did you think of the past year in your household? Was it all as good as one might claim on social media? Overflowing with top marks for the children and elaborate costume gatherings for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only rare entertaining moments? And was any of it authentic, or are we all digitally altered AI slop beings with celebrity teeth?

I have gathered everyone for a chat, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in any given year: which video games we played the most. So here goes:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In reality."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I suggested it. Fair enough.

Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into drama school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.

Release the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Release I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can mature and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand 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.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.

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

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after family time.

Title That Kept Me Sane 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 every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark 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 experienced a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a glitch 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 recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I share that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an excellent 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". What a joy. I understand that it has great art and is ideal if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my mid-fifties. I was around back when most 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 News of 2025

Debate between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and repugnant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the doorstep at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or doomscrolling, but it aches like anything 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 heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.