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Well, how did you experience this year in your home? Did it seem entirely positive as one might claim on online? Full of top marks for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the adults? Or was it a ocean of disappointment with only occasional enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or is everyone now seven-fingered synthetic personas with unrealistic smiles?

I've corralled the family together, ready or not, to discuss the paramount thing in twelve months: what titles we played the most. Without further ado:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In the actual world."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world.

Game the Partner 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. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you eventually realize and understand it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

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

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I valued even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I understand that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in 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 so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between business deals that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible 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 make interesting names bellowed from the doorstep at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or doomscrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 make 2026 last until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.