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So, what did you think of this year in your home? Did it seem truly wonderful as one might claim on social media? Packed with top marks for the children and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only rare enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this authentic, or have we all become seven-fingered synthetic personas with unrealistic teeth?

I've assembled everyone for a reflection, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in a calendar year: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"It’s not my personal ranking."

On her phone, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Point taken.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Title 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. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Game I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can grow up and play games for adults. 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. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its regularly updated 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 realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fomo-fuelled 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 eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after family time.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true 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 Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a technical issue in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I valued even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I present that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. 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 Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that sparked debate, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the doorstep at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. 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.