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Alright, how was the past year in your family? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on Facebook? Packed with A-grades for the kids and riotous dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or was it a sea of letdowns with only occasional fun moments? Could any part be actually real, or are we all AI-generated virtual entities with unrealistic dental work?

I have gathered everyone for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to reflect on the paramount thing in any given year: which releases we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:

Release Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"This isn't my games column."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Point taken.

Release Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Title the Spouse 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 mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

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

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

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 remarkably well-crafted strategy digital pastime, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could deal with my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after family time.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an true pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game damaged 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 send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that as written, because I respect the passion, and they are obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I acknowledge that it has great art and is ideal if you are into this kind of thing, 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’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and high launch costs. 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 sound good names bellowed from the back door at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, but it aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.