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So, how was the past year in your household? Did it seem all as good as you pretended on Facebook? Overflowing with academic success for the kids and riotous costume birthday parties for the adults? Or perhaps it was a swamp of frustration with only rare fun highlights? Is any of this genuine, or have we all become digitally altered synthetic personas with perfect smiles?

I have gathered the family together, willing or unwilling, to debate the paramount thing in a calendar year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"It’s not my games column."

On her phone, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying 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 accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life.

Game the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year 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.

Game I Laughed at 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 classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is incredible. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my demons so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral 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 required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play constantly. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a glitch 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 recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that as written, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I get that it is beautiful and is ideal if you are into the genre, 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 so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious 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 be unique names shouted from the back door 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 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 make 2026 last until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.