🔗 Share this article

Alright, how did you experience the past year in your home? Did it seem truly wonderful as people post on social media? Packed with top marks for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress birthday parties for the adults? Maybe it felt like a ocean of disappointment with only occasional enjoyable moments? And was any of it authentic, or are we all digitally altered virtual entities with perfect teeth?

I've corralled the family for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the most important thing in any given year: what titles we played the most. Let's get started:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Point taken.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world.

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Game I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its constantly evolving 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 wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after family time.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized even more after slogging through 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 "poorly reasoned". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an astute 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 leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I understand 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 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 Scandal of 2025

Close call between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the doorstep at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, 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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.