🔗 Share this article This Diamond Family Personal Game of the Year Roundup for The Past Year Well, how did you experience 2025 in your home? Did it seem entirely positive as you pretended on Facebook? Overflowing with academic success for the kids and elaborate dress-up celebrations for the parents? Maybe it felt like a swamp of disappointment with only occasional entertaining moments? Is any of this authentic, or is everyone now AI-generated AI slop beings with celebrity smiles? I've assembled my thoughts for a chat, ready or not, to debate the paramount thing in twelve months: which releases we played the most. Let's get started: Title First Daughter Played the Most Pikmin "Can’t you pick just one?" "You can't expect my definitive list." In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare." "Virtually?" "In reality." Release Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. Point taken. Release Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She is trying to get into drama school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life. Game the Spouse Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She started the year at 60% completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship. Most Impressive Gaming Family Member This Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime. Title I Played the Most Marvel Snap Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The downside about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it was deleted. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with my demons so effectively in real life. Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With relatives staying 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 the previous year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different joker cards are so creative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it. Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I received 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 colossal gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I mention that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an astute judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Sure. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I get 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 fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things. Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025 Toss-up between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and repugnant. 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 back door at dinner 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 endless scrolling, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected back in the past. 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 heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.