🔗 Share this article Our Household Personal Gaming of the Year List for 2025 So, how was 2025 in your family? Was it all as good as people post on social media? Full of academic success for the kids and elaborate costume celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a ocean of frustration with only occasional enjoyable highlights? Is any of this genuine, or are we all seven-fingered virtual entities with perfect smiles? I've assembled my thoughts for a reflection, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in twelve months: what titles we played the most. Let's get started: Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most Just Dance 2024 "Is it impossible to pick just one?" "This isn't my games column." Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare." "Digitally?" "In real life." Title Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. Point taken. Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she stepped away from the mic, 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 blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world. Game the Wife Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at 60% completion and finished the year 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. 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 relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship. Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime. Title I Played the Most Marvel Snap It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it was deleted. Title I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life. Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I'm unwilling to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after evening drinks. Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It Balatro I acknowledge Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it. Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I experienced a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and she is obviously an astute judge of character. Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Fine. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I get that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Toss-up between corporate partnerships that caused concern, and expensive game releases. 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 make interesting names bellowed from the back door at bedtime. 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 burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.