This Household Unofficial Video Game of the Year Roundup for The Past Year

Alright, how was this year in your home? Could it be described as all as good as you pretended on Facebook? Full of A-grades for the children and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a ocean of letdowns with only rare enjoyable highlights? Is any of this authentic, or are we all seven-fingered AI slop beings with celebrity teeth?

I've assembled everyone for a reflection, ready or not, to debate the crucial thing in a calendar year: what titles we played the most. Without further ado:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my games column."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. I respect that.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

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

Release the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Release 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 engaging in this to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days 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 strategy digital pastime, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you eventually realize and see it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch 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 lacked the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play constantly. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind 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 experienced a minor pile-on when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that verbatim, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I acknowledge that it looks ace and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible 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 called 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 console gaming or phone use, but it is sore like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 stretch time until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.