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So, what did you think of this year in your household? Did it seem entirely positive as people post on social media? Overflowing with A-grades for the kids and wild dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or was it a sea of disappointment with only sporadic entertaining flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or are we all seven-fingered AI slop beings with perfect smiles?

I've assembled everyone for a chat, ready or not, to debate the paramount thing in a calendar year: what titles we were obsessed with the most. Without further ado:

Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my personal ranking."

On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In reality."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Title the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can mature 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

She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. Even better than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game digital pastime, 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 wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could dispatch my demons so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I will be playing this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play any time. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I understand that it has great art and is ideal if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Debate between business deals that sparked debate, and premium pricing. 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 be unique names called from the garden at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing 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 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.