The Household Unofficial Video Game of the Year Roundup for 2025
Alright, how did you experience 2025 in your family? Was it entirely positive as people post on online? Overflowing with A-grades for the children and wild costume celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only sporadic entertaining flotsam? Could any part be authentic, or are we all seven-fingered synthetic personas with perfect teeth?
I've assembled the family for a chat, ready or not, to reflect on the paramount thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:
Release First Daughter Played the Most
Just Dance 2024
"Is it impossible to pick just one?"
"You can't expect my personal ranking."
In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."
"In the game?"
"In real life."
Title Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. Point taken.
Game Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She's attempting to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.
Game the Spouse Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. 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 Teased My Kids About 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 behaving this way to build character so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Skilled Gaming Family Member 2025
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
There was no contest for this one. She is incredible. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.
Game I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building digital pastime, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.
Title I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The worst thing about games that endlessly add to their range is you wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it went into the bin.
Game I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Excellent reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.
Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)
Blue Prince
I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the wee small hours after evening drinks.
Game That Kept Me Sane 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 remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I endured a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after experiencing 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 "bitter, confused resentment". I mention that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.
Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sure. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". Great fun. I get that it is beautiful and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.
Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025
Toss-up between business deals that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both morally indefensible and concerning.
Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the garden at tea 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 doomscrolling, but it aches like hellfire 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 stretch time until the heat death of the universe.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
