🔗 Share this article This Household Personal Gaming of the Year Roundup for This Year Alright, how did you experience 2025 in your household? Could it be described as all as good as people post on online? Overflowing with top marks for the children and elaborate costume gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only rare fun moments? And was any of it genuine, or is everyone now seven-fingered synthetic personas with perfect dental work? I've corralled the family for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to discuss the paramount thing in a calendar year: what titles we were obsessed with the most. So here goes: Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Is it impossible to pick just one?" "It’s not my personal ranking." Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare." "In the game?" "In real life." Release Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Fair enough. Title 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 immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game. Game the Wife Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship. Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025 Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime. Game I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted strategy 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 frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to suck you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it went into the bin. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Stunning reinvention of a legendary franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with 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 time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after evening drinks. Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play constantly. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it. Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I endured a minor pile-on when I wrote about 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 production values – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an astute judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Alright. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear 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 has great art and is perfection if you are into challenging games, 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 my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Close call between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant. Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names shouted 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 console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 wait patiently until the cows come home. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.