The Household Personal Game of the Year Awards for 2025

Well, how did you experience the past year in your household? Did it seem entirely positive as you pretended on social media? Full of academic success for your offspring and elaborate dress-up birthday parties for the adults? Or perhaps it was a sea of letdowns with only sporadic fun highlights? Could any part be authentic, or have we all become digitally altered virtual entities with celebrity teeth?

I have gathered my thoughts for a chat, willing or unwilling, to debate the crucial thing in twelve months: what titles we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"This isn't my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. Fair enough.

Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Title the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her mobile diversion: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, 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 see it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral 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 holiday guests over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after family time.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a glitch 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 valued 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 appreciate the effort, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a punishingly tough exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I understand that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into the genre, 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 so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. 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 make interesting names called from the doorstep at dinner time.

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 endless scrolling, but it is sore like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.