🔗 Share this article Our Dominik Diamond Personal Video Game of the Year Awards for The Past Year Well, what did you think of 2025 in your household? Was it entirely positive as you pretended on Facebook? Overflowing with top marks for the children and elaborate dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or was it a swamp of disappointment with only rare fun moments? Is any of this actually real, or is everyone now digitally altered AI slop beings with celebrity dental work? I've assembled my thoughts for a chat, willing or unwilling, to debate the most important thing in any given year: what titles we enjoyed the most. Without further ado: Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most Pikmin "Is it impossible to pick just one?" "You can't expect my definitive list." Meanwhile, on mobile, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare." "In the game?" "In real life." Release Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I suggested it. Point taken. Game Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She's attempting to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in 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 older sibling has in real life. Release the Spouse 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. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Game I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for adults. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship. Most Skilled Gaming Family Member This Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior 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 insanely well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The downside about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and realise it is all just an attempt to suck you into fear-of-missing-out driven 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 classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life. Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I refuse to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing 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 breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Throw in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an absolute peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift 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 bit of backlash when I wrote about how a technical issue in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I valued even more after experiencing 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 "bitter, confused resentment". I present that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Alright. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I get that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things. Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025 Close call between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify 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 make interesting names called from the back door at bedtime. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or doomscrolling, but it aches like anything 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 stretch time until the heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.