🔗 Share this article Our Dominik Diamond Unofficial Game of the Year Roundup for This Year Well, what did you think of the past year in your household? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on social media? Overflowing with academic success for your offspring and riotous dress-up gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a swamp of disappointment with only rare fun flotsam? And was any of it actually real, or are we all seven-fingered AI slop beings with celebrity teeth? I have gathered my thoughts for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the most important thing in a calendar year: what titles we played the most. Let's get started: Title Oldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Why can't you pick just one?" "This isn't my games column." In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare." "In the game?" "In reality." Title Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I have no interest in games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Fair enough. Release Third 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 elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in real life. Release the Wife 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. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Release I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for adults. It’s a very 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. 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 wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The worst thing about games that endlessly add to their range is you eventually realize and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based 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 Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life. Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I refuse to rush this gorgeous, distinctive 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 early morning after family time. Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It Balatro I know Balatro was last year's breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play any time. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind 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 wave of criticism 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 overall polish – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to write in 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 they are obviously an excellent judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Sure. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I understand that it has great art and is ideal 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 I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025 Close call between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious and repugnant. 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 shouted from the back door at bedtime. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or endless scrolling, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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.