🔗 Share this article The Household Unofficial Game of the Year Awards for This Year Alright, how was this year in your household? Could it be described as entirely positive as you pretended on social media? Full of A-grades for your offspring and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the adults? Or perhaps it was a swamp of letdowns with only rare enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this authentic, or are we all seven-fingered virtual entities with celebrity teeth? I have gathered everyone together, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the crucial thing in a calendar year: what titles we played the most. Without further ado: Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Is it impossible to pick just one?" "It’s not my games column." On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find decent healthcare." "Digitally?" "In the actual world." Release Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. I respect that. Release Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She is trying to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has in real life. Release the Wife Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began 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. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins. Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship. Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 It wasn't even close for this one. She is incredible. Even better 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 exceptionally well-crafted card game 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 have a moment of clarity and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my demons 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 lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after evening drinks. Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It Balatro I know Balatro was the previous year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so creative it has become a game I literally would play any time. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it. Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I experienced a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character. Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Fine. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I get that it is beautiful and is ideal if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my mid-fifties. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Close call between corporate partnerships that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and unpleasant. Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names bellowed from the doorstep at bedtime. Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, but it aches like anything 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 make 2026 last until the end of days. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.