🔗 Share this article Our Diamond Family Alternative Video Game of the Year Roundup for This Year Alright, what did you think of 2025 in your family? Did it seem entirely positive as one might claim on Facebook? Overflowing with A-grades for your offspring and wild dress-up celebrations for the parents? Or perhaps it was a ocean of letdowns with only rare entertaining highlights? And was any of it authentic, or have we all become seven-fingered virtual entities with unrealistic dental work? I've assembled the family for a reflection, ready or not, to discuss the paramount thing in any given year: which video games we played the most. Without further ado: Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Why can't you pick just one?" "This isn't my definitive list." Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare." "Digitally?" "In reality." Title Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that I suggested it. Fair enough. Title Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She is trying to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where her character has a blooming utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game. Game the Wife Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at 60% completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins. Release I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can mature and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship. Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime. Game I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, 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 endlessly add to their range is you wake up one day and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it was deleted. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my demons so effectively in real life. Title I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the early morning after evening drinks. Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It Balatro I acknowledge Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it. Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I received a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I mention that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an astute judge of character. Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Fine. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I understand that it looks ace and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Close call between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant. 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 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 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 day. 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.