The Household Alternative Game of the Year Roundup for This Year

Well, how was this year in your household? Was it all as good as people post on online? Overflowing with A-grades for the children and wild themed fancy dress celebrations for the parents? Maybe it felt like a swamp of frustration with only occasional entertaining highlights? Is any of this authentic, or is everyone now digitally altered virtual entities with celebrity smiles?

I have gathered everyone together, willing or unwilling, to debate the most important thing in twelve months: which video games we played the most. Without further ado:

Game Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Title Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I even asked. Fair enough.

Title 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 immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her older sibling has outside the game.

Release the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to build character so he can be a man and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member This Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

It wasn't even close 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

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted card game wizard’s poker, 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 eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could eviscerate my issues so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this gorgeous, distinctive 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 will be playing this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver 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. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play at any hour. Combine that with the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a elevator for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after playing 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 "missing the point". I present that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and they are obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough exploration-focused thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I get that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and repugnant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all make interesting names bellowed from the doorstep at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or phone use, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 wait patiently until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.