The Household Personal Video Game of the Year Awards for 2025
So, how did you experience this year in your family? Did it seem all as good as people post on online? Overflowing with academic success for the children and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a swamp of disappointment with only rare fun highlights? And was any of it authentic, or are we all seven-fingered AI slop beings with perfect dental work?
I've corralled everyone for a chat, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the crucial thing in twelve months: which releases we played the most. So here goes:
Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Pikmin
"Is it impossible to pick just one?"
"This isn't my personal ranking."
In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."
"Digitally?"
"In real life."
Title Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that I even asked. Point taken.
Release Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She's attempting to get into drama school, 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 her character has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has in real life.
Game the Partner Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at 60% 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.
Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. More impressive 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 remarkably well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.
Title I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The catch about games that constantly evolve their range is you wake up one day and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it was deleted.
Game I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.
Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)
Blue Prince
I refuse to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just didn’t have the focused attention 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 appropriate hospitality.
Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different wild cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.
Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I experienced a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a glitch in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.
Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Fine. Give me a punishingly tough exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I understand that it has great art and is perfection 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 most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.
Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025
Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and premium pricing. Both morally indefensible and repugnant.
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. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or doomscrolling, 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 stretch time until the heat death of the universe.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
