🔗 Share this article This Household Alternative Gaming of the Year List for 2025 Well, how was the past year in your home? Did it seem all as good as people post on online? Full of top marks for the children and wild costume gatherings for the parents? Or was it a swamp of frustration with only occasional fun moments? Is any of this genuine, or is everyone now AI-generated AI slop beings with perfect smiles? I have gathered everyone for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to debate the paramount thing in twelve months: which video games we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started: Release First Daughter Played the Most Pikmin "Why can't you pick just one?" "This isn't my personal ranking." In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare." "In the game?" "In real life." Title Middle Son Played the Most Overwatch "I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that I even asked. Point taken. Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She's attempting to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world. Title the Partner Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at 60% 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 unscrew pins. Release I Teased My Kids About 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 persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can grow up and play games for grownups. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship. Most Impressive Gaming Family Member This Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime. Title I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations. Title I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The worst thing about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it was deleted. Game I Wish I Had Played More Doom: The Dark Ages Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life. Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition) Blue Prince I decline to rush this beautiful, unique 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 will be playing this in the late night after evening drinks. Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a brilliant concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play constantly. Throw in the charm of the card design, and this is an true peak 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 Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I endured a minor pile-on 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 experiencing 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 present that as written, because I appreciate the effort, 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 brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". How delightful. I get that it has great art and is ideal if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many outdated things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Debate between business deals that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and concerning. 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 shouted from the garden at bedtime. 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 aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected back in the 90s. 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 cows come home. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.