🔗 Share this article Our Dominik Diamond Alternative Game of the Year List for 2025 Well, what did you think of 2025 in your home? Could it be described as entirely positive as one might claim on social media? Full of A-grades for your offspring and elaborate dress-up celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a ocean of disappointment with only sporadic entertaining highlights? Could any part be authentic, or is everyone now digitally altered synthetic personas with celebrity smiles? I have gathered the family for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to discuss the most important thing in twelve months: what titles we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started: Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most Horizon Zero Dawn "Can’t you pick just one?" "This isn't my games column." Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare." "Digitally?" "In reality." 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. Title 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 went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game. Game the Spouse Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She started the year at 60% completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins. Release I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Any 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 behaving this way to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for grownups. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship. Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024 She was the clear winner for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better 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 remarkably well-crafted strategy digital pastime, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations. Title I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The worst thing about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise 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 Excellent reinvention of a classic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. 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'm unwilling to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after evening drinks. Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different joker cards are so creative it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite peak 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. Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising Outer Worlds 2 I experienced a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a specific bug 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 appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that in the exact way, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character. Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Alright. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I get that it has great art and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025 Close call between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and repugnant. Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the garden 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 doomscrolling, but it aches like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured 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 stretch time until the cows come home. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.