The Diamond Family Unofficial Video Game of the Year Roundup for 2025
Well, what did you think of the past year in your household? Could it be described as all as good as one might claim on social media? Full of academic success for the kids and wild themed fancy dress gatherings for the parents? Or was it a ocean of disappointment with only sporadic fun moments? Is any of this actually real, or are we all digitally altered virtual entities with perfect smiles?
I've corralled the family for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to discuss the crucial thing in a calendar year: which video games we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:
Release Oldest Daughter Played the Most
Just Dance 2024
"Can’t you pick just one?"
"You can't expect my definitive list."
On her phone, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."
"Virtually?"
"In real life."
Release Second Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I don’t play games on my phone." He was offended that the question was posed. Point taken.
Title Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
She's attempting to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life.
Game the Spouse Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.
Title 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 classic comedy bit. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for adults. It’s a very 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 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 exceptionally well-crafted card game digital pastime, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.
Game I Wish I Had Played Less
Marvel Snap
The catch about games that endlessly add to their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand 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
Glorious reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.
Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)
Blue Prince
I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.
Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Its gameplay loop is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I experienced a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I recognized even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I mention that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and he is obviously an sharp judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Fine. Give me a bastard-hard non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I acknowledge that it has great art and is ideal 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 my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.
Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025
Toss-up 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 sound good names called from the doorstep at tea time.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, but it is sore like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after back in the past.
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.
