Our Diamond Family Unofficial Game of the Year List for 2025
So, how did you experience this year in your household? Did it seem truly wonderful as one might claim on Facebook? Full of academic success for your offspring and wild themed fancy dress birthday parties for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a sea of letdowns with only occasional enjoyable moments? Could any part be authentic, or have we all become AI-generated synthetic personas with perfect teeth?
I've corralled the family for a reflection, ready or not, to discuss the most important thing in twelve months: which releases we were obsessed with the most. Let's get started:
Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most
Horizon Zero Dawn
"Is it impossible to pick just one?"
"You can't expect my games column."
In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."
"Virtually?"
"In reality."
Title Middle Son Played the Most
Overwatch
"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I even asked. Point taken.
Game Third Daughter Played the Most
Resident Evil Biohazard
Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.
Title the Spouse Played the Most
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.
Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing
Minecraft
Every 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 prepare him so he can grow up and play games for mature audiences. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.
Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.
Game I Played the Most
Marvel Snap
No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted card game 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 frequently update their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with compulsion-based microtransactions. So love turned to hate halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.
Title I Wish I Had Played More
Doom: The Dark Ages
Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.
Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)
Blue Prince
I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after family time.
Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It
Balatro
I know Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a wonderful concept, but the effects behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I literally would play at any hour. Combine that with the charm of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising
Outer Worlds 2
I endured a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I valued even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an excellent judge of character.
Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sure. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me 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 this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was fine when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.
Biggest Gaming News of 2025
Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both ethically dubious 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 shouted from the garden at dinner time.
Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming
Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or doomscrolling, but it is sore 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 cows come home.
Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036
The Witcher 4.
