🔗 Share this article The Household Alternative Game of the Year Awards for The Past Year Alright, what did you think of the past year in your household? Could it be described as entirely positive as one might claim on social media? Full of top marks for the kids and wild costume gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a ocean of frustration with only sporadic enjoyable highlights? Is any of this genuine, or are we all seven-fingered AI slop beings with celebrity smiles? I've assembled everyone together, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in twelve months: which releases we were obsessed with the most. Without further ado: Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most Just Dance 2024 "Why can't you pick just one?" "This isn't my personal ranking." On her phone, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare." "Digitally?" "In reality." Release Second Son Played the Most Overwatch "I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that the question was posed. Fair enough. Title Third Daughter Played the Most Resident Evil Biohazard She is trying to get into drama school, but when she wasn’t singing, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her big sister has in real life. Game the Partner Played the Most Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time She began the year at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins. Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing Minecraft Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he protests, I reply that I am behaving this way to build character so he can mature and play games for grownups. 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 incredible. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime. Game I Played the Most Marvel Snap No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations. Game I Wish I Had Played Less Marvel Snap The worst thing about games that endlessly add to their range is you have a moment of clarity and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured 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. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life. Game I Wish I Had Played More (Puzzle-Focused Edition) Blue Prince I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after evening drinks. Game That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It Balatro I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s sleeper hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different joker 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 definite peak of gaming. I dream of 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 minor pile-on when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I recognized 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 share that as written, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character. Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get Hollow Knight: Silksong Fine. 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 is beautiful and is perfection if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my current stage of life. I was around back when all games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things. Biggest Gaming News of 2025 Toss-up between corporate partnerships that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible and unpleasant. 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 back door 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 protected 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 make 2026 last until the heat death of the universe. Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036 The Witcher 4.