Our Household Alternative Video Game of the Year List for 2025

Well, what did you think of the past year in your home? Could it be described as truly wonderful as one might claim on Facebook? Full of academic success for the kids and riotous dress-up celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a swamp of frustration with only occasional fun flotsam? Is any of this actually real, or have we all become seven-fingered AI slop beings with celebrity dental work?

I have gathered the family for a chat, willing or unwilling, to discuss the most important thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. So here goes:

Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "searching for adequate healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In the actual world."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I even asked. Point taken.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into theatre school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has outside the game.

Game 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. On her phone: 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 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he objects, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for mature audiences. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted strategy 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 constantly evolve their range is you eventually realize and understand it is all just an attempt to trap you with 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

Stunning reinvention of a iconic franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my demons so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so inventive it has become a game I literally would play at any hour. Add in the charm of the card design, and this is an definite high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space 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 bit of backlash 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 art, sound, acting – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that verbatim, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I get that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and I’ve had enough. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both morally indefensible 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 be unique names bellowed from the garden 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 console gaming 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 wait patiently until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.