The Dominik Diamond various recreation of the 12 months awards 2025 | Games

So, how was 2025 on your family? Was it actually all nearly as good as you pretended it was on Facebook? Full of A-grades for the youngsters and riotous themed fancy costume birthday events for the grownups? Or was it a sea of disappointment with solely occasional enjoyable flotsam? And was any of it really actual, or are all of us now seven-fingered AI slop beings with Sydney Sweeney’s tooth?

I’ve gathered my ideas (and the Diamond family) collectively, whether or not they needed to or not, to replicate on an important factor in any given 12 months: which video video games we loved essentially the most. Without additional ado:

Game eldest daughter performed essentially the most: Just Dance 2024/Horizon Zero Dawn/Pikmin

“Can’t you pick just one?”

“It’s not my games column.”

On her cellphone, in the meantime, she’s been enjoying Cityscapes and “trying to find decent healthcare”.

“In the game?”

“In real life.”

Game center son performed essentially the most: Overwatch
“I don’t play games on my phone.” He was offended that I even requested him that query. I respect that.

Game youngest daughter performed essentially the most: Resident Evil Biohazard
She is making an attempt to get into theatre faculty, however when she wasn’t singing, she was enjoying Resident Evil. She additionally went on in nice element about her achievements on The Sims, the place the Shark has a thriving utopia with infinitely higher healthcare than her huge sister has in actual life.

Game the spouse performed essentially the most: Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She began the 12 months at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a dash for her. On her cellphone: one thing referred to as Woodle, the place you need to unscrew pins.

Game I laughed at my children for nonetheless enjoying: Minecraft
Any time I see my 21-year-old son enjoying Minecraft, I set about him like a cross between Steve Martin with that man within the pub in Roxanne, and Joe Pesci with Spider in Goodfellas. When he complains, I reply that I’m doing this to toughen him up so he is usually a man and play video games for grownups. It’s a really Scottish father/son relationship.

Most spectacular gaming member of the family 2025: Eldest daughter on Just Dance 2024
There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Even higher than I used to be on the Cure’s Lovecats on Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I performed essentially the most: Marvel Snap
Nothing got here near the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck constructing wizard’s poker, with its always evolving vary of playing cards and recreation variations.

Game I want I had performed much less: Marvel Snap
The worst factor about video games that always evolve their vary of playing cards and variations is you get up in the future and realise it’s all simply an try and suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So love turned to hate midway via the 12 months and it went into the bin.

Game I want I had performed extra: Doom: The Dark Ages
Glorious reinvention of a basic. Immersive ambiance from the off. I want I might eviscerate my demons so successfully in actual life.

Game I want I had performed extra (cerebral version): Blue Prince
I refuse to hurry this lovely, distinctive recreation and I simply didn’t have the time or headspace to offer it what it deserved earlier this 12 months. My mom is staying with us over Christmas and the New Year, so I can be enjoying this within the wee small hours after I’ve prosecco’d her into oblivion.

Game that saved my soul after I wanted It: Balatro
I do know Balatro was 2024’s breakout recreation, however I used to be late to it. And it’s outstanding. It simply will get each single factor proper. Crazy Poker is an excellent idea, however the powers behind the completely different joker playing cards are so imaginative it has turn out to be a recreation I actually would play any time of the day or night time. Throw within the wittiness of the cardboard design, and that is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being caught in a broken-down carry for hours simply so I’ve nothing to do however play it.

Game I obtained essentially the most criticism for criticising: Outer Worlds 2
I skilled a minor pile-on after I wrote about how the Paintress boss battle bug in Clair Obscur ruined the entire recreation for me, but it surely’s nonetheless a gargantuan gaming achievement when it comes to artwork, sound, appearing, battle gameplay and ambition – which I appreciated much more after slogging via Outer Worlds 2. So thanks to the reader who took the time to e mail me personally, via my web site, to say that my Outer Worlds 2 overview was “bitter, confused resentment because YOU DON’T GET THE GAME OLD MAN and your son is an idiot as well sorry to inform you.” I current that within the actual manner it was written, as a result of I respect the trouble, and he’s clearly a superb choose of character the place my son is anxious.

Game all people cherished that I simply didn’t get: Hollow Knight: Silksong
Sure. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque factor and don’t inform me what I’m purported to be doing, besides “explore”. Great enjoyable. I get that it appears ace and is perfection if you’re into this sort of factor, however I can not consider a gaming expertise I need much less of in my mid-fifties. I used to be round again when all video games had been like this, and I’ve had sufficient. It was positive after I was a child, however so was polyester.

Biggest gaming scandal of 2025: Toss-up between EA getting in bed with Jared Kushner and the Saudis, and Outer Worlds 2 costing £70. Both morally indefensible and repugnant.

Games I might identify my kids after, if I used to be ever silly sufficient to have extra: Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good bellowed from the doorstep at tea time.

Part of my physique that aches most from gaming: Right thumb joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s due to video video games or doomscrolling on my cellphone, but it surely burns just like the mines of sulphur within the mornings now. I knew I ought to have gotten my thumbs insured again within the 90s.

Game I’m wanting ahead to essentially the most in 2026: GTA 6.
And it will come out in 2026, even when we’ve got to make 2026 final till the warmth dying of the universe.

Game I’m wanting ahead to essentially the most in 2036: The Witcher 4.