Our Diamond Family Alternative Gaming of the Year Roundup for 2025

Well, what did you think of this year in your home? Could it be described as entirely positive as people post on Facebook? Packed with academic success for the children and wild dress-up birthday parties for the adults? Maybe it felt like a sea of disappointment with only rare enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or have we all become seven-fingered AI slop beings with unrealistic dental work?

I've corralled everyone together, willing or unwilling, to debate the most important thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Release Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"It’s not my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "attempting to locate adequate healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In real life."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. I respect that.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Release I Teased My Kids About 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 behaving this way to toughen him up so he can mature and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. Even better than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared 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 catch about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my problems 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 lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it required earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was 2024’s breakout game, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets each element right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so imaginative 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 pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a technical issue 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 thank you to the commenter who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I share that as written, because I respect the passion, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". Great fun. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into the genre, 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'm over it. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that sparked debate, and premium pricing. Both ethically dubious and repugnant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Crazy 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. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or endless scrolling, but it is sore like hellfire 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.