The Dominik Diamond Unofficial Game of the Year List for This Year

Well, how was this year in your home? Was it all as good as people post on social media? Packed with top marks for the kids and riotous dress-up birthday parties for the parents? Maybe it felt like a sea of frustration with only occasional enjoyable flotsam? Is any of this authentic, or have we all become digitally altered synthetic personas with unrealistic dental work?

I've assembled everyone for a reflection, willing or unwilling, to reflect on the crucial thing in a calendar year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Release Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Game Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I suggested it. Point taken.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has in real life.

Release the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Game I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult 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 toughen him up so he can mature and play games for grownups. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is incredible. 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 insanely well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that frequently update their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this stunning, original game and I just was short on the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I plan to dive into this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was the previous year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is incredible. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a brilliant concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play any time. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite peak 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.

Game I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that verbatim, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I get that it is beautiful and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my mid-fifties. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that caused concern, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant.

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 called from the garden at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or phone use, but it is sore like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after back in the 90s.

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.