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

So, what did you think of this year in your home? Did it seem all as good as one might claim on social media? Overflowing with top marks for your offspring and elaborate costume birthday parties for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a ocean of frustration with only rare enjoyable highlights? Is any of this genuine, or have we all become digitally altered virtual entities with celebrity dental work?

I have gathered everyone together, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in any given year: which releases we played the most. So here goes:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"You can't expect my games column."

Meanwhile, on mobile, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Title Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

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

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She's attempting to get into drama school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her character has a successful utopia with significantly better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at 60% completion and finished the year at eighty-two percent. It's a long haul not a sprint for her. Her phone game: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Game I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he objects, I reply that I am behaving this way to toughen him up so he can be a man and play games for adults. It's a classic 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. More impressive than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building 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 endlessly add to 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 was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

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

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I'm unwilling to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the time or headspace to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With family visits over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after appropriate hospitality.

Game That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Combine that with the cleverness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space 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 glitch 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 valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that in the exact way, because I appreciate the effort, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a brutally difficult non-linear thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I acknowledge that it has great art and is flawless if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my adulthood. I was around back when all games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between business deals that sparked debate, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and unpleasant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the garden at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or doomscrolling, but it is sore like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected 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 stretch time until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.