2025 Wrapped (Gaming Edition)

It's the most wonderful time of the year: time to reflect on what I played this year, see how my predictions panned out, and make some bold guesses for 2026!

2025 in a nutshell: The Switch 2 delivered! I became a dad again! I played way more games than expected!

My Top 3 Games of 2025:

🥇 Death Stranding 2 - My Game of the Year. Chef's kiss to the master: Kojima. I wept at that ending.

🥈 Snowrunner - An unexpected obsession that devoured 130 hours of my life. Who knew mud could be so addictive?

🥉 Civilization 7 - The perfect dad game. One more turn... okay, diaper change... one more turn. Carried me through the entire year.

Now let's dive deep:

January: Story-Heavy Start

We kicked off the year with narrative-focused experiences:

• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty - The redemption arc for Cyberpunk. I was determined to finish this before my second son arrived in March, and mission accomplished!
• LA Noire (Switch) - Classic detective noir on the go
• Citizen Sleeper (Switch) - Incredible writing; more sci-fi novel than game. Consumed my entire week!
• Civilization 6 - Building hype for Civ 7
• Mario Odyssey - Co-op adventures with my oldest son

February: The Civ 7 Month

February belonged to Civilization 7. I pre-ordered and dove deep—it's perfect for the "one turn then diaper duty" lifestyle that was coming.

I also revisited Steamworld Build, finally completing a campaign. It scratches that base-builder RTS itch (think Evil Genius, one of my all-time favorites).

March: New Dad, New Challenges

I became a dad again! Two wonderful boys now! Gaming naturally took a backseat, but when I did play:

• Balatro - Turn-based perfection
• Civilization 7 - Still turn-based perfection
• Mario Odyssey - More co-op with my oldest

[Editor note: Love the pattern recognition here—all games you can pause instantly!]

April: Cozy Indie Vibes

Sleep-deprived months call for low-stakes gaming:

• The Last Campfire - Moody puzzles with gorgeous visuals
• Mini Motorways - Chill puzzle perfection
• Dave The Diver - New DLC meant another deep dive
• Potion Craft - Friend's recommendation; played a few nights but didn't stick
• The Pale Beyond - Too story-heavy for my groggy state; needs a revisit

Plus the evergreens: Civ 7 and Mario Odyssey.

May: Death Stranding Begins

Fired up the PS5 for my third playthrough of Death Stranding—a true masterpiece, and perfect prep for Death Stranding 2's June release.

For a palate cleanser, I grabbed Snowrunner. Little did I know this "little game" would consume 130 hours of my life. It scratches the same itch as Death Stranding: route optimization, terrain battles, and meditative delivery grinding.

June & July: Kojima's Masterpiece

Death Stranding 2 dominated these months, with occasional Snowrunner sessions as emotional cooldowns.

July brought the campaign's end. My Game of the Year. I wept at that ending—Kojima, you beautiful madman. Now it rests, waiting for my inevitable platinum run and story replays.

August: Comfort Food Gaming

Back to familiar favorites:

• Civilization 7 - New DLC, refined UI
• Snowrunner - Grinding through Alaska's brutal terrain
• Cyberpunk 2077 - New patch curiosity
• Hitman - Fresh content drops

September: Birthday Jackpot

My family pooled together for the ultimate birthday gift: Switch 2 with Mario Kart World! Plus Silksong finally released after six years, and Hades 2 dropped!

Gaming feast mode activated:

• All the August regulars continued
• Hogwarts Legacy - Switch 2 upgrade showing this game's true potential
• Mario Kart World - Father-son couch gaming perfection
• Silksong - For masochistic moments
• Hades 2 - For slightly less masochistic moments
• Mafia: The Old Country - Library find; great story but too slow for my current pace

October: Heavy Hitters

Major releases dropped:

• Pokemon Legends Z-A - You know I'm a sucker for Pokemon
• Ghost of Yotei - Loved the first, loving this one, but PS5 time is scarce these days
• Two Point Museum - Same satisfying itch as Steamworld Build

November: Seasonal Grinding

• Pokemon Legends Z-A - Seasons system is brilliant; perfect between-games game
• Two Point Museum - Chill star-chasing while watching TV
• Snowrunner - Taymyr's brutal mud conquered! Main maps complete, DLCs await
• Yakuza 0 - Black Friday pickup. Great story, great combat, great... karaoke? Wonderfully weird

December: Year-End Push

• Pokemon Legends Z-A - Story blitz before December 10 DLC (perfect timing!)
• Minami Lane - Tiny indie; fine for pocket change
• Star Wars Outlaws - Ubisoft checklist meets Star Wars on Switch 2; considered one of the first "miracle ports"

Reflections & 2026 Predictions

Last year's prediction check:

"Buy only a handful of games, focus on DLC and backlog, prepare for limited gaming time with baby #2."

Nailed it. Premium purchases: Death Stranding 2, Ghost of Yotei, Pokemon Legends Z-A, Civilization 7. Indies and sales: Silksong, Hades 2, Two Point Museum, Star Wars Outlaws, Snowrunner. Plus DLC for Hitman and Dave The Diver.

I spent similarly to last year but more deliberately. No guilt about full-price purchases when I know I'll love them—might as well ride the hype train and support creators properly.

Snowrunner was my revelation. A throwaway sale purchase became an evergreen alongside Hitman and Pokemon. Sometimes the most therapeutic games look mundane on paper.

2026 Predictions:

• 007 First Light - IOI doing James Bond = Hitman with explosions and spy thriller elements. Pre-ordered already in my heart!
• GTA 6 - If it actually releases, it'll be the game of the decade
• New Pokemon - Pokemon turns 30 in 2026; they're absolutely capitalizing on that milestone

My relationship with gaming has evolved. I choose smaller, curated experiences plus a few well-researched blockbusters. My backlog isn't a to-do list anymore—it's a collection of experiments, some beloved and worth revisiting, others valuable learning experiences.

Here's to 2026 and whatever gaming surprises await! 🎮