Ranking by year

The best games of 2003.

127 games compete in this selection. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow tops it with 1,865 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 2003 · Metroidvania 1,865
  2. 2 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2003 · Action RPG 1,838
  3. 3 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 2003 · Platformer 1,811
  4. 4 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne 2003 · TPS 1,797
  5. 5 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 2003 · Racing 1,792
  6. 6 Need for Speed: Underground 2003 · Racing 1,754
  7. 7 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 · Beat 'em up 1,752
  8. 8 Beyond Good & Evil 2003 · Action-adventure 1,726
  9. 9 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 2003 · JRPG 1,724
  10. 10 The Simpsons: Hit & Run 2003 · Action-adventure 1,700
  11. 11 Call of Duty 2003 · FPS 1,670
  12. 12 Silent Hill 3 2003 · Horror 1,656
  13. 13 Fire Emblem 2003 · Strategy 1,651
  14. 14 Jak II 2003 · Action-adventure 1,646
  15. 15 Devil May Cry 2 2003 · Beat 'em up 1,638
  16. 16 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2003 · JRPG 1,638
  17. 17 Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc 2003 · Platformer 1,621
  18. 18 Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy 2003 · FPS 1,612
  19. 19 Final Fantasy X-2 2003 · JRPG 1,604
  20. 20 Eve Online 2003 · Simulation 1,597
  21. 21 Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles 2003 · Action RPG 1,580
  22. 22 Sonic Heroes 2003 · Platformer 1,576
  23. 23 Manhunt 2003 · TPS 1,576
  24. 24 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 2003 · Fighting 1,575
  25. 25 SSX 3 2003 · Sports 1,556
  26. 26 Castlevania: Lament of Innocence 2003 · Beat 'em up 1,554
  27. 27 Tales of Symphonia 2003 · JRPG 1,548
  28. 28 Rise of Nations 2003 · Strategy 1,542
  29. 29 Tony Hawk's Underground 2003 · Sports 1,537
  30. 30 Colin McRae Rally 04 2003 · Racing 1,537
  31. 31 Mega Man Zero 2 2003 · Platformer 1,534
  32. 32 Pokémon Colosseum 2003 · JRPG 1,531
  33. 33 Zuma Deluxe 2003 · Puzzle 1,528
  34. 34 Kirby Air Ride 2003 · Racing 1,520
  35. 35 Day of Defeat 2003 · FPS 1,520
  36. 36 The Sims Bustin' Out 2003 · Strategy 1,519
  37. 37 Postal 2 2003 · FPS 1,513
  38. 38 SimCity 4 2003 · Simulation 1,512
  39. 39 Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb 2003 · Action-adventure 1,507
  40. 40 Command & Conquer: Generals 2003 · Strategy 1,504
  41. 41 Advance Wars 2: Black Hole Rising 2003 · Strategy 1,501
  42. 42 Samorost 2003 · Point-and-click 1,500
  43. 43 Freedom Fighters 2003 · TPS 1,499
  44. 44 Sword of Mana 2003 · Action RPG 1,499
  45. 45 Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner 2003 · TPS 1,497
  46. 46 Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness 2003 · TPS 1,494
  47. 47 WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! 2003 · Arcade 1,494
  48. 48 The Black Mirror 2003 · Point-and-click 1,489
  49. 49 Etherlords II 2003 · Card & Board 1,489
  50. 50 SpellForce: The Order of Dawn 2003 · Strategy 1,489
  51. 51 True Crime: Streets of LA 2003 · Action-adventure 1,486
  52. 52 F-Zero GX 2003 · Racing 1,486
  53. 53 Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut 2003 · Platformer 1,485
  54. 54 Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon 2003 · Point-and-click 1,483
  55. 55 Metal Slug 5 2003 · Platformer 1,480
  56. 56 Worms 3D 2003 · Strategy 1,480
  57. 57 Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour 2003 · Sports 1,480
  58. 58 World Soccer: Winning Eleven 7 International 2003 · Sports 1,479
  59. 59 Finding Nemo 2003 · Action-adventure 1,479
  60. 60 Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup 2003 · Sports 1,477
  61. 61 Zuma 2003 · Puzzle 1,477
  62. 62 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003 · Beat 'em up 1,476
  63. 63 XIII 2003 · FPS 1,473
  64. 64 Vietcong 2003 · FPS 1,473
  65. 65 Medal of Honor: Rising Sun 2003 · FPS 1,470
  66. 66 Mega Man X7 2003 · Platformer 1,470
  67. 67 SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom 2003 · Platformer 1,468
  68. 68 Delta Force: Black Hawk Down 2003 · FPS 1,468
  69. 69 Enter the Matrix 2003 · TPS 1,465
  70. 70 Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando 2003 · Platformer 1,465
  71. 71 Disgaea: Hour of Darkness 2003 · JRPG 1,464
  72. 72 Crash Nitro Kart 2003 · Racing 1,460
  73. 73 Unreal II: The Awakening 2003 · FPS 1,457
  74. 74 Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town 2003 · Simulation 1,457
  75. 75 Wario World 2003 · Platformer 1,452
  76. 76 The Hobbit 2003 · Platformer 1,451
  77. 77 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2003 · Fighting 1,449
  78. 78 Viewtiful Joe 2003 · Beat 'em up 1,448
  79. 79 Pokémon Channel 2003 · Simulation 1,446
  80. 80 Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly 2003 · Horror 1,446
  81. 81 Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire 2003 · Action-adventure 1,444
  82. 82 MapleStory 2003 · Action RPG 1,442
  83. 83 Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis 2003 · Sandbox 1,440
  84. 84 Neighbours from Hell 2003 · Action-adventure 1,439
  85. 85 Legacy of Kain: Defiance 2003 · Action-adventure 1,439
  86. 86 Alien Shooter 2003 · Shoot 'em up 1,439
  87. 87 Tron 2.0 2003 · FPS 1,436
  88. 88 Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean 2003 · JRPG 1,436
  89. 89 Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory 2003 · FPS 1,434
  90. 90 Resident Evil Outbreak 2003 · Horror 1,433
  91. 91 Nosferatu: The Wrath of Malachi 2003 · FPS 1,425
  92. 92 Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life 2003 · Simulation 1,425
  93. 93 Drakengard 2003 · Action RPG 1,424
  94. 94 I.G.I.-2: Covert Strike 2003 · FPS 1,423
  95. 95 Midnight Club II 2003 · Racing 1,422
  96. 96 Sonic Battle 2003 · Fighting 1,419
  97. 97 Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic 2003 · Strategy 1,419
  98. 98 Mario Party 5 2003 · Card & Board 1,417
  99. 99 NBA Street Vol. 2 2003 · Sports 1,416
  100. 100 The King of Fighters 2003 2003 · Fighting 1,416

Filter, combine and travel back in time in the full ranking

Other rankings

Best games of 2000 The best games of 2001 Top games of 2002 Best games of 2004 The best games of 2005 Top games of 2006 Top games of 2007 Best games of 2008 Top games of 2009

In detail

The best games of 2003, what this ranking says

Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow leads this selection with 1,865 ELO points, ahead of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. The 127 games competing in it have played 13,597 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 127
Duels played by those games 13,597
Game in the lead Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow (2003)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,865
Point gap between 1st and 10th 165
Best represented genre FPS
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best game of every genre in 2003

A selection is not read in one block: here is what leads each of its brackets.

The best game of every genre in 2003
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Action RPG 10 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 1,838 619
Platformer 12 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 1,811 441
TPS 6 Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne 1,797 406
Racing 9 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 1,792 242
Beat 'em up 6 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 1,752 192
Action-adventure 12 Beyond Good & Evil 1,726 251
JRPG 9 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga 1,724 152
FPS 15 Call of Duty 1,670 361
Strategy 11 Fire Emblem 1,651 116
Simulation 6 Eve Online 1,597 101
Fighting 5 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 1,575 85
Sports 8 SSX 3 1,556 105

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 99 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom +60 1,468
Finding Nemo +59 1,479
The Hobbit +57 1,451

How this ranking is established

No jury, no press score, no sales figures: two games face off, players vote, and every vote updates an ELO score. This page is a view of the world ranking, never a standing kept apart.

Understand the method in detail →

FAQ

What players ask

What is the best game of 2003?

According to community votes, the best game of 2003 is Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, with 1,865 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 2003 are ranked?

127 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 13,597 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 2003 is climbing right now?

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 60 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 99 games in the selection moved.

Vote on a duel