Ranking by year

The best games of 2004.

137 games compete in this selection. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater tops it with 1,884 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 2004 · Action-adventure 1,884
  2. 2 Pokémon Emerald Version 2004 · JRPG 1,837
  3. 3 World of Warcraft 2004 · RPG 1,823
  4. 4 Half-Life 2 2004 · FPS 1,811
  5. 5 The Sims 2 2004 · Simulation 1,791
  6. 6 Counter-Strike: Source 2004 · FPS 1,769
  7. 7 Spider-Man 2 2004 · Action-adventure 1,768
  8. 8 Rome: Total War 2004 · Strategy 1,767
  9. 9 Doom 3 2004 · FPS 1,758
  10. 10 The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap 2004 · Action-adventure 1,742
  11. 11 Halo 2 2004 · FPS 1,741
  12. 12 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords 2004 · Action RPG 1,736
  13. 13 Pikmin 2 2004 · Strategy 1,734
  14. 14 Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King 2004 · JRPG 1,731
  15. 15 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 2004 · Action-adventure 1,723
  16. 16 Metroid: Zero Mission 2004 · Metroidvania 1,719
  17. 17 Fable 2004 · Action RPG 1,717
  18. 18 Garry's Mod 2004 · Simulation 1,715
  19. 19 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within 2004 · Platformer 1,712
  20. 20 Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2004 · Action RPG 1,711
  21. 21 Silent Hill 4: The Room 2004 · Horror 1,711
  22. 22 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 2004 · RPG 1,709
  23. 23 Metroid Prime 2: Echoes 2004 · Metroidvania 1,704
  24. 24 Need for Speed: Underground 2 2004 · Racing 1,701
  25. 25 Pokémon FireRed Version 2004 · JRPG 1,684
  26. 26 Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance II 2004 · Action RPG 1,677
  27. 27 Half-Life: Source 2004 · FPS 1,673
  28. 28 Pokémon LeafGreen Version 2004 · JRPG 1,670
  29. 29 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow 2004 · TPS 1,656
  30. 30 Burnout 3: Takedown 2004 · Racing 1,631
  31. 31 Super Mario 64 DS 2004 · Platformer 1,628
  32. 32 Gran Turismo 4 2004 · Racing 1,625
  33. 33 Jak 3 2004 · Action-adventure 1,621
  34. 34 Clannad 2004 · Visual novel 1,619
  35. 35 Hitman: Contracts 2004 · TPS 1,611
  36. 36 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero 2004 · FPS 1,610
  37. 37 The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth 2004 · Strategy 1,610
  38. 38 Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones 2004 · Strategy 1,604
  39. 39 Far Cry 2004 · FPS 1,603
  40. 40 The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures 2004 · Action-adventure 1,601
  41. 41 Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2004 · Strategy 1,590
  42. 42 Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories 2004 · Action RPG 1,583
  43. 43 Donkey Kong Jungle Beat 2004 · Platformer 1,577
  44. 44 Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal 2004 · Platformer 1,576
  45. 45 Syberia II 2004 · Point-and-click 1,575
  46. 46 Ninja Gaiden 2004 · Beat 'em up 1,572
  47. 47 Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2004 · Platformer 1,569
  48. 48 Half-Life 2: Deathmatch 2004 · FPS 1,568
  49. 49 Kirby & the Amazing Mirror 2004 · Platformer 1,564
  50. 50 WarioWare: Touched! 2004 · Arcade 1,564
  51. 51 Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne 2004 · RPG 1,563
  52. 52 Unreal Tournament 2004 2004 · FPS 1,562
  53. 53 Sly 2: Band of Thieves 2004 · Platformer 1,560
  54. 54 Tony Hawk's Underground 2 2004 · Sports 1,557
  55. 55 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 2004 · Fighting 1,556
  56. 56 Killzone 2004 · FPS 1,553
  57. 57 FlatOut 2004 · Racing 1,550
  58. 58 Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Deleted Scenes 2004 · FPS 1,550
  59. 59 Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault 2004 · FPS 1,548
  60. 60 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 2004 · JRPG 1,548
  61. 61 RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 2004 · Simulation 1,545
  62. 62 Star Wars: Battlefront 2004 · FPS 1,540
  63. 63 Zoo Tycoon 2 2004 · Strategy 1,539
  64. 64 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 · Platformer 1,537
  65. 65 Cave Story 2004 · Metroidvania 1,536
  66. 66 Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse 2004 · JRPG 1,535
  67. 67 Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War 2004 · Simulation 1,534
  68. 68 Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes 2004 · Action-adventure 1,533
  69. 69 Dofus 2004 · RPG 1,531
  70. 70 Thief: Deadly Shadows 2004 · Action-adventure 1,524
  71. 71 Mario Power Tennis 2004 · Sports 1,524
  72. 72 Dragon Quest 2004 · JRPG 1,517
  73. 73 Resident Evil Outbreak File #2 2004 · Horror 1,517
  74. 74 Colin McRae Rally 2005 2004 · Racing 1,515
  75. 75 Yume Nikki 2004 · Horror 1,510
  76. 76 Sid Meier's Pirates! 2004 · Action RPG 1,504
  77. 77 Evil Genius 2004 · Strategy 1,504
  78. 78 Myst IV: Revelation 2004 · Point-and-click 1,484
  79. 79 The Urbz: Sims in the City 2004 · Simulation 1,484
  80. 80 Neighbours from Hell 2: On Vacation 2004 · Action-adventure 1,483
  81. 81 Catwoman 2004 · Action-adventure 1,483
  82. 82 Touhou Eiyashou: Imperishable Night 2004 · Shoot 'em up 1,481
  83. 83 Mario Party 6 2004 · Card & Board 1,480
  84. 84 Onimusha 3: Demon Siege 2004 · Action-adventure 1,477
  85. 85 Sonic Advance 3 2004 · Platformer 1,472
  86. 86 Sacred 2004 · Action RPG 1,470
  87. 87 Mega Man Zero 3 2004 · Platformer 1,468
  88. 88 Alien Hominid 2004 · Platformer 1,467
  89. 89 Metal Gear Acid 2004 · Card & Board 1,464
  90. 90 Metal Slug Advance 2004 · Platformer 1,461
  91. 91 ESPN NFL 2K5 2004 · Sports 1,461
  92. 92 Red Dead Revolver 2004 · TPS 1,460
  93. 93 Feeding Frenzy 2004 · Arcade 1,460
  94. 94 Mortal Kombat: Deception 2004 · Fighting 1,459
  95. 95 The Suffering 2004 · TPS 1,459
  96. 96 The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 2004 · JRPG 1,453
  97. 97 Shrek 2 2004 · Platformer 1,452
  98. 98 Shadow Hearts: Covenant 2004 · JRPG 1,452
  99. 99 Driv3r 2004 · Racing 1,450
  100. 100 The Bard's Tale 2004 · Action RPG 1,447

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 2003 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 2004, what this ranking says

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater leads this selection with 1,884 ELO points, ahead of Pokémon Emerald Version and World of Warcraft. The 137 games competing in it have played 23,295 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 137
Duels played by those games 23,295
Game in the lead Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,884
Point gap between 1st and 10th 142
Best represented genre Platformer
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best game of every genre in 2004

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

The best game of every genre in 2004
Genre Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
Action-adventure 13 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 1,884 638
JRPG 9 Pokémon Emerald Version 1,837 401
FPS 17 Half-Life 2 1,811 2,566
Simulation 6 The Sims 2 1,791 294
Strategy 9 Rome: Total War 1,767 163
Action RPG 13 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords 1,736 489
Platformer 18 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within 1,712 335
Racing 8 Need for Speed: Underground 2 1,701 398
TPS 6 Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow 1,656 189
Fighting 7 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 1,556 118

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
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War +85 1,534
The Bard's Tale +80 1,447
Myst IV: Revelation +74 1,484

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Half-Life 2 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 71 51%
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Need for Speed: Underground 2 17 71%
Half-Life 2 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 7 57%
Half-Life 2 Counter-Strike: Source 6 67%
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Hitman: Contracts 4 100%

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 2004?

According to community votes, the best game of 2004 is Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, with 1,884 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Pokémon Emerald Version and World of Warcraft, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many games of 2004 are ranked?

137 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 23,295 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which game of 2004 is climbing right now?

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 85 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 99 games in the selection moved.

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