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Best Fighting games of 2004

The 8 best Fighting games released in 2004, ranked from 650 critic and player ratings.

The best Fighting game of 2004 is Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3, with a critic score of 88/100 — updated October 2026.

How this ranking is built
  • Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
  • A game only enters the ranking with at least 30 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
  • Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
  • Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
  • Release window covered: 2004.
  • 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 650 ratings between them.
  • Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 12 October 2026.

Top 8

01 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 2004 · 145 ratings The third installment in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series begins another tournament of champions where only one fighter can prevail. As one of the characters from the Dragon Ball Z animated series, you can master an all-new fighting system that lets you teleport, juggle opponents, fly, and attack in a variety of ways. As you progress through the tournament, you can unlock up to 40 bonus characters from the DBZ universe. You can also post and retrieve character profiles from the Internet. 88 /100
02 Sid Meier's Pirates! Sid Meier's Pirates! 2004 · 121 ratings Based on Sid Meier's original masterpiece, Pirates!, Sid Meier's Pirates! has you facing countless dogged enemies, wooing fair maidens and raising the Jolly Roger on the high seas in pursuit of riches. Discover what it takes to become one of the most famous pirates in history! Firaxis' long-awaited Sid Meier's Pirates! carries on with the great game play tradition and design simplicity of the award-winning original while adding more challenging and exciting battle options, eye-popping 3D graphics, fantastic new audio, and loads of new game play features! 83 /100
03 Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure 2004 · 65 ratings Join Goku in his very first epic adventure as he defends the earth from the relentless Red Ribbon Army. Start down his path to power, and help turn an ordinary boy into the ultimate champion. 79 /100
04 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 2 2004 · 40 ratings "The ultimate ninja battle returns! Battle the best in the land with intense, anime-style head-to-head ninja fighting with over 30 playable characters and 16 unique stages. Choose from more than 60 exciting missions, test your skills with challenging mini-games or play through the anime storyline - and even unlock an original story - in the all-new mode, Ultimate Road. Earn money and points to unlock tons of bonus content as you unleash your chakra and ascend the ranks on your way to becoming the greatest ninja of all!" 78 /100
05 Mortal Kombat: Deception Mortal Kombat: Deception 2004 · 106 ratings Mortal Kombat: Deception is the sixth installment in the Mortal Kombat franchise. Based on the Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance engine, players once again have to fight to stop this new threat in the sixth installment of the fighting series. The standard Arcade, Versus, and Practice modes return, as well as new items to be found in the Krypt. In addition, there are new Konquest Adventure, Chess Kombat, and Puzzle Kombat modes to give the player new mini-games. The Playstation 2 and Xbox versions offer online, competitive play against other players. The Gamecube version does not include online play, but offers Goro and Shao Kahn as exclusive playable characters. 77 /100
06 Def Jam: Fight for NY Def Jam: Fight for NY 2004 · 94 ratings The ultimate hip-hop fueled fighting game, Def Jam Fight For NY challenges players to step into the shoes of a ruthless street fighter battling for control of the hip-hop underground. The game features an all-new fighting engine including weapons, interactive environments and five unique fighting styles that can be combined to form dozens of customized hybrid styles for the ultimate edge on the streets. Def Jam Fight For NY features more than 40 of the most well-known artists and personalities in hip-hop today, including Busta Rhymes, Carmen Electra, Lil' Kim, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Sean Paul, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, and many more. * New Fighting Engine -- A new fighting engine challenges you to master multiple fighting disciplines, take advantage of interactive environments, and utilize dozens of weapons to make a name for yourself. * Three Times the Length of the Original Def Jam VENDETTA -- It's going to take more than 90 fights in 20-plus venues to win control of the streets. * 40 of the Biggest Hip Hop Artists and Celebrites -- Starring and music by the hottest names in hip hop from Def Jam and beyond -- look for appearances by Busta Rhymes, Carmen Electra, Fat Joe, Flava Flav, Freeway, Ghostface, Ice T, Joe Budden, Kimora Lee Simmons, Lil' Kim, Ludacris, Method Man, Redman, Sean Paul, Slick Rick, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and many more. * Five Brutal Fighting Styles -- Master each fighting style: street fighting, kickboxing, martial arts, wrestling, and submission fighting. Combine up to three styles to create devastating hybrid-styles, complete with new "blazin' moves" to finish off your opponent. * 22 Interactive Venues -- From destructible environmental objects to rowdy spectators who like to "get involved," the 22 venues are the ultimate weapon. * Create-A-Street Fighter -- Build your own street-ready fighter and outfit him with thousands of pieces of unlockable licensed gear, tattoos, and even bling from the Jeweler to the stars, Jacob the Jeweler. * Represent Your Crew Online -- Join a crew and own the mean streets of NYC. Move onto the international stage and take on all-comers with online play for the PlayStation 2. 72 /100
07 WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw (2004) WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw (2004) 2004 · 37 ratings WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw brings two of wrestling's most popular game series together on the PS2. The game re-creates WWE programming with voice-overs and commentary throughout the season mode. During matches, you can learn a host of new gameplay moves, such as stare-downs, chop battles, and submission reversals. You can also try out situational challenges or create your own championship. Play as your favorite wrestler, including legends and Divas, and prove to the world that you have what it takes to be the WWE champion. 71 /100
08 Alien Hominid Alien Hominid 2004 · 42 ratings They've got your spaceship and you will blow up anything in your path to get it back. Completely hand-drawn high-definition graphics, coupled with old-school game play, results in ultimate mayhem and hours of fun! 66 /100
Browse all Fighting games

Other years

Best Fighting games of 2021Best Fighting games of 2019Best Fighting games of 2018Best Fighting games of 2017Best Fighting games of 2016Best Fighting games of 2015Best Fighting games of 2014Best Fighting games of 2013Best Fighting games of 2012Best Fighting games of 2011Best Fighting games of 2010Best Fighting games of 2008

Same year, other platforms

Best PC games of 2004Best PlayStation 2 games of 2004Best Xbox games of 2004Best Mac games of 2004Best GameCube games of 2004Best Game Boy Advance games of 2004Best Linux games of 2004

Nearby rankings

Best Fighting games of 2003Best Fighting games of 2005Best Platformer games of 2004Best Racing games of 2004Best RPG games of 2004

Catalog statistics

Most abandoned gamesMost completed games

Frequently asked questions

What is the best Fighting game of 2004?

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 currently tops the ranking with a score of 88/100 across 145 ratings. Ranking updated October 2026.

How is this ranking built?

Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.