Best games
Best Indie games of 2004
The 8 best Indie games released in 2004, ranked from 2,226 critic and player ratings.
The best Indie game of 2004 is Cave Story, with a critic score of 83/100 — updated September 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.
- 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 2,226 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 8
01
Cave Story
A side-scrolling platformer in which a robot traverses a strange world that has been thrown into disorder due to its violent history and a doctor that is attempting to exploit the inhabitants to aid him in his own pursuit for power.
83
/100
02
OpenTTD
OpenTTD is a business simulation game initially developed by Ludvig Strigeus in which players earn money by transporting passengers and cargo via road, rail, water, and air. It is an open-source remake and expansion of the 1995 Chris Sawyer video game Transport Tycoon Deluxe. Connect industries and cities on procedurally-generated maps of up to 4096 x 4096 tiles by building a network of roads, railways, docks, and airports. Navigate dense city streets, cross oceans and rivers, and conquer high mountains in one of four climates. Work alone or with friends to complete production chains and transport finished goods to towns. Assemble a fleet of hundreds of vehicles, transferring cargo as needed in an interconnected, multimodal network with optional cargo destinations. Keep up with technological improvements through the years as towns grow; new modes of transport are invented; and industries appear, change production, or fail. Expand stations and build network capacity to keep up with demand and avoid delays. Customize your OpenTTD experience via community-made mods downloaded through an in-game content service, including real-world vehicles, new industry sets, custom scenarios, and more. OpenTTD is free and open-source software, licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. OpenTTD is under ongoing development. OpenTTD is not an abbreviation of anything.
87
/100
03
Gish
Gish isn't your average hero. In fact, he's not your average anything...you see, Gish is a ball of tar. A Sunday stroll with his lady friend, Brea, goes awry when a shadowy figure emerges from an open manhole and pulls Brea below ground. Following Brea's calls for help, Gish suddenly finds himself in the subterranean sewers of Dross, a long forgotten city filled with twisting corridors, evil traps, and some of the most demented creatures imaginable. With his gelatinous structure as his only means of defense, Gish must follow the echoing cries of his damsel in distress deep within the earth below. What freakish creatures dwell in this subterranean land? Who is Brea's captor? And just how far down does the rabbit hole go? Life isn't easy when you're a 12 pound ball of tar...
80
/100
Cave Story
A side-scrolling platformer in which a robot traverses a strange world that has been thrown into disorder due to its violent history and a doctor that is attempting to exploit the inhabitants to aid him in his own pursuit for power.
83
/100
02
OpenTTD
OpenTTD is a business simulation game initially developed by Ludvig Strigeus in which players earn money by transporting passengers and cargo via road, rail, water, and air. It is an open-source remake and expansion of the 1995 Chris Sawyer video game Transport Tycoon Deluxe. Connect industries and cities on procedurally-generated maps of up to 4096 x 4096 tiles by building a network of roads, railways, docks, and airports. Navigate dense city streets, cross oceans and rivers, and conquer high mountains in one of four climates. Work alone or with friends to complete production chains and transport finished goods to towns. Assemble a fleet of hundreds of vehicles, transferring cargo as needed in an interconnected, multimodal network with optional cargo destinations. Keep up with technological improvements through the years as towns grow; new modes of transport are invented; and industries appear, change production, or fail. Expand stations and build network capacity to keep up with demand and avoid delays. Customize your OpenTTD experience via community-made mods downloaded through an in-game content service, including real-world vehicles, new industry sets, custom scenarios, and more. OpenTTD is free and open-source software, licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. OpenTTD is under ongoing development. OpenTTD is not an abbreviation of anything.
87
/100
03
Gish
Gish isn't your average hero. In fact, he's not your average anything...you see, Gish is a ball of tar. A Sunday stroll with his lady friend, Brea, goes awry when a shadowy figure emerges from an open manhole and pulls Brea below ground. Following Brea's calls for help, Gish suddenly finds himself in the subterranean sewers of Dross, a long forgotten city filled with twisting corridors, evil traps, and some of the most demented creatures imaginable. With his gelatinous structure as his only means of defense, Gish must follow the echoing cries of his damsel in distress deep within the earth below. What freakish creatures dwell in this subterranean land? Who is Brea's captor? And just how far down does the rabbit hole go? Life isn't easy when you're a 12 pound ball of tar...
80
/100
04
S
Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play. You spawn objects and weld them together to create your own contraptions - whether that's a car, a rocket, a catapult or something that doesn't have a name yet - that's up to you. You can do it offline, or join the thousands of players who play online each day. If you're not too great at construction - don't worry! You can place a variety of characters in silly positions. But if you want to do more, we have the means.
79
/100
05
Yume Nikki
Yume Nikki is a 32-Bit freeware game created by Kikiyama, a Japanese solo game designer. The game was made using RPGMaker 2003. The game is regarded as one of the most original applications of RPGMaker 2003, and the start of a possible new genre of games. "Yume Nikki" means "Dream Diary" in Japanese, and the game follows a young girl named Madotsuki as she dreams. The goal is to seek out and acquire all 24 'Effects'. The game otherwise has no plot, and nearly the entire game is left up to speculation.
79
/100
06
Space Hack
The colony ship, Maximus XV was on course. This was supposed to be an uneventful trip. No one on board expected the gravitational entity. It quickly swallowed Maximus XV.
63
/100
07
CS2D
CS2D is a free fast-paced top-down multiplayer shooter. Featuring many different game modes, a built-in map editor and much more.
57
/100
08
Catwoman
Catwoman is an action-adventure video game based on the 2004 film of the same name based on the fictional character. It features the likeness of the film's lead actress Halle Berry, while the character's voice is provided by actress Jennifer Hale.
46
/100
S
Garry's Mod
Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play. You spawn objects and weld them together to create your own contraptions - whether that's a car, a rocket, a catapult or something that doesn't have a name yet - that's up to you. You can do it offline, or join the thousands of players who play online each day. If you're not too great at construction - don't worry! You can place a variety of characters in silly positions. But if you want to do more, we have the means.
79
/100
05
Yume Nikki
Yume Nikki is a 32-Bit freeware game created by Kikiyama, a Japanese solo game designer. The game was made using RPGMaker 2003. The game is regarded as one of the most original applications of RPGMaker 2003, and the start of a possible new genre of games. "Yume Nikki" means "Dream Diary" in Japanese, and the game follows a young girl named Madotsuki as she dreams. The goal is to seek out and acquire all 24 'Effects'. The game otherwise has no plot, and nearly the entire game is left up to speculation.
79
/100
06
Space Hack
The colony ship, Maximus XV was on course. This was supposed to be an uneventful trip. No one on board expected the gravitational entity. It quickly swallowed Maximus XV.
63
/100
07
CS2D
CS2D is a free fast-paced top-down multiplayer shooter. Featuring many different game modes, a built-in map editor and much more.
57
/100
08
Catwoman
Catwoman is an action-adventure video game based on the 2004 film of the same name based on the fictional character. It features the likeness of the film's lead actress Halle Berry, while the character's voice is provided by actress Jennifer Hale.
46
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Indie game of 2004?
Cave Story currently tops the ranking with a score of 83/100 across 129 ratings. Ranking updated September 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.