Best games
Best Sports games of 2004
The 8 best Sports games released in 2004, ranked from 650 critic and player ratings.
The best Sports game of 2004 is Pro Evolution Soccer 4, with a critic score of 90/100 — 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 650 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 8
01
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
Also available in a European version known as Pro Evolution Soccer 4, Winning Eleven 8 is developed by the legendary soccer expert Shingo Takatsuka. New free kick and penalty techniques can now be used, while an innovative indirect free kick has been implemented to add further variety to set pieces. This level of realism has also been extended to the ways players run, move both on and off the ball, and how they control the ball. A new dribbling system is also available giving more control as players go one-on-one and try to pass opposing players, while player likenesses are also enhanced to match the noticeable individuality of the world's greatest stars. Both international and club players are instantly recognizable due to almost photo-realistic graphics.
90
/100
02
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
You've been chosen by Tony Hawk to compete against Bam Margera's team in the World Destruction Tour. In an all-new storyline, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 takes you to skateparks around the world, where you can spray your custom tag, slap stickers, and even create new skate lines. Now you can play as yourself, as your teammates, or as more than 20 special skaters. If you're feeling nostalgic for older Tony Hawk games, you can try Classic mode, which challenges you to accomplish your favorite goals, such as Secret Tape and High Score.
84
/100
03
FIFA Soccer 2005
FIFA Football 2005 gives you more control than ever with improved button and control sensitivity and an intuitive Off the Ball Control. Now you can take command of players not in possession of the ball by calling in tackles, jostling for space, and sending your teammates on runs as you control the pitch. With more than 350 official team and league licenses from around the world, an enhanced Career mode, and an improved broadcast, FIFA Football 2005 gives you a complete and authentic soccer experience.
82
/100
Pro Evolution Soccer 4
Also available in a European version known as Pro Evolution Soccer 4, Winning Eleven 8 is developed by the legendary soccer expert Shingo Takatsuka. New free kick and penalty techniques can now be used, while an innovative indirect free kick has been implemented to add further variety to set pieces. This level of realism has also been extended to the ways players run, move both on and off the ball, and how they control the ball. A new dribbling system is also available giving more control as players go one-on-one and try to pass opposing players, while player likenesses are also enhanced to match the noticeable individuality of the world's greatest stars. Both international and club players are instantly recognizable due to almost photo-realistic graphics.
90
/100
02
Tony Hawk's Underground 2
You've been chosen by Tony Hawk to compete against Bam Margera's team in the World Destruction Tour. In an all-new storyline, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 takes you to skateparks around the world, where you can spray your custom tag, slap stickers, and even create new skate lines. Now you can play as yourself, as your teammates, or as more than 20 special skaters. If you're feeling nostalgic for older Tony Hawk games, you can try Classic mode, which challenges you to accomplish your favorite goals, such as Secret Tape and High Score.
84
/100
03
FIFA Soccer 2005
FIFA Football 2005 gives you more control than ever with improved button and control sensitivity and an intuitive Off the Ball Control. Now you can take command of players not in possession of the ball by calling in tackles, jostling for space, and sending your teammates on runs as you control the pitch. With more than 350 official team and league licenses from around the world, an enhanced Career mode, and an improved broadcast, FIFA Football 2005 gives you a complete and authentic soccer experience.
82
/100
04
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
05
Colin McRae Rally 2005
Colin McRae Rally and more recently; Dirt, is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters. Colin McRae Rally and Dirt 2 have since been developed and published for Mac OS X by Feral Interactive. Started in 1998, the franchise has been a critical and commercial success and is generally acknowledged as a pioneer of realistic rally sports racing games. The series is named after the World Rally Championship driver Colin McRae, who provided technical advice during development. Despite McRae's death in September 2007, Codemasters retained the use of his name on their rally games until the release of Dirt 3, where the moniker was dropped.
80
/100
06
Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis features variations of tennis matches consisting of characters, courts, and scenarios based on the Mario series. The range of courts includes the standard three types of tennis court, but consists predominantly of those themed upon games in the Mario series, known as "Gimmick" courts. As well as adopting the style aesthetically, these feature thematic elements that influence how the match will be played on that surface, such as the ghosts in the Luigi's Mansion court, which hinder movement when the character comes into physical contact with them. Although standard tennis is available, variants of the sport can be played which adopt different rules and methods of victory. "Ring Shot" involves the player earning points by hitting the ball through rings of varying sizes, with the number of points dependent on the difficulty of the shot.[9] The player acquires the points whenever a winning shot is made adhering to standard rules; the match is won once the predetermined number of points is equaled or surpassed. A similar mode, "Item Battle", involves the characters using items based on the Mario universe to interfere with each other's game and gain an advantage
80
/100
07
Def Jam: Fight for NY
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
08
FIFA 2005
Released only a few months after Euro 2004, FIFA 2005 brings several features to the franchise, such as the return of a player creation tool, where a player can be created from scratch from customizing the face (while it's not possible to define the texture like in previous EA Sports games such as NHL 2000, the player can customize the facial features such as shape of the eyes or the cheeks, in a way similar to RPGs such as Neverwinter Nights), accessories and playing abilities. It's also possible to create all kinds of competitions. The Career mode was also extended, allowing now up to 15 seasons, and giving the player the chance to turn the tide of a simulated match anytime. This mode is a "light" managerial mode, where the player not only plays, but also signs new players and increase the clubs abilities in trainers, medical staff and other club staff).
59
/100
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
05
Colin McRae Rally 2005
Colin McRae Rally and more recently; Dirt, is a racing video game series developed and published by Codemasters. Colin McRae Rally and Dirt 2 have since been developed and published for Mac OS X by Feral Interactive. Started in 1998, the franchise has been a critical and commercial success and is generally acknowledged as a pioneer of realistic rally sports racing games. The series is named after the World Rally Championship driver Colin McRae, who provided technical advice during development. Despite McRae's death in September 2007, Codemasters retained the use of his name on their rally games until the release of Dirt 3, where the moniker was dropped.
80
/100
06
Mario Power Tennis
Mario Power Tennis features variations of tennis matches consisting of characters, courts, and scenarios based on the Mario series. The range of courts includes the standard three types of tennis court, but consists predominantly of those themed upon games in the Mario series, known as "Gimmick" courts. As well as adopting the style aesthetically, these feature thematic elements that influence how the match will be played on that surface, such as the ghosts in the Luigi's Mansion court, which hinder movement when the character comes into physical contact with them. Although standard tennis is available, variants of the sport can be played which adopt different rules and methods of victory. "Ring Shot" involves the player earning points by hitting the ball through rings of varying sizes, with the number of points dependent on the difficulty of the shot.[9] The player acquires the points whenever a winning shot is made adhering to standard rules; the match is won once the predetermined number of points is equaled or surpassed. A similar mode, "Item Battle", involves the characters using items based on the Mario universe to interfere with each other's game and gain an advantage
80
/100
07
Def Jam: Fight for NY
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
08
FIFA 2005
Released only a few months after Euro 2004, FIFA 2005 brings several features to the franchise, such as the return of a player creation tool, where a player can be created from scratch from customizing the face (while it's not possible to define the texture like in previous EA Sports games such as NHL 2000, the player can customize the facial features such as shape of the eyes or the cheeks, in a way similar to RPGs such as Neverwinter Nights), accessories and playing abilities. It's also possible to create all kinds of competitions. The Career mode was also extended, allowing now up to 15 seasons, and giving the player the chance to turn the tide of a simulated match anytime. This mode is a "light" managerial mode, where the player not only plays, but also signs new players and increase the clubs abilities in trainers, medical staff and other club staff).
59
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Sports game of 2004?
Pro Evolution Soccer 4 currently tops the ranking with a score of 90/100 across 49 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.