2004 in video games

The list of game-related hardware released in 2004. This seventh generation of video game consoles began this year with the launch of the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable (only in Japan for the latter). Sony also released the PlayStation 2 slimline, a smaller revision model of the PlayStation 2. As of 2026, the Nintendo DS is the best-selling handheld game console of all time and the 2nd best video game console overall (right behind the PlayStation 2). ==Trends==

In 2004, the total U.S. sales of video game hardware, software and accessories was 9.9 billion compared with 10 billion in 2003. Total software sales rose 8 percent over the previous year to 6.2 billion. Additionally, sales of portable software titles exceeded 1 billion for the first time. Hardware sales were down 27 percent for the year due in part to shortages during the holiday season and price reductions from all systems. Video game consoles • GameCube • Xbox • PlayStation 2 • Sony released an internal hard drive for the PlayStation 2 on March 23 • The third major hardware revision of the PlayStation 2 (model number SCPH-70000) was released in Japan on November 1 Handheld game systems The dominant handheld systems in 2004 were: • Game Boy Advance SP • N-Gage Additionally, Nokia released an updated version of their original N-Gage, called the N-Gage QD. Nintendo released the Nintendo DS on November 21 in the United States. In Japan Sony released the PlayStation Portable on December 12. Best-selling video games Japan United States PAL regions Top game rentals in the United States ==Critically acclaimed titles==

Famitsu In Japan, the following video game releases in 2004 entered Famitsu magazine's "Platinum Hall of Fame" and received Famitsu scores of at least 36 out of 40. Metacritic and GameRankings In the West, Metacritic (MC) and GameRankings (GR) are aggregators of video game journalism reviews. ==Major events==

• February 26 – Castle Wolfenstein creator Silas Warner dies at age 54. ==Notable releases==