Games Released in 2005

2,386 new games debuted in 2005 across 10 platforms, with PC seeing 718 releases. November was the busiest month, with 325 releases. Resident Evil 4 was the most popular release of the year.

Which days had the most releases?

March 24 was the busiest single day of 2005 with 44 releases.

44 releases

March 24

37 releases

December 22

37 releases

November 15

34 releases

December 2

Which month had the most releases?

The busiest release month of 2005 was November, totaling 325 titles.

How did each season compare?

Q4 was the busiest quarter of 2005 with 823 releases.

Q1 (Jan–Mar)

534 releases

Most popular release in Q1

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil 4 is the sixth installment in the Resident Evil series and is often noted for its departure from the fixed camera angles of earlier titles. It introduced an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, faster-paced gunplay, and more dynamic controls. The game features larger, more open environments and a new AI system that enables enemies to coordinate attacks and attempt to corner the player. Enemies exhibit more human-like behavior, such as climbing ladders, opening doors, and using weapons.

Q2 (Apr–Jun)

526 releases

Most popular release in Q2

Battlefield 2

In Battlefield 2, players will choose to fight for one of three military superpowers: the United States, the Chinese, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of any of the game’s 30+ vehicles to engage in major conflicts with over 64 players in some of the largest online battles on the PC. Additionally, persistent character growth allows players to rise through the ranks and attain the ultimate rank of General.

Q3 (Jul–Sep)

630 releases

Most popular release in Q3

Indigo Prophecy

Indigo Prophecy is an action-adventure game that involves the player in making decisions to alter the narrative. The name change in North America was made to avoid confusion with Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 documentary film, which was released in 2004. Indigo Prophecy introduced elements like ethical ambiguity, romance, the inability to perish, and interactive storytelling that would endure in Quantic Dream's later games.

Q4 (Oct–Dec)

823 releases

Most popular release in Q4

Shadow of the Colossus

An open-world action/adventure game in which a young wanderer, along with a stolen magical sword and his steed companion, trespasses a cursed land, makes a deal with an ancient being to bring a sacrificial victim back to life, and sets off to fulfill his end of the bargain, which involves tracking down and infiltrating the abodes of sixteen colossi and sacrificing them to achieve his goal.

Which platforms saw the most releases?

PC received 718 new titles in 2005, holding the most releases. The runner up was PlayStation 2 with 625 new titles.

PC718 releases

PlayStation 2625 releases

Xbox231 releases

Game Boy Advance222 releases

PlayStation Portable154 releases

Nintendo DS148 releases

Nintendo GameCube124 releases

Legacy Mobile Device114 releases

Web browser106 releases

Mac80 releases

What genres were most popular?

Adventure was the dominant genre in 2005 with 532 titles. Shooter followed closely with 291.

Adventure532

Shooter291

Role-playing277

Simulator246

Strategy243

Sport219

Puzzle210

Platform204

Arcade188

Racing181

2004 2006

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