NBA Live 99
NBA Live 99 — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is NBA Live 99 on?
- NBA Live 99 was released on Nintendo 64, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation.
- When did NBA Live 99 release?
- NBA Live 99 was first released on October 31, 1998.
About NBA Live 99
NBA Live 99 is EA Sports' NBA release for the 1998–99 NBA season. Some of the major additions in Live 99 include Practice Mode and multi-season play featuring player development between seasons. Although it did not feature free agency or generated rookies, it would turn out to be the forerunner to Franchise Mode. Live 99 shipped with 1997-98 season rosters due to the NBA lockout of 1998–99 putting a hold on player movements and rookie signings during the summer of 1998.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Nintendo 64, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation
- Developer
- HB Studios
- Publisher
- Electronic Arts
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Themes
- Non-fiction
- Series
- NBA
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | 1998 | $8 | $21 | $48 | 10 reviews | Low |
Release timeline
- PC (Microsoft Windows)Oct 31, 1998
- PlayStationOct 31, 1998
- Nintendo 64Nov 4, 1998
First release on each platform, from IGDB’s records of this game’s ports and editions. Remakes are separate games with their own pages, so they are not listed here.
We haven’t priced or authenticated the versions without a section on this page yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Nintendo 64 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-22
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAL release | $7 | $34 | — |
What it needs to play
- RequiredController Pak — to save your progress: the game saves to a Controller Pak, not to the cartridge (game manual).
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about once a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-22.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.48 in Jan 2007, $1.61 five years ago, and $8.39 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2007 | $0.48 | — |
| Jan 2008 | $0.38 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $0.38 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $1.99 | $0.99 |
| Jan 2015 | $0.99 | $9.49 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.06 | $9.50 |
| Jan 2017 | $3.42 | $11.69 |
| Jan 2018 | $3.63 | $8.39 |
| Jan 2019 | $3.10 | $7.50 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.97 | $10.50 |
| Jan 2021 | $3.70 | $9.57 |
| Jan 2022 | $3.60 | $12.99 |
| Jan 2023 | $4.00 | $23 |
| Jan 2024 | $4.34 | $17.50 |
| Jan 2025 | $3.50 | $15.33 |
| Jan 2026 | $7.15 | $12.68 |
| Oct 2026 | $8.39 | $21 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Cartridge serial | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 4 November 1998 | NUS-N9BE-USA | NUS-01A-02 |
| Europe / PAL | December 1998 | NUS-N9BP-EUR / NUS-N9BP-SCN | — |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1998
- Authenticity
- Low
A cheap, fully licensed basketball cart that was the first NBA Live on the N64.
NBA Live 99 was the first NBA Live game released on the Nintendo 64. NuFX developed the N64 version and EA Sports published it, with North America getting it on November 4, 1998 and Europe following in December. The N64 version differs from the PC and PlayStation releases.
Next Generation's October 1998 preview said the N64 edition looked to be the best of the franchise so far, pointing to the full NBA license and the custom-create options for teams and players.
How it was made
The Nintendo 64 version was developed by NuFX and published by EA Sports.
What the press said at the time
| GameRankings (aggregate) | 78% | |
| CNET Gamecenter | 8/10 | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.5/10 | |
| Game Informer | 7.25/10 | |
| GameFan | 70% | |
| GamePro | 4.5/5 | |
| GameSpot | 7.2/10 | |
| IGN | 8/10 | |
| N64 Magazine | 64% | |
| Nintendo Power | 7.1/10 |
“Live 99 for the N64 is a strong basketball game for sure, but it has the unfortunate job of going up against NBA Courtside, which is an overall better game.”
“Not bad, definitely not great, NBA Live straddles the word mediocre with big basketball legs.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Nintendo 64 version.
How the Nintendo 64 version differs
The N64 version is an updated port of NBA Live 98, which is why it differs from the PC and PlayStation versions.
Also on other platforms
PlayStation · Windows
- PlayStation. The PlayStation version shipped with a bug where players did not fatigue properly.
How the other versions reviewed
| Windows | GameRankings | 86% |
| PlayStation | GameRankings | 88% |
| Windows | CNET Gamecenter | 8/10 |
| Windows | Computer Gaming World | 4.5/5 |
| PlayStation | Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.67/10 |
| PlayStation | Game Informer | 7.75/10 |
| PlayStation | GameFan | 90% |
| Windows | GamePro | 4.5/5 |
| PlayStation | GamePro | 4.5/5 |
| Windows | GameRevolution | A− |
| PlayStation | GameRevolution | B+ |
| Windows | GameSpot | 8.9/10 |
| PlayStation | GameSpot | 8/10 |
| Windows | IGN | 8.6/10 |
| PlayStation | IGN | 9/10 |
| PlayStation | Official PlayStation Magazine | 4/5 |
| Windows | PC Gamer US | 92% |
| Windows | The Cincinnati Enquirer | 4/4 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
The US cartridge is among the cheaper carts in the library and the fake risk is low. The game saves to a Controller Pak, not to the cartridge, so budget for one. PAL copies cost a little less loose and noticeably more complete. A complete copy costs a few times the loose price.
NBA Live 99 screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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