Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92
Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92 — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92 on?
- Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92 was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Game Gear.
- When did Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92 release?
- Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92 was first released on February 19, 1992.
About Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92
Each computer athlete has a fictional name and nationality (choosing from UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, USA, Japan and the Unified Team, everyone with its own anthem snippet) and actual strengths and weaknesses: J. Balen, for instance, is a frequent 100 m and 110 m hurdles record breaker but only an average hammer thrower. Also, each computer controlled player seems better in a particular event depending on his country: Germans usually take the top spots in archery, Italians on swimming, Russians on pole vault, Americans on sprinting and so on.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Master System/Mark III, Sega Game Gear
- Developer
- Tiertex Design Studios
- Publisher
- US Gold Ltd
- Game modes
- Single player
- Series
- Olympic Games
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Master SystemDetails ↓ | 1992 | $5 | $10 | — | 6 reviews | Low (look-alike) |
| Sega GenesisDetails ↓ | 1992 | $5 | $8 | — | 6 reviews | Low |
The cheapest way to own it loose is the Sega Master System version ($5).
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sega Master System/Mark III · Sega Game Gear. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Prices are per version and are not interchangeable, and neither are the reviews: conversions in this era were often built by a different studio than the original, so a score earned on one machine says nothing about how another plays.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Master System · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-28
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: rarely — fewer than one recorded sale a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-28.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $6.99 in Jan 2011, $4.57 five years ago, and $5.37 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2011 | $6.99 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $25 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $25 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2015 | $9.99 | — |
| Jan 2016 | $10.50 | $14.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $10.50 | $14.99 |
| Jan 2018 | $4.58 | $8.15 |
| Jan 2019 | $3.45 | $7.13 |
| Jan 2020 | $2.48 | $6.77 |
| Jan 2021 | $3.88 | $7.70 |
| Jan 2022 | $4.72 | $7.79 |
| Jan 2023 | $6.61 | $8.51 |
| Jan 2024 | $3.91 | $4.21 |
| Jan 2025 | $4.94 | $8.30 |
| Jan 2026 | $5.40 | $10.52 |
| Oct 2026 | $5.37 | $10.07 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Product number | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe / PAL | June 1992 | MK-27030-50 | 171-5507 · MPR-14754-F |
- Region
- EU
- Released
- 1992
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Master System version
An 8-bit Barcelona Olympics button-masher that keeps the 16-bit options, and a bargain.
Olympic Gold was the official game of the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. Tiertex developed the Master System version, U.S. Gold published it, and it reached Europe in June 1992. Mean Machines Sega ranked it second on its Master System chart in October 1992.
Mean Machines praised the Master System version for retaining all the options of the Mega Drive game, including the teach facility, and for impressive graphics with good animation. Only three athletes compete in the sprint, hurdles and swimming rather than six. It also inherited some fidgety moves from awkward control sequences.
What the press said at the time
| Mean Machines Issue 22 | July 1992 | OVERALL 81% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | OVERALL 81% |
| Sega Force Issue 14 | February 1993 | 82% |
| Sega Master Force Issue 1 | August 1993 | 94% |
| Sega Master Force Issue 3 | October 1993 | 94% |
| Sega Master Force Issue 5 | November 1993 | 94% |
“While it’s not particularly original, Olympic Gold manages to entertain and offers some addictive gameplay.”
“If you’re a sports fan, games freak or fan of the Olympics, you’re gonna love this. Don’t be put off by the controls, you’ll soon get the hang of them and want to play Olympic Go/cf again and again.”
“A fairly playable selection of sporting events, name¬ ly, 100m Sprint, Diving, 110m Hurdles, Swimming, Archery and the Pole Vault. It's a little repetitive, but the game is still great fun and well worth examining at your nearest software emporium.”
“The MS game wasn’t to be sniffed at, though, with some great visuals and sound FX. The feeling on both games was, ‘A great sports sim. Highly competitive.’ The MD game scored 94%, the MS achieved 82%.”
In the sales charts
In one sales chart, December 1992; highest position #4.
Show the placing
- #4 in the Master System chart — Mean Machines Sega, Issue 3, December 1992
Sales charts as printed in the magazines of the time.
How the Sega Master System version differs
Compared with the Genesis original, only three competitors take part in the sprint, hurdles and swimming events rather than six.
Mean Machines Sega noted that it inherits the Genesis version's awkward control sequences, which make some moves fidgety and the game frustrating at times.
Also on other platforms
Game Gear · Genesis
- Game Gear. The Game Gear version ranked first on the Game Gear chart published by Mean Machines Sega in October 1992.
Before you buy
The European cart is the one to look for, and loose it is among the cheaper European-only carts. A complete copy is still inexpensive, though the manual is the part most often missing.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $7 | $13 | $23 |
| Japanese release (Olympic Gold) | $7 | $17 | — |
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.01 in Oct 2008, $2.29 five years ago, and $4.98 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $2.39 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.88 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $3.95 | $4.70 |
| Jan 2015 | $3.64 | $7.99 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.31 | $6.99 |
| Jan 2017 | $3.59 | $6.11 |
| Jan 2018 | $4.22 | $7.25 |
| Jan 2019 | $4.27 | $6.49 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.10 | $7.74 |
| Jan 2021 | $1.97 | $9.99 |
| Jan 2022 | $2.36 | $9.85 |
| Jan 2023 | $2.99 | $8.72 |
| Jan 2024 | $3.07 | $10.99 |
| Jan 2025 | $3.75 | $10.50 |
| Jan 2026 | $4.66 | $9.99 |
| Oct 2026 | $4.98 | $7.93 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | June 1992 | 743175790160 |
| Europe / PAL | June 1992 | — |
| Japan | 24 July 1992 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU+JP
- Released
- 1992
- Authenticity
- Low
The Sega Genesis version
A button-mashing Barcelona Olympics tie-in that Sega Force preferred to the Master System version.
This is the Genesis version of Olympic Gold, the official game of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, developed by Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold and Sega. It came out in North America and Europe in June 1992 and in Japan on 24 July 1992. Button mashing is the main part of play, though archery and diving do not use it and swimming is slower paced.
Sega Force, looking back, called the Mega Drive game the better of the two Olympic Gold versions on account of improved graphics and playability.
What the press said at the time
| Sega Force Issue 17 | May 1993 | 90% |
| Mean Machines Sega Issue 3 | December 1992 | 70% |
| Mega Action Issue 1 | June 1993 | 78% |
| Mega Action Issue 2 | July 1993 | 78% |
| Mega Action Issue 3 | August 1993 | 78% |
| Sega Pro Issue 36 | September 1994 | 81% |
“Consider Olympic Gold for a short, semi-sweet Genesis track & field fix, but no more. Olympic Gold wins the Bronze.”
“I was hooked the moment I switched this on! What an exceiient sports game Olympic Go/d is.”
“Olympic Gold proffers the player a measly six Olympic events. These are Hammer, Pole Vault, Diving, 100m Sprint, Swimming and 110m Hurdles. While it's fun and very polished, there's not much in the game to keep you coming back and surprisingly, there's no simultaneous two-player mode! It's also a case of there being little in the way of originality. You've just seen it all before.”
“Although it looks good, the overall opinion is one of quite a dull game.”
Also on other platforms
Master System · Game Gear
- Game Gear. The 8-bit Game Gear version ranked first on the Game Gear chart published by Mean Machines Sega in October 1992.
Before you buy
Among US carts it sits below the middle. The European cart usually costs more than the US one, and the Japanese cart usually costs more than the US one too and has a different cartridge shape. Sega Retro lists it as working with Sega's Team Player.
Olympic Gold: Barcelona '92 screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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