Pete Sampras Tennis
Pete Sampras Tennis — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Pete Sampras Tennis on?
- Pete Sampras Tennis was released on Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System/Mark III.
- When did Pete Sampras Tennis release?
- Pete Sampras Tennis was first released on December 31, 1994.
About Pete Sampras Tennis
Play singles and doubles exhibition games, knockout tournaments or go on a world tour, it's all here in this tennis sim. You can choose to play as the (then) world seed 1, Pete Sampras himself or choose from 29 other players. The action is viewed from the traditional third-person viewpoint. A tutorial mode is provided to help you get used to the forehand, lob and drop shots on offer. Several venues from all over the world can be played on, on Hard, Grass and Clay courts. This was the first and one of the very few Genesis games to be released with a J-Cart, which meant that four-way gameplay was possible without the need of special adapters – the cartridge had two built-in joypad connectors. The Game Gear version was equally inventive, allowing two players to share one Game Gear, or four players to play doubles by linking two machines.
Summary via IGDB.
Pete Sampras Tennis on Wikipedia
Pete Sampras Tennis is a sports video game published by Codemasters for the Sega Genesis and Game Gear in 1994. A Master System version was cancelled in development. It was followed by Sampras Tennis 96 for the Genesis and Pete Sampras Tennis '97.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System/Mark III
- Developer
- Codemasters
- Publisher
- Codemasters
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Themes
- Non-fiction
Details via IGDB.
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sega Genesis | 1994 | $13 | $31 | $150 | 17 reviews | Low |
Also released on: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis · Sega Game Gear · Sega Master System/Mark III. We haven’t priced or authenticated those versions yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Sega Genesis · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-29
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| European (PAL) release | $5 | $13 | $45 |
What it needs to play
- OptionalJ-Cart edition (extra controller ports) — the J-Cart edition has two extra controller ports on the cartridge, so four players need no adapter; a standard cart without the ports also exists (MAME; Sega Retro).
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a month
- Complete: about once a month
- Sealed: about once a year
Prices marked “few sales” rest on about one recorded sale a year, so treat them as a rough guide: the next copy could sell well above or below. Expect to wait for one to come up.
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-29.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $5.79 in Jan 2012, $16.26 five years ago, and $12.73 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2012 | $5.79 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $2.97 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.66 | $36 |
| Jan 2015 | $3.00 | $36 |
| Jan 2016 | $2.99 | $36 |
| Jan 2017 | $4.69 | — |
| Jan 2018 | $7.95 | $13.92 |
| Jan 2019 | $11.98 | $14.07 |
| Jan 2020 | $11.16 | $17.76 |
| Jan 2021 | $11.21 | $20 |
| Jan 2022 | $17.49 | $27 |
| Jan 2023 | $12.00 | $30 |
| Jan 2024 | $12.14 | $21 |
| Jan 2025 | $11.19 | $21 |
| Jan 2026 | $12.00 | $33 |
| Oct 2026 | $12.73 | $31 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Barcode |
|---|---|---|
| North America | 1994 | 767649150045 |
| Europe / PAL | 16 June 1994 | — |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1994
- Authenticity
- Low
A Codemasters tennis game that sits around the middle among US carts and is much cheaper in Europe, and best on its four-player J-Cart.
This is the Genesis version of Pete Sampras Tennis, published by Codemasters and developed by Zeppelin Games. It came out in North America in 1994 and in Europe on 16 June 1994. Computer and Video Games praised its multiplayer support and range of options, while Next Generation called it an action-oriented tennis game without much action.
What the press said at the time
| Sega Magazine Issue 7 | July 1994 | 90% |
| MegaTech Issue 33 | September 1994 | 79% |
| Consoles + | 89% | |
| Computer and Video Games | 84/100 | |
| GameZone | 72% | |
| Hyper | 88% | |
| Joypad | 89% | |
| M! Games | 70% | |
| Mean Machines Sega | 93/100 | |
| Mega Fun | 79% | |
| Next Generation | 2/5 | |
| Player One | 90% | |
| Video Games | 65% | |
| Video Games & Computer Entertainment | 7/10 | |
| Games World | 94/100 | |
| Sega Power | 88% | |
| Sega Pro | 90% |
“Although it's a bit rough around the edges, I think that Pete Sampras Tennis is probably the best tennis simulation available for the Megadrive.”
“Admittedly, it doesn't build much on previous tennis sims, but it's definitely the slickest version seen to date.”
“Good, clean tennis fun, packaged inside one of those newfangled J- Cart devices.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Genesis version.
How the Sega Genesis version differs
Hobby Consolas praised the Mega Drive game's J-Cart, which accommodates four players without an additional adapter, but noted the court perspective could take time to get used to.
MAN!AC found it entertaining in four-player matches but less appealing for solo players and those seeking a more realistic simulation.
Also on other platforms
Game Gear · Master System
- Sega Master System. A Master System version was cancelled in development.
How the other versions reviewed
| Game Gear | Consoles + | 90% |
| Game Gear | Computer and Video Games | 88/100 |
| Game Gear | Mean Machines Sega | 91/100 |
| Game Gear | Mega Fun | 76% |
| Game Gear | Player One | 90% |
| Game Gear | Games World | 87/100 |
| Game Gear | Sega Power | 86% |
| Game Gear | Sega Pro | 91% |
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
Among US carts it sits about at the middle. The European cart usually costs much less than the US one. There are two editions: the J-Cart has two extra controller ports on the cartridge so four players need no adapter, and a standard cart without the ports also exists, so check which one a listing shows. A complete US copy means the case, cartridge and manual.
Pete Sampras Tennis screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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