66/100
Players5 ratings: 74/100
Critics2 reviews

Where to get it

2025 · EA Vancouver · Ice hockey · Simulation

NHL 26

Play like a superstar in EA Sports NHL 26. That starts with ICE-Q 2.0, now powered by NHL EDGE data, so your favorite superstars think, move, and play like their on-ice selves. That includes data-informed Attributes and Tendencies which make star players perform in true-to-life fashion, with their playstyles and decision-making game-aware and impactful. A fine-tuned and enhanced arsenal of 28 X-Factors spans five different categories and is driven by unique animations, tactical gameplay outcomes, and tiers of impact, turning each into a formidable on-ice weapon. Superstars now truly feel like superstars.

Released: 12 September 2025
Platforms: PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X/S
Genres: Ice hockey Simulation Sports
Developers: EA Vancouver
Publishers: EA Sports
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Non-fiction
Age ratings: PEGI 12 ESRB E10+
Languages: Czech, English, Finnish, French, German, Swedish

About

NHL 26 is an ice hockey simulation video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by EA Sports. It is the 35th installment in the NHL video game series and was released for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on September 12, 2025.

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The gameplay of NHL 26 uses ICE-Q 2.0 technology, an evolution of the ICE-Q technology first implemented in NHL 25. ICE-Q 2.0 incorporates NHL EDGE tracking data to inform player attributes such as skating acceleration, top speed, slap shot power, and wrist shot power. These data-driven attribute adjustments are applied to both user-controlled and AI-controlled players, with the intent of producing in-game behaviors and performance profiles that more closely resemble those of the corresponding real-world NHL players.

NHL 26 also revamps the Be A Pro game mode for the first time since NHL 21, allowing players to start their Be A Pro career in the semi-finals of the IIHF World Junior Championship, which will then determine the player's position in the NHL draft. The option to play in the Memorial Cup tournament or the Champions Hockey League tournament also still exists. Once drafted, the player can build up to an NHL superstar or get demoted to the AHL. The game mode introduces voice acting by other NHL players, such as Macklin Celebrini, as well as new cutscenes, such as seeing your player in the NHL draft, tunnel walkouts, and a Stanley Cup celebration in the locker room.

Reception

NHL 26 received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic, and 43% of critics recommended the game, according to OpenCritic.

The player on the cover (Matthew Tkachuk) has received backlash due to his support of Donald Trump and his administration.