When I tell my friends I’m reviewing a sports game they give me a few days, then the question is always the same “is it worth getting?” Low expectations is a familiar refrain, with skeptical gamers assuming that every year is the same contents, put inside a slightly shinier package. When it comes to NHL 26 the “is it worth getting?” question becomes more complicated, because it’s unquestionably better than it’s predecessor (which was already brilliant), but the minutia of the changes are slight enough that you might not notice them unless you’ve sunk hours into past entries in the EA Sports NHL franchise.
The biggest feature being touted for NHL 26 is “ICE-Q 2.0,” which claims to have “more realistic player movement than ever,” and while this is accurate, the difference with skaters feels rather minimal. While it’s indeed true that players more accurately represent their real-world equivalent, this manifests itself in very small ways. Brad Marchand is scrappier and more prone to making contact, even with the puck on his stick — while Nathan McKinnon has a better ability to make the tight, ridiculous passes he’s famous for. There are some neat presentation elements following goals showing the shot speed, and the shooting percentage of players when targeting that part of the net. All-in-all this is a fairly minor upgrade over NHL 25, and not nearly as impactful as I hoped it would be.
Where the game has taken a mammoth leap forward is with goaltending. Rolled into the ICE-Q 2.0 system is a huge influx of new goalie animations and actions. The biggest standing issue with the NHL series is how little agency you felt over goal scoring. It was far too difficult to score off wristers, rebounds weren’t plentiful enough, and taking slapshots felt more like a chance dice roll, rather than a true marker of skill. Meanwhile there were far too many go-to deke moves that routinely worked, not because they should — but because the art of scoring was fundamentally couched in finding ways to trick wonky goaltender animation.
All that is gone in NHL 26, and it’s a very good thing. The goaltending overhaul is a double-edged sword which will likely be contentious among players. It both removes the easy, rote deke goals — while opening up entirely new avenues of scoring. Goalies no longer simply cover the puck and freeze it on every failed shot attempt, nor do they pluck everything out of the air glove side as if they’re Patrick Roy on steroids. Now you’ll see goalies become more prone to leaving their crease, not just on clear breakaways, but in an effort to get better angles. They use their sticks more on saves, attempting to poke or clear the puck away. It requires players to essentially re-learn offense, and while the controls are exactly the same, the goaltender reaction to moments changes up the timing to a profound amount.
In short: If you thrived on offense in games’ past, then it will likely annoy you to have to re-learn offense. If scoring frustrated you, then this is a mammoth step forward.
Unfortunately the wholesale changes more or less end there. We saw a mammoth leap forward in NHL 25, which makes NHL 26 more of a continuation on the right path, rather than forging a new one. Presentation is largely unchanged, and I’d really love to see EA Sports make more of an investment to at least get some of the licensed arena music. I absolutely understand why we’ll likely never see the return of NHL 14’s customizable arena music, which became a copyright nightmare — but it would just enhance the experience so much if the Devils’ arena played “Hells Bells” by AC/DC, the Red Wings got “Don’t Stop Believin’,” or Carolina took the ice to “Rock You Like a Hurricane.” We’ve seen this added into the Madden series, and while it’s great there — music is such an iconic element of hockey that it feels pronounced to see it missing.
Another change in NHL 26 is the expansion and strengthening of “X-Factor” abilities. There were present in last year’s game, but didn’t feel truly impactful outside the “Chel” mode. This year they play a much bigger role, perhaps too big of a role. The majority of a players on a top team will have at least one X-Factor ability, with these being such profound advantages that can greatly influence a game. For example, players like Matthew Tkachuk with the “Big Tipper” X-Factor have a wider array of animations for redirections, as well as negatively impacting goalie stats more when screening them. The makes it much more beneficial to play chaotically and throw pucks at the net than other teams without these players.
The PWHL made its debut in NHL 25 as a mid-season update, and it’s back in NHL 26 being slightly more realized. Commentary for the women’s hockey league is more accurate, and while it’s a very similar experience to the NHL, there are small adjustments to better represent the league. There’s less grindy board work in the PWHL, making free-flowing play more open. It’s enough of a difference that it doesn’t simply feel tacked on, but not quite as well realized as the WNBA in the NBA 2K series.
All the familiar modes are back for NHL 26, with “Be a Pro” being the only one that has seen a true overhaul, of a sort. Your player’s journey now begins by establishing themselves in the U20 World Championships, then choosing a Canadian minor league team to establish yourself before entering the NHL Draft. There are more options for player building in this mode, and it really rewards on-ice play rather than microtransactions.
There’s no doubt “Be a Pro” is deeper and more fleshed out than past iterations, but it’s not without its faults. The core issue with the experience is that you enter the NHL being too good. Before I played in my first preseason game my created playmaking was already an 82 overall with three X Factor traits. It also struck me as bizarre that my maxed-out relationship with my teammates carried over from my QMJHL team to the Philadelphia Flyers, who took me with the No. 6 overall pick. There was no reflection of me being a rookie and needing to adjust to a new locker room. Nevertheless, the simple fact that “Be a Pro” truly relies on sticking to form and playing hockey correctly to upgrade your player quickly, rather than being another marketplace makes it one of the better individual career modes in sports games.
NHL 26 is an exceptionally good hockey game and builds on the already stellar foundation of NHL 25, which was a huge leap forward for the franchise. If you took last year off then the latest iteration in the series will feel like an entirely new experience. However, if you’re an avid, year-in, year-out player of the NHL series then NHL 26 will feel a little more like a patch, than a new entry in the series.
That said, the significant upgrade to goaltender play really can’t be understated when it comes to the feel of the game. NHL 26 is more refined and realistic than its predecessors, with the game simply being more fun as a product of having more goaltender animations and tendencies that keep the action fresh.
The overhauled “Be a Pro” mode isn’t perfect, but has some welcome changes that make it feel more immersive.
It feels like we’re on the precipice of greatness with this series, but not quite yet. NHL 26 doesn’t make a splash the way NHL 04 or NHL 14 did — but we’re drawing closer. NHL 26 is a fantastic package for die-hard hockey fans who can appreciate the small adjustments it brings to the table, but likely one to wait on if you only dabble in the sport and picked up NHL 25 last year.
