NHL 26 shifts from last year’s more offensive-oriented innovations to focus more on goaltending. The result is a far more dynamic defensive AI and a new goalie system dubbed crease control. Tying all the iterations together is the collaboration with NHL’s EDGE, which allows a stream of complex data points across real rinks into the virtual space of the game. While particular insights into Franchise and Be A Pro mode aren’t revealed at this time, there’s a lot of additions and changes to this year’s hockey game worth looking at. Here’s everything you need to know before purchasing NHL 26.
Mix of Generic and Authentic Face Scans for Player Models
EA’s NHL series still lags behind their other sports titles when it comes to player facial scans—well, aside from College Football where the scanning of hundreds of teams’ players just isn’t feasible today. In previous NHL games, only breakout star players had their likeness meticulously and authentically scanned, relegating other players to one of two lesser options: AI scans, or the uncanny generic character creation assets available to use in-game. NHL 26 is keeping this same structure, with more players getting the AI scan treatment than before, as seen through gameplay footage and previews.
80 New Save Animations
One aspect EA is adamant about improving is how goalies react and play. NHL 26 is practically overhauling the entire goalkeeping aspect of the game. The most immediately noticeable upgrades are the 80-plus new save animations. Better yet, goalies can now interrupt an animation to react to surprise situations. This will make it more of an authentic challenge to score goals, but also allow much smoother and responsive gameplay when playing as goalie yourself.
Goalies Behave with Unique Personalities
Despite the added variety, canned animations can still feel somewhat inauthentic if that’s all that’s driving the AI. NHL 26 has an another way to keep goalies from feeling predictable and generic and that’s it’s new size-based behavior system. Now the smaller goalies step out towards the ice to confront breakaway skaters with their positional agility using stick pokes and other moves to act on the shot. While larger more imposing goalies stick to the back of the net like a wall.
Positional Logic System for Goalies
But the big gameplay additions come in the form of what EA terms a positional logic system. Every veteran NHL gamer knows how effective, and in some cases broken, the quick cross-net one-timer is against AI goalies. Well, this year attempts to challenge that. Goalies now anticipate such opportunities by spreading across the net when the AI detects the possibility. This should not only provide better authenticity but also allow more scores via fake passes and trick shots.
New Ice-Q 2.0 Uses Real NHL EDGE Data
Moving on from goalies to general skaters, an overhauled AI system dubbed Ice-Q 2.0 arrives for NHL 26. This is more than mere PR-speak on behalf of EA, the NHL itself has partnered to give the series first-ever NHL EDGE real-time data. NHL EDGE is used to track various data points in real life games such as puck speed, skater acceleration, and puck score positions across infrared arena cameras.
How NHL EDGE Data is Used in the Game
All of this is being implemented into the game to better simulate player attributes, player tendencies, and the overall presentation and style. The game will use 14 infrared cameras to gather and track this data using the same system the real NHL does in their games.
Unique Player Tendency Habits
EA is also making an effort to differentiate players and make them more identifiable through their play. They’re doing this through a new AI system dubbed Tendencies. Tendencies are more subtle quirks, like wrapping the puck around tiny holes on the side of the net or powering through the center with confrontation in mind. These include some stat boosts but are more driven by specific AI habits, and with 22 Tendencies at launch, there’s a reasonable amount to differentiate players.
More Detailed Broadcast Presentations
Of course, where NHL EDGE makes its presence known in real life hockey is the stat sheet and replay booth. And this is precisely how replays operate in NHL 26. Using all that useful data, replays now show valuable info like puck speed along with a dozen other more in-depth stats. Expect a whole lot more info to be present during game broadcasts this time around.
Nerfed Vision Control
NHL 25 heavily promoted its new Vision Control mechanic last year; that’s still here, but it’s nerfed a bit. Vision Control is a way to maintain forward posture and space around the ice in front of the neutral zone. The thing that’s getting nerfed? Unlimited use without any downside. It was far too beneficial to just always use forward facing Vision Control in an aggressive fashion. Now they’ve taken feedback, balanced things a bit, and are penalizing over-usage of Vision Control. We don’t know the specifics on how this is balanced, but it should keep gameplay more realistic and competitive.
Addressing Player Feedback
The team at EA is doing more than just Vision Control adjustments. Following the feedback from last year’s game, several gameplay functions have been tweaked and balanced. Toe Drags, for example, are possible while skating backwards or sideways and not just when going forward. My favorite addition is a deception pass out of a fake shot, something that wasn’t at all fluid or organic in previous games. Wrist shots aren’t mentioned among the feedback items, which is disappointing considering how unnecessarily convoluted the control scheme was for wrist shots in NHL 25.
Overhauled X-Factors
X-Factors no longer provide passive buffs to skaters. The focus this time around is on situational X-Factors. Like other EA sports games, these X-Factors activate when a player is on a hot streak or in a high pressure situation. The added situations here serve to make each individual skater more unique, dovetailing with the Tendencies mentioned earlier. And for RPG fans, each X-Factor has three tiers that can be leveled up for greater effects. NHL 26 has 28 X-Factors in total with more to come in future updates.
Historic Players Added to HUT
For longtime NHL fans, the inclusion of all-time greats like Sergei Federov and Chris Pronger to HUT makes team-building even more attractive. A range of historic players from the past get grouped into Heroes and Icons categories. There’s six each at launch with more to drop as the year progresses.
Cross-Play
While EA’s NHL series is still limited to just PlayStation and Xbox platforms, at least cross-play works well between the two consoles. Cross-play will work within the WoC and HUT modes, allowing for both co-op and competitive play against friends through invitations and invites.
Release Times
The trend of staggered launch days continues and shows little sign of stopping. NHL 26 officially launches for retail worldwide on September 12th. That’s a full seven days after the early access launch on September 5th, which is available only for Deluxe Edition buyers and members of EA Plus, who get a 10-hour early access demo.
Platforms and Editions
Like last year, EA’s NHL game is available only on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. There’s only two editions at launch, the basic 69.99 standard edition, including a HUT NHL Player Pack, two World of Chel Battle Pass XP Boosts, and a Matthew Tkachuk item worth 99 overall. And the Deluxe Edition at $99.99, of which the price was suspiciously absent on the official website. This edition includes the following:
- 7-day early access (starting September 5)
- 4600 NHL Points
- HUT Starter Choice Pack (83 OVR)
- HUT NHL Player Pack
- HUT Icon Choice Pack (86 OVR)
- HUT Heroes Choice Pack (84 OVR)
- Matthew Tkachuk 99 OVR item* (available immediately in NHL 25 with digital pre-order)
- World of Chel Vanity Set
- World of Chel Battle Pass XP Boost (x2)
