EA has officially announced the newest entry in its ice hockey franchise – EA Sports NHL 26. The game is slated for release on September 12, and will be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The cover athletes for the Deluxe Edition of EA Sports NHL 26 have also been confirmed to be brothers Mathew and Brady Tkachuk, along with their father Keith Tkachuk. The title was announced with a trailer which you can check out below.
Along with the game itself, the Deluxe Edition will also offer players seven days of early access ahead of its September 12 release date, as well as other in-game goodies – 4,600 NHL Points, the HUT Icon Choice Pack, the HUT Starter Choice Pack, and the HUT Heroes Choice Pack, along with the World of CHEL Vanity Set.
There are also bonuses for buying either edition of the game, including the HUT NHL Player Pack, Matthew Tkachuk with 99 OVR being unlocked for instant use in last year’s NHL 25, and two XP boosts for the World of CHEL Battle Pass. Grabbing the standard edition of the game will also get you 500 NHL Points – a bonus that isn’t available in the Deluxe Edition of the game.
“My dad, Brady and I are all unique and play the way we want to. Sharing the cover of NHL 26 is an extension of that,” said Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who will also be the cover athlete for the standard edition of the game. “I’ve always tried to bring my own style to the ice, and seeing that captured in NHL 26 makes it feel like it is really me out there.”
When it comes to gameplay features, EA Sports NHL 26 will feature a revamped Be A Pro mode, which will take players on a journey from being a rookie in the sport to being an NHL superstar. The game mode will feature new storylines, characters, and even cutscenes, and will have players compete in various competitions, like the World Juniors, all the way to the draft and the big leagues.
As you might expect from a sports title by EA in this day and age, NHL 26 will also feature an Ultimate Team mode. According to the announcement, the mode will offer players “an all-new, dynamic way to compete” with new mechanics for team building, ranked matches, as well as an offline mode. Considering the title’s updated athlete roster, NHL 26’s Ultimate Team mode will also feature new Heroes and Icons player cards, as well as visual upgrades.
“NHL 26 is the most true-to-life experience we’ve ever built,” said creative director Mike Inglehart in the announcement. “It was created with fans who crave hockey authenticity in mind — the ones who live and breathe the game and know how it should feel. From deeper gameplay detail to the biggest Be A Pro update since NHL 21, everything we’ve done this year is about bringing them closer to the teams they love and the moments that define the NHL.”
