EA Sports NHL 26 Review – Finally A Pro

I didn’t go in expecting much out of another annual NHL game. The series has been stuck in a rut for nigh on a decade now, doing small tweaks here and there without significant overhauls. Last year saw a drastic upgrade in AI and graphics, but the modes were severely outdated. Imagine my surprise when they shined up Be A Pro mode for NHL 26. And, plot twist, it’s actually good. This year’s NHL game is a notable step up, but let’s start by looking at the on-ice gameplay.

A good slice of the on-ice gameplay improvements are difficult to explain. Everything just feels better than last year—more fluid and meaningful, but not by a significant amount. Much of this can probably be traced to all the NHL EDGE data being used. The real-life NHL has been utilizing EDGE data to track tendencies and hard-to-pin statistics for many years. EA decided they wanted some of that for their own game, and the results are a more nuanced AI system. The nuance is subtle, but it’s certainly there. I could go over every detail EDGE tracks in the game, but suffice it to say it covers two key areas in the rink: puck movement and player tendencies.

"Gameplay feels more authentic thanks to real-life NHL EDGE data."

In gameplay terms, it translates to players controlling ever so slightly differently from one another—and not just due to stats. Those imperceptible qualities can now be measured. In particular, contextual habits like suddenly being quicker when near the net or being more accurate with sneaky corner shots. You know, things that fall between the cracks of the actual stats. If you’re a casual player, you’ll hardly notice these little player quirks, but after dozens of hours with the game, it adds longevity and freshness when things would otherwise begin feeling stale and overly familiar. NHL fans are sure to enjoy the more data-driven player ratings this time around in general, even if the goalie ratings seem rather low across the board.

But hey, that’s hardly something to get worked up about considering the goalie overhaul that’s been made to this year’s title. The most noticeable change for me as I put on the pads and stood in front of the net was the ability to animation-cancel. You can make split-second saves and not have to watch the animations play out before engaging in another butterfly. Oh, and there’s a reported 80 or so new goalie animations from last year too. Goalies are much more adaptable and fluid, and that’s a great thing in terms of both the AI and player-controlled goaltenders.

"The goalie overhaul has rendered them much more adaptable and perceptive."

However, I do have a slight misgiving with the new goalie system: it’s far too automated. You can stand there as the goalie without your hand on the controller and he’ll automatically make a glove save or move his pad in front of a stray puck. Yes, the improved goalie AI is good, especially with preemptive anticipation, but it also takes agency away from the player when controlling them. I still had to position myself near the puck to avoid the stray goal, sure, but the AI is just too smart with its movements to make goaltending a satisfying position to main. Alas, goalies remain the most simplistic position to control, even with this year’s revamp.

On the other hand, Be A Pro mode has gone through some genuinely great updates. Press conferences and interviews are voice-acted, and for the first time in many years, they sound rather convincing in their delivery. It’s shocking to say that about a modern EA Sports game, but it’s true. Interviewers sound realistic and natural, pausing and hesitating as if they’re nervous or just thinking through a question. Although the player character and coaches aren’t voiced, this effort to enliven the media and press aspect of the game is admirable.

"Press conferences and interviews are voice-acted with convincing delivery"

Dialogue choices during these moments aren’t as meaningful as most role-playing games or anything, but it finally matches EA’s other sports games at the very least. Besides just influencing certain game-day tendencies, your answers have a small effect on your social media presence or locker-room dynamic. Most of the time, the outcome is telegraphed next to your answer options, but not always. I like the new abilities tied specifically to dialogue too. Simple as they are, they make it feel like you’re leveling up charisma or persuasion, providing something other than traditional stat boosts for your player.

Perhaps the biggest addition to this year’s Be A Pro is the non-NHL stuff. Your created player undergoes much more of a journey getting to the NHL than in previous titles. I enjoyed playing through a full minor league playoff while working to prove my worth to the NHL scouts. But I can’t rest on my laurels once in the NHL or I’ll be kicked back to the minor league. Play poorly in the big leagues and you’ll find yourself back in the AHL all over again. This year’s Be A Pro provides deeper development arcs for your created character and raises the stakes in a satisfying way.

"The new Form Score tracker is a chart that tracks player improvements and declines on a game-by-game basis"

And tracking your development is easier than ever with the new chapter structure. Want to immediately be in the midst of an NHL season and just focus on the “important” stuff? No problem—just skip to the next chapter and you’re there in the NHL regular season. For busier gamers, the option to skip weeks and entire months to reach your next chapter milestone is a very convenient feature. I also like the new Form Score tracker. It’s a chart that tracks player improvements and declines on a game-by-game basis, relaying player development in real time. Though, there was a constant ticking sound from the Form Score tracker that never ceased; hopefully such a glitch is patched because it becomes distracting and unnecessarily grating.

But one thing that’s not grating on the ears is the soundtrack. The licensed music is a nice mix of popular rock and alternative bands, but it’s the separate Be A Pro soundtrack that especially impressed me. Enjoy mellow lounge music? Well, it’s that with a bit of rich lo-fi butter spread across, resulting in one of the most original sports mode atmospheres I’ve encountered recently. That’s a rare thing in the age of consolidated EA Sports titles where originality can often suffer for trends that yield reliable yearly profits. To put it in the words of the modern zoomer: the Be A Pro mode menus are a vibe. They generally load faster than last year too, so that’s cool.

The menus in general load a little quicker and they look prettier too. Though there’s still slowdown when browsing player ratings or doing most things in the online modes. What doesn’t feel slow and groggy is the game-day presentation. The IQ statistics during games look sleek and seamless. Various useful percentages and statistics pop up dynamically on the ice during transitions without being distracting. This overlay of contextual info provides something useful to glance at in between all the action.
The commentary booth is the same Cybulski/Pounder duo from recent years, but I’ve noticed more seamless conversations this time around.

"Useful percentages and statistics pop up dynamically on the ice during transitions without being distracting."

I’ve reviewed three sports games this year, and one commentary moment from this very game beats them all. My Be A Pro center got the game-winning overtime goal in the previous game, and lo and behold the broadcast booth acknowledges it games later. And it gets mentioned so casually too—a remark on how careful the opposing team should be of me due to my recent overtime goal. It was a little referential moment that made the game feel immersive and reactive. This referential commentary extends to seasonal stats, player tendencies, and game highlights in general, and it’s all done in a surprisingly organic and seamless way.

But it’s not just the commentary that feels authentic—the crowds and broadcast presentation are improved from last year too. The crowd swells up to a roar during intense moments, eventually reaching a fever pitch when tied late in the 3rd period or during overtime. There were times I had to lower the volume due to thunderous crowd noise (that’s a good thing).

"The presentation is far more cinematic and interesting than prior years."

Legacy achievements finally get time to shine this time around. Winning the AHL Calder Cup or the monolithic Stanley Cup in the NHL actually feels significant. Your team takes time to pass around the trophy as the crowd cheers them on. Some teams actually have unique walkouts and mascots this year, and I’m hoping every team eventually gets their own sooner rather than later. Add to this a bunch of unique cinematics throughout Be A Pro career and presentation has been a success for this year’s NHL title.

HUT has been streamlined and iterated upon a bit too. Offline players finally have something to dig into with the new Cup Chase mode. Cup Chase provides players opportunities to test their team-building skills through multiple seasons. There are even exclusive rewards unique to this mode, making it worth doing for HUT aficionados who prefer online matches. Speaking of online, HUT adds a new ranked infrastructure, providing the kind of competitive content that was lacking last year. Another interesting addition to HUT is player combinations, which add bonuses to team lineups. Conceptually, boosting lines that share similar traits, such as player nationality or real-life team, sounds like a cool wrinkle, but it can easily result in some lopsided min/maxing. Now players are incentivized to match players a specific way on their line or risk losing out on the bonuses, which can hurt the freedom of team-building. One addition I do like is the hero and icon players that can be added to a team. Having legacy players like Sergei Fedorov on a team of contemporaries just adds a bit of personality and nostalgia to team-building.

"Line Combinations add bonuses to teams based on shared features among the players."

That about sums up my time with NHL 26. My opinion on Franchise and the other modes remains unchanged from last year’s review, and that’s because they’re largely identical to last year’s game. But this year has added a lot of meaningful changes that overhaul the experience in ways I really appreciate. I personally didn’t feel the addition of NHL EDGE data all that much, but it does add authenticity that superfans of the sport will appreciate. Be A Pro is awesome now, which is a big surprise, and the presentation has been improved across the board. NHL 26 is a step up from last year and the first one worthy of just about everyone’s time in recent memory.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.