NHL 26

NHL 26 is a fine take on the sport of hockey, but it largely fails to offer any significant jumps from last year’s game.

NHL 26 isn't a massive overhaul by any means. The title fixates on a couple of key areas to improve upon, and unlike some previous entries, it succeeds. The new updates to Be A Pro, chiefly the World Juniors and voice acting, are incredibly welcome. Even more so, the tweaks to the hitting engine and especially goaltending are phenomenal. But that's a rather slight list of changes for a full-scale annual release. Pair that with poor online performance and difficulty of finding matches, and you have to ask yourself if the updates are worth it. Is this a better title than NHL 25? Absolutely. But are those changes enough to make this a good game? Well, that's a more complicated question.

Reviews aren’t the place to weigh in on how to fix things, so I won’t do that here. Deep down I hope the developers who are making this are kicking down Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson's door asking for more time, budget, or anything really. Developers tend to be super fans who love making amazing games. I believe that about EA Vancouver, but this is not good enough and hasn’t been good enough for years. The players who return year after year deserve better.

NHL 26 builds on last year's overhaul with improved gameplay and a revamped Be a Pro mode, but legacy problems still hold it back.

With ICE-Q 2.0 at its core, NHL 26 delivers smarter AI, more authentic skating, and a Be A Pro mode that finally feels meaningful. While a few visual shortcomings remain, the combination of realism, depth, and pure hockey excitement makes this one of the best entries in the series’ modern era.

The annual hockey update arrived a little earlier this year, but it still feels very much the same.

EA Sports NHL 26 is a good base game with some decent improvements in their more niche modes. Players of those modes should be happy, but players looking for a larger leap in the game as a whole shouldn't hold their breath.

NHL 26 finally brings a significant improvement over previous editions, mainly thanks to smoother gameplay, smarter AI, and greatly improved goalies. The most important new feature is the revamped Be a Pro mode, which now offers an authentic career experience, from junior beginnings to competing for a spot in the NHL. On the other hand, the game still suffers from outdated graphics, poor animation variety, collision issues, and weaker off-ice presentation. Overall, it's a step in the right direction, but still not the revolution that fans would like to see.

NHL 26 is one of those games that will easily last you the year, working as a welcome return to the franchise. Whether you are a hockey fan or not, you’ll get thrills from the on-ice action, taking you back to the glory days of decades gone by.

NHL 26 is not a disaster. It is still the same core game that has entertained hockey fans for years, and it will deliver some good nights with friends. That is also the problem. After so many iterations, players deserve more than recycled gameplay, minor presentation updates, and shallow new modes. For diehards like me, NHL 26 will still be worth a few evenings, but it is hard not to feel shortchanged. This is not the bold new chapter EA promised. It is another reminder of how much potential remains untapped in this series.