NHL® 26 Standard Edition PS5

Electronic Arts Inc
PS5PS5 Pro Enhanced
Average rating 2.77 stars out of five stars from 851 ratings
  • PS Plus required for online play
  • In-game purchases optional
  • Supports up to 12 online players with PS Plus
  • Online play optional
  • 1 - 4 players
  • Remote Play supported
  • Accessibility features (13)
    Accessibility Features
  • PS5 Version
    Vibration function required
    View All
Mild Violence
In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact
  • PS Plus required for online play
  • In-game purchases optional
  • Supports up to 12 online players with PS Plus
  • Online play optional
  • 1 - 4 players
  • Remote Play supported
  • Accessibility features (13)
    Accessibility Features
  • PS5 Version
    Vibration function required
    View All

Editions:

NHL® 26 Deluxe Edition PS5
  • 4600 NHL Points
  • HUT NHL Player Pack
  • HUT Icon Choice Pack
  • HUT Heroes Choice Pack
  • WOC Vanity Set
  • WOC Battle Pass XP Boost (x2)

Add-Ons

Ratings and reviews

Global player ratings

Average rating 2.77 stars out of five stars from 851 ratings
851 ratings
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Every review comes from a verified owner of this game or item and is evaluated by a team of moderators.
thebadone24
Rated 10/30/2025
The New Career Mode is solid... And That's About It

NHL 26 is out and the big change for offline players is the revamped Career Mode. I like it, it feels more organic than the oft-recycled "You won't believe he's playing pond hockey" story that they told for too many seasons. Using energy points to build stats is pretty straight forward and the option to choose how to build your player through character answers helps build the character's personality. This was well-constructed and a step in a better direction. So why the two star rating? I feel that everything else is a repeat or rehash of things that has been repackaged from seasons past with little improvement. The "revamped Franchise Mode" that was carried over from NHL 25 is the same Franchise Mode from seasons' past, but with the ability to talk to players and offer NMCs and NTCs. At a bare minimum, Franchise Mode should allow the franchise the option to manage the AHL team's roster by signing players to AHL-only contracts (otherwise, players need to be sign-and-traded to be moved, which hurts morale and GM prestige.) At best, having the preseason start with an intersquad scrimmage where the roster is progressively cut down to 23 players would be amazing, enforcing the AHL's veteran's rule as a matter of in-game play would be nice, and incorporating the franchise's ECHL affiliate as a method for AHL or NHL players for gain simulated in-game experience based on assignment would be fun to incorporate. Then there's the arenas. As someone who himself has been to 20 hockey arenas between the NHL, AHL, and ECHL, I can tell you that most AHL and ECHL arenas deserve to be experienced. But all non-NHL AHL arenas and all non-NHL PWHL arenas in the game use a generic arena template, and far too few Champions Hockey League franchises have their arenas represented in the game since most also a generic arena template. I don't expect EA to send location scouts out to ECHL arenas (would be sweet if they did), but the AHL teams, the PWHL teams, and sponsor-league teams of the Champions Hockey League should have their arenas properly represented in the game. I don't hate the game-play, it feels realistic based on the normal ebbs and flows of a hockey game and hockey season, but I feel that having some preset gameplay slider settings defined for players would help them dial in their preferred in-game experience. The AI can really take over when it insists on having my team lose a game or get scored on, and I could understand how some players might prefer an experience where each play isn't based on ensuring in-game players hit a certain stat-line in the name of realism. Do I hate the game? No. But at the price-point for which its being offered, I would expect a deeper Franchise Mode experience, and a deeper experience if I was playing as a non-NHL team. You can't charge people for Waygu beef and deliver loose-fried hamburger without expecting people to either complain or hold out on purchasing the game. Taking some of the feedback from the review would probably brighten the experience for NHL 27 or beyond.

ZeroDilemmaZ
Rated 10/23/2025
Worst since NHL in 5 years

I put in over 1000+ each year into every game. It’s all I play, it’s all I want to play. And it’s really depressing when the game you want to enjoy is nothing but a horrible experience. Here’s of list of all the issues -Sniping goals is basically impossible. And various ways to snipe has also been removed. Being able to creatively line up a shot and score in different ways just isn’t possible. Wrist shots all together are weaker than they’ve ever been. Then there’s one Timers that have been nerfed to the ground. Regardless of you have the perk “one tee” on or not. Most of the time when you try to line it up, what’s supposed to be a one Tee turns into a the weakest wrist shot you’ve ever seen. -Movement, this new tow drag or any deke animation in the game feels awful. It hardly gets you around or helps you avoid a hit. Most of the time when you deke, if they’re slamming the poke check, the puck will just come right off of you. Also, the L2 movement makes no sense at all, there’s a strange glitch when you press a few extra buttons along with L2. You can then swivel in extremely fast in different directions. How is this realistic at all. Just bring back what you had in nhl25, it was fine. -Truculence is completely broken. The hit box window is absolutely massive. Teams in threes can easily win a game regardless of their skill level. -wheels, and elite edges shouldn’t be in the game. Especially wheels. Because you cannot make a build without using it. Without it, your cooked on the breakaway every time. So overall it doesn’t allow much creativity with load-out building. -poke checking has also been nerfed to the ground, and overall physics make no sense. -tipping the puck has also been nerfed way too much. -Passing is awful, there’s a lot of time where passes just go the completely wrong direction and I’ve never had this issue before. I could keep going, but all in all this game feels awful from start to finish. Please do something and listen to your community to make it better.

Zwez10
Rated 10/14/2025
Junk

This game is the equivalent to a dumpster fire. I think a 3 year old could score forehand back hand on this game. They “made the goalies better” yet the still suck. Terrible game. Don’t waste your money.

mr23salmon
Rated 10/8/2025
Awful

This game is terrible. Made realistic trades/improvements to my team and became the beat rated team on Franchise mode but continually lose to much worse teams every game. It’s like the goal for game programming is for me to lose every game. The opposing goalie ALWAYS has way better save percentage than my elite goalie and the opposing team ALWAYS gets the puck along boards even when two of my players are there battling also. Also, the opposing team is always able to get rebound shots around the goalie yet my team gets one shot and turns puck over. Beyond frustrating and wish I could get a refund for my wasted purchase. I will never buy another NHL game.

NHL® 26 Standard Edition PS5

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Accessibility Features

Purchase EA SPORTS™ NHL® 26 Standard Edition and receive:
250 NHL Points

Play like a superstar in EA SPORTS NHL® 26. That starts with ICE-Q 2.0, now powered by NHL EDGE data, so your favorite superstars think, move, and play like their on-ice selves. That includes data-informed Attributes and Tendencies which make star players perform in true-to-life fashion, with their playstyles and decision-making game-aware and impactful. A fine-tuned and enhanced arsenal of 28 X-Factors spans five different categories and is driven by unique animations, tactical gameplay outcomes, and tiers of impact, turning each into a formidable on-ice weapon. Superstars now truly feel like superstars.

The all-new Goalie Crease Control System brings an upgraded awareness between the posts with new close-range and reflex saves that allow for readjustments in reaction to puck deflections, poke checks, and improved AI positioning, giving goalies increased control over the blue paint. In a redesigned Be A Pro mode, each choice you make impacts your career, as you live out the authentic hockey journey from rookie to superstar, with fresh storylines, characters, challenges, and cut scenes.

It’s time to show out and tell the world to Check My Game.

This game includes optional in-game purchases of virtual currency that can be used to acquire virtual in-game items, including a random selection of virtual in-game items.

Platform:
PS5
Release:
9/12/2025
Publisher:
Electronic Arts Inc
Genres:
Sport
Voice:
English
Screen Languages:
Czech, English, Finnish, French (France), German, Swedish
Online features require an account and are subject to terms of service and applicable privacy policy (playstationnetwork.com/terms-of-service & playstationnetwork.com/privacy-policy).

Software subject to license (us.playstation.com/softwarelicense).

You can download and play this content on the main PS5 console associated with your account (through the “Console Sharing and Offline Play” setting) and on any other PS5 consoles when you login with your same account.
*Conditions & restrictions apply. See https://www.ea.com/games/nhl/nhl-26/game-disclaimers for details.