Release date, trailer and new features

The hectic month of October with its video game releases just got a little heavier. EA has announced that NHL 25 will be released on October 4th.

Customers who pre-order will receive seven days early access. You can find an overview of all pre-order bonuses here.

EA has also released the official reveal trailer for the game, highlighting the newest gameplay feature: Ice-Q. Here's a look at the trailer:

ICE-Q sounds great.

The comprehensive concept is said to include three new gameplay features. The AI ​​behavior has been developed to provide more reliability and accuracy for all CPU-controlled players.

There will be plenty of new animations designed to make the action more seamless and reduce the number of immersion-breaking scenarios.

The game's official website states: “A completely redesigned AI player system sharpens CPU skaters' awareness of other players and their position on the ice, allowing them to read and execute their actions more fluidly and helpfully, ensuring their tactics remain consistent even during fast-paced action.”

We've heard something like this before and seen very little gameplay changes, but it's been a good year for EA so we'll see.

The game's feature list also mentions “a revamped Franchise Mode experience,” a new structure for World Of Chel Live Events, a new HUT Wildcard Mode, and simplified, unified XP progression across HUT.

Last year's version of NHL, released in October 2023, received a modest 71 points from Metacritic.

In the first eight months of the year, EA has delivered strong titles with EA College Football 25 and Madden 25. The developer/publisher is expected to follow up with EAFC 25, which will be released on September 27th.

There won't be much time between the release of EAFC and NHL, so if you're a fan of world football and hockey, you'll either have an important decision to make or free up some space on your console's hard drive.

Here's a look at some of the top releases planned for October 2024:

• NHL 25 (PS5, XSX) – October 4, 2024
• Silent Hill 2 Remake (PC, PS5) – October 8, 2024
• Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred (PC, PS5, XSX) – October 8, 2024
• Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (PS5, XSX, PC) – October 11, 2024
• Undisputed (PS5, XSX, PC) – October 11, 2024
• Metaphor: ReFantazio (PS5, PS4, XSX, PC) – October 11, 2024
• New World: Aeternum (PS5, XSX) – October 15, 2024
• Unknown 9: Awakening (PS5, PS4, XSX, XO, PC) – October 18, 2024
• Sonic X Shadow Generations (PS5, PS4, XSX, XO, PC, NS) – October 25, 2024
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (XSX, XO, PS5, PS4, PC) – October 25, 2024
• Life is Strange: Double Exposure (XSX, PS5, PC) – October 29, 2024
• Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PC, PS5, XSX) – October 31, 2024

More information on NHL 25 will follow as the release date approaches.