GAMEPLAY

ICE-Q

This is true hockey intelligence. Built on an all-new logic-driven animation system, ICE-Q responds to contextual events on the ice with unprecedented authenticity and is the foundation of Chel’s gameplay overhaul. The result? A trio of new features that give players more control over the action than ever before, a major upgrade to the reliability and accuracy of CPU players, and a massive new animation set that makes gameplay a more seamless and realistic experience.

NEXT-GEN VISION CONTROL

An on-ice evolution. Next-Gen Vision Control provides fresh abilities, improvements, and a user-initiated skating mode that ups the responsiveness, explosiveness, and expression on the ice for human and AI players alike. Now, walk the blueline to help create space on the play, square up to the puck carrier, thread the needle through an opponent’s defense, and stay locked on goal for better shot opportunities. Plus, all-new behaviours and visual reactions make skating feel more authentic than ever.

EMPOWERED AI

A completely overhauled AI player system heightens CPU skaters’ awareness of other players and positioning on the ice, giving them more fluid and helpful reads to execute in a true-to-life fashion, keeping your tactics in motion during high-paced action. Plus, a refreshed playbook improves power plays, 5-on-5 offensive plays, and opens up the ice for better overall positioning and opportunities at both ends of the ice.

REACTIVE ACTIONS

A series of brand-new animations make skaters more responsive in critical situations, giving them more urgency and, ultimately, more reliability during plays. Reactive Actions reward players for proper on-ice positioning, increase collision avoidance, and offer authentic visual reactions for players to recognize and take advantage of in those high-action moments.

SKILL BASED ONE-TIMERS

Read the attacking zone, find an open teammate, and be rewarded with a deadly one-timer you can see, feel, and hear the impact of. Skill Based One-Timers create authentic gameplay tension as offensive excitement and expectation mix with defensive concern and anticipation, each pass creating unique moments and opportunities for high-scoring probability shots.

PRESENTATION

GRUDGE MATCH

Hockey is at its best when the competition is fierce. The all-new Grudge Match System tracks the history of matchups between teams across all major online and offline modes in NHL 25 to add more context, stakes and heat to showdowns with your rivals.

NEXT-GEN CHARACTERS

The next best thing to the real thing. Thanks to the introduction of Sapien Technology to the NHL franchise and the power of our Frostbite Engine on next-gen consoles, all of NHL 25’s in-game characters have received a serious visual overhaul. That includes new cloth warp and strand hair updates that deliver authentic, lifelike models.

GAME MODES

HUT

The all-new Wildcard Mode implements unique rulesets per competition cycle, keeping players on their toes and ready to adapt with each and every cycle. Plus, all of the XP earned in Squad Battles, Rivals, and Wild Card are now combined into a single progression path, meaning that every HUT mode rewards you the same, no matter where you play.

FRANCHISE MODE

Franchise Mode gets a revamp in NHL 25. Starting with the Franchise hub, streamlined navigation gives players access to new, relevant, and easy-to-digest information. We’ll reveal more Franchise updates in the coming months.

WOC LIVE EVENTS

Get ready for all new ways to play through  an expanded  World of Chel Live Event schedule. We’ll keep you up to date with all the details closer to launch.