After several years of watching hockey only during the Stanley Cup Finals, I became a true hockey fan during last year's regular season. I watched the Boston Bruins' opening game against the Chicago Blackhawks last October, and I've only missed a handful of Bruins games since. I spent my birthday at the Hub on Causeway, watching the Bruins beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in a tense shootout victory. But it's not just the Bruins: the National Hockey League consumed me. I still am. Sometime in the middle of the NHL season, I put on my first pair of hockey skates and took to the ice. Ten months later, I'm on a beer league team and play hockey at least twice a week. I fell in love with the intricacies of hockey: it is both elegant and abrasive, subtle but explicit. Hockey is a beautiful game.
But there's one part of hockey culture it hadn't touched yet: Electronic Arts' annual NHL video games, the latest of which is National League 25which launched for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on October 4. And that makes sense, because the game is not beginner-friendly in the slightest. You enter the game and its complicated user interface with few instructions on where to start, let alone how to play. I understand why this is the case; I don't get the sense that a bunch of completely new players are buying every version of the NHL games, which come out annually like other EA Sports games, usually with iterative changes and incremental visual updates.
But at the same time, interest in hockey is at an all-time high: TV ratings are up, stadium attendance is up, and revenue is at its highest level in history, approximately $6.2 billion. dollars, according to the Associated Press. NHL vice president of business development Kyle McMann said there has been an influx of “female fans, diverse fans” watching hockey games. That interest and growth also extends to the practice of this sport. The AP reported in 2024 that participation in youth hockey has increased in the United States (although it has decreased in Canada) with a greater push to attract new players, especially those from underserved communities. Hockey programs across North America are reporting an increase in the number of girls playing the sport. USA Hockey reports that it has seen an increase in girls' participation of 65% in the United States over the past 15 hockey seasons. If there was ever a time to embrace a new generation of hockey fans and integrate them into the sports gaming community, it would be now.
But National League 25 It's not the game to do that. It's not a bad game; In fact, it's a good game! – but it's not a game that new players can easily access. While there is no dedicated tutorial, there are systems that help players learn the game's controls, such as the on-ice trainer. This mode, which can be toggled on and off along with other accessibility options, adds several UI elements that remind you which buttons do what at appropriate times and also highlights players you should consider defending against or areas of the ice to protect. For example, when you have a good passing opportunity, an icon will appear above your player's head. When the puck is dropped at center ice, that icon will tell you when to react. And if you play as a right winger in the defensive zone, the ideal area of the ice you should play in will light up and a game interface will direct you to a player to guard. The training tool is most useful in basic strategy and positioning, if that's what you need. But I had the hardest time getting used to the controls; in particular, knowing exactly what I wanted to do in the game, but not knowing what controls would get me there. Once you've learned the controls, play hockey on National League 25 it feels good. The pace of the game seems adequate and there is plenty of room for strategy and skill moves.
I was pretty insulted when the Montreal Canadiens drafted my Be A Pro player.
After a few hours in Be A Pro, which is a story campaign where you start as a junior or early-career hockey player and work your way up to the big leagues, I stopped being frustrated and started having fun. Once you've mastered the basics, there's room to pay attention to some of the tips; Now that I know how to shoot and pass, I can try simple skill moves like slaps, poke checks, or stick lifts.
Be A Pro doesn't seem to be much different than it was in National League 24according to most experienced players, but it is the best introduction to the game. National League 25 has to offer. I appreciate all the little details you can change about your character. I can play as a woman, despite participating in traditionally male leagues, such as Canada's junior Western Hockey League or the NHL. I can also choose to use clear tape to secure my shin guards in exactly the same way I do in the locker room. Hockey equipment and the way it is used can be really personal, and EA clearly understands this. Either way, Be A Pro proved to be the best low stakes entry to National League 25 as a newcomer, with a combination of light management, team dynamics and playing time. (However, as a Bruins fan, I was pretty insulted when the Montreal Canadiens drafted my Be A Pro player.)
Beyond Be A Pro, there is Franchise mode for players who are interested in running a team from a management perspective, in addition to playing on the ice. He appears to have more management elements, allowing him to work on contract negotiations, roster moves, arena management, conversations with management and coaching staff, statistical analysis and, of course, playing time. The difference between Franchise and Be A Pro is that you play as an established team, managing the NHL and AHL affiliates, rather than as a single player. The change in perspective from Be A Pro mode to Franchise mode is interesting, but I personally don't see myself playing this much; I'm less interested in building a team as a GM and more focused on the fantasy of me playing in the big leagues.
World of CHEL, which is a kind of online arcade mode in National League 25It's probably the most fun of anything I've tried. (I haven't tackled the separate Hockey Ultimate Team mode, where you build teams from unlockable cards.) This mode is essentially an arcade experience with a battle pass, where you play within different rule sets (such as three-on-three) to unlock gear and build a player.
my best moments in National League 25 I've been putting my player on the ice; I don't need all that extra stuff around it. I love how the game looks and how the players move on the ice. You can see that a lot of care has been taken to get everything right. But what I like most about National League 25 It's just that as a beginning hockey player, I feel like I'm learning a lot about the game of hockey.
Yes, I have seen it a lot and I have taken classes, but National League 25 It forces me to think about positioning in a unique way and see directly how my body and skills impact the players around me. The top-down perspective of National League 25 It offers a more complete view of the playing area than you would get in league games or practices I have participated in. Powered by what Electronic Arts calls Ice-Q, its new hockey AI program, the image above feels like my own personal training whiteboard: Well, if this player moves to that zone, I have to move here, otherwise I risk giving the other team a chance to score. And AI players react to me the same way. Positioning and strategy seem to fit naturally to what's happening on the ice. It's a great reminder of something I always remind myself: if you just chase the puck, looking down, you're going to have a bad time.
What I've learned as an adult trying to learn new things (I took a beginner swimming class a few years ago when a lifeguard suggested I should also stay out of the deep end of my local pool) is that a little struggle is okay. . I think that's why I was able to let go of the frustration of National League 25Lack of tutorial or introductory mode. Despite its steep learning curve for a newbie, National League 25 It fits naturally into my little world of hockey.
NHL 25 was released on October 4 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. The game was played on Xbox Series X using the download code provided by Electronic Arts. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, although Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased through affiliate links. Additional information about Polygon's ethics policy can be found here.