Electronic Arts is creating the most intense NHL game yet with EA Sports NHL 24, revealing Colorado Avalanche superstar defenseman Cale Makar, whose world class on-ice skills exemplify the type of hard-checking and game-changing features that will be a part of EA Sports NHL 24, has been named the cover athlete for this year’s game.

NHL 24 feels like hockey and brings the rush and fatigue of high-pressure games to life. The brand-new Exhaust Engine - powered by Frostbite - includes the Sustained Pressure and Goalie Fatigue systems to let players experience concentrated moments of intensity that hockey is known for. Through the Sustained Pressure System, offensive players who keep pressure on in the attack zone are rewarded and will trigger the Sustained Pressure perk, lowering their opponent’s attributes for a limited time and creating more space for movement and setting up plays. With the Goalie Fatigue System, the more pucks you put on net, the more fatigue the opponent’s goalie will experience. This will affect the netminder’s ability to react to shots as they wear down over time and upwards of 75 new goalie animations will help bring this in-game storyline to life.

With overhauled physics and animations, Physics-Based Contact will revolutionize physical contact and deliver realistic body checks like never before. New animation-based reactions create big moments at any point in the game, and allow players to open up more turnover opportunities with bigger checks. For those that like to get physical, players can now break the glass and send their opponent to the bench.

EA Sports has revealed more details about all of the exciting updates coming to NHL 24 through the Official HUT Deep Dive Trailer, which showcases all-new updates to the Hockey Ultimate Team mode featuring HUT Moments. 

From celebrating the small details to reliving big era-defining moments and making deals, HUT delivers an engaging new gameplay experience in NHL 24.

Replacing HUT Challenges from previous years, HUT Moments will reward players for re-creating the most historic moments in hockey history with engaging and new gameplay experiences featuring some of the sport’s best such as Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. 

Additionally the new mode will also include moments of the most exciting games of the upcoming NHL season as it progresses for even more rewards.

Furthermore, fans will be able to earn rewards more efficiently with the game’s updated real-time objective-tracking system, Objectives 2.0, which tracks player progress in real-time based on on-ice actions and more for efficient and streamlined sessions. 

Other big features include a new HUT Shared Economy where players will be able to buy, sell and trade with players across PlayStation and Xbox platforms, as well as HUT Share where players can seamlessly share their full HUT roster, accomplishments and more over social media

With enhanced gameplay features that allow players to take their skills to an all-new level, there was no better cover star for this year’s game than the multi-talented Cale Makar whose vision, dynamic puck abilities and total control on the ice is represented in the on-ice improvements seen in EA SPORTS NHL 24. Cale Makar is one of the league’s most exciting players and has already racked up numerous accomplishments in his young career, leading the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022 and taking home the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the most valuable player of his team at the conclusion of the playoffs.

Key Features:

• All-New Gameplay Features: A suite of new gameplay features brings an unprecedented level of control to NHL 24. With the new Exhaust Engine, players can experience a complete revamp of the EA Sports NHL gameplay experience that rewards extended offensive events and attack zone time, adding a dynamic new layer of authenticity and excitement to the game. Once the in-game Sustained Pressure System is triggered, a visual meter will indicate that Full Pressure is active resulting in the beneficial Adrenaline effect for the offensive team and the challenging Pinned effect for the defending team. The new Goalie Fatigue System affects the netminder’s ability to react to shots as they get worn down over time, which encourages players to constantly keep up the pressure and get more pucks on the net. Total Control Skill Moves completely refresh the control setup and make highlight-reel moves more intuitive and accessible, while the Vision Passing System remaps face buttons to teammates, allowing for more direct passing and the ability to pass anywhere at any time on the ice.
• Updated Human Goalie Controls make playing in goal more accessible and intuitive, with features such as the new Tethered Control System allowing players to slide back and forth to make saves and then auto-returning back to a centered position. Additionally, the new Instinct System gives players the opportunity to guess the location of the shot for a bonus on their save attempt.
• Hockey Ultimate Team: EA Sports NHL 24 has introduced the all-new HUT Moments, which lets players recreate and share classic moments in hockey history and today’s biggest plays. NHL 24 also introduces a new real-time objective-tracking system based on item types, teams, players, and on-ice actions, all while updating player progress in-game. The new system will enable players to keep active track of their tasks and objectives, allowing them to stay focused on the exciting on-ice action.
• World of Chel: This latest iteration of the EA Sports NHL franchise also delivers the most dynamic Word of Chel yet, with enhanced cross-play giving players more ways for players to connect, better matchmaking and improvements to Creation Zone to give players more customization. An update to EASHL Playoffs introduces an authentic, streamlined do-or-die 16-game path to the title, allowing players to earn Ranking Points as they make their way through the bracket. NHL 24 introduces the WOC Battle Pass, which lets players play their way through action-packed seasons at free and premium levels, and WOC Storefront updates give players even more items to outfit their character with as well as access to exclusive new premium bundles of custom characters, player banners and more.
• Modernized Presentation: With all-new presentation updates, players will feel more immersed than ever in the game of hockey. This year’s presentation introduces Flex Moments, a broadcast that feels more alive than ever with over 75 new goal celebration animations, camera angles, lighting effects and the ability for players to map their celebration to their controller so they can flex how they want when they want. New waves of event reactions support significant stoppages, rushes down the ice, Exhaust Engine peaks and dramatic comeback moments, making this by far the most energetic Chel crowd to date. Plus, Dynamic Rink Boards expand the augmented reality broadcast and communicate key on-ice moments, from delayed penalties, goal summaries, stat milestones and vanity backdrops to accentuate those big Flex Moments.

Fans that pre-order NHL 24 will get a variety of bonus in-game content. The EA Sports NHL 24 X-Factor Edition includes the PS4 and PS5 or Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, three days of early access, 4600 NHL Points, exclusive Cale Makar player item, HUT Power-Up Icon of choice and WOC Battle Pass XP Modifier x5. Players can also get a pre-order loyalty offer to receive a 10% off pre-order of the NHL 24 X-Factor Edition. All pre-order editions and information can be found here.

EA Play members can get more out of NHL 24 with three days of early access, and member-only rewards throughout the season.

EA Sports NHL 24 is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S on October 6, 2023.