First Look At NHL 21 Coming Next Week

The reveal of NHL 21 is coming slightly later than usual this year due to the game releasing in October rather than September, but fans won't have to wait much longer to learn more about it. EA Sports announced on its official Twitter account that the first look at the ice hockey game will happen on Monday, August 24.

Very little is known about what this year's installment will offer as development was slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The development team announced last month that it was focusing on "adding innovation and new features" this year rather than trying to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.

While Electronic Arts hasn't confirmed the exact release date, both the Microsoft Store and Amazon list NHL 21 as coming out on October 16. Despite a retailer listing saying it would come out on PC, it's set to release only on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, although owners of next-gen consoles will be able to play through backwards compatibility.

Pre-orders are available now for NHL 21 and offer several incentives, such as Ultimate Team bonuses and three days early access, depending on which version of the hockey game you pick up. If you'd rather try before you buy, you can sign up for a closed beta test happening in the "coming weeks."

NHL 21 might not be the only NHL game that EA releases this year as a listing for NHL Rewind 94 suggests that the iconic retro game could be coming back as well. This wouldn't be completely unheard of as NHL 14 featured an NHL 94 Anniversary mode that replicated the title 20 years after it initially released.