EA Sports announced NHL Arcade, a new casual mode for NHL 25 and told GLHF a bit more about why it’s even more extra than NHL 09’s Arcade Mode. Principal designer Matt McTavish said the team created NHL Arcade with a single guiding rule in mind – make the sports game‘s new mode as over-the-top as possible.

NHL Arcade has no rules, no glass, and no stopping, and it also has no OVR ratings or other stats. Everyone jumps in to the 3v3 matches on equal footing, which makes NHL Arcade more open to new players and those who aren’t neck-deep in player stats, and anything is possible. Almost literally anything. McTavish said the team looked to NHL ‘09’s arcade mode for inspiration and decided they wanted to push themselves to see just how over-the-top they could make NHL 25’s Arcade Mode. 

No rules and no glass might set the chaotic tone, but McTavish says power-ups are a big part of what makes NHL 25’s Arcade Mode work – specifically, the lack of limits on them. You can grab powers that freeze all other players on the ice or that make you gigantic. One gives your shots so much force that it knocks the goalie down and creates a frantic situation where anyone can land a goal without much resistance, assuming some other gigantic player doesn’t come storming in and shove them away from the net. 

As if that’s not enough, there are no limits on these powers. McTavish said you can stack them and create ability combos that he hopes push the boundaries of what players think an arcade mode can be.

McTavish also said EA Sports will run several events throughout the NHL season to keep Arcade Mode fresh. Expect new updates periodically that shake up how you play even further.

NHL 25’s Arcade Mode launches on Nov. 15, 2024, as the first in a series of free NHL 25 updates adding some big new features.