Will NHL 21 be playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X?
NHL 21 will only be released on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. So will it be playable on PS5 and Xbox Series X?
With the upcoming launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, EA introduced its dual entitlement program. For its major sports games, like Madden 21 and FIFA 21, those who purchase the game on current-gen consoles will have until the release of next year’s version (Madden 22 or FIFA 22) to upgrade to the next-gen version of the game within the same console family.
In other words, if you purchase Madden 21 or FIFA 21 on PS4, you will be able to upgrade to PS5 for free. The same goes for Xbox One and upgrading to Xbox Series X.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case for EA Sports NHL 21. As explained previously, EA chose not to focus on the “resource-heavy task of porting the game to new console technology.” So we won’t be getting a specific PS5 or Xbox Series X version of the game with all the next-gen bells and whistles.
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However, you’ll still be able to play the game on your next-gen console. Thanks to forward compatibility technology, you’ll be able to play NHL 21 on PS5 and Xbox Series X. Just don’t expect all the next-gen enhancements.
So if you buy the game on PS4, you’ll be able to play it on PlayStation 5. Just make sure you have a PlayStation 5 console model capable of doing so. In other words, don’t buy a physical copy of the game and then the Playstation 5 Digital Edition with no disc drive because you won’t be able to make use of the forwards compatibility. If you buy the more expensive PlayStation 5 the disc drive or the digital version of the game, you’ll be fine. The same is probably true for the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (discless).
Next. NHL 21: Release date, platforms and everything else we know so far. dark
To answer the most basic questions, NHL 21 will not have a specific PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X next-gen version. However, you’ll will be able to play it on your next-gen console so don’t be afraid to buy it when it launches on October 16, about a month before the next-gen consoles arrive.