NHL 23 Reviews

NHL 23 is ranked in the 40th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Dec 28, 2022

The NHL 23 review has been on my mind ever since I first started seeing the adverts for the game. I have written the NHL review for the last few iterations of this game, and I always find myself eagerly awaiting the next round of challenges. For this NHL 23 review, I have focused mainly on the HUT gaming option, but more on that shortly. The reason why I chose to focus on the HUT gaming mode is that NHL 23 is a vast game, offering a lot of different game modes. For my NHL 22 review, I focused on Franchise Mode. These games are largely carbon copies, with the focus mainly placed on improving the technical side of things. Therefore, to keep them fresh, I opted for a different focal point for this review.

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75 / 100
Nov 29, 2022

NHL 23 is a good if not revolutionary entry into an already commendable simulation sports game. It might not bring anything new to the ice, but it builds on the already pretty precise gameplay and its additions to the current modes make it a very solid entry to the series.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

6 / 10.0
Nov 11, 2022

Now fans are quick to call a new game a copy of the last game with 5 points added on to the end. NHL 23, is probably one of the first that I can say would deserve that honor. As a longtime player of the franchise, I’m a bit taken back. Gameplay-wise I would recommend the game, I feel they’ve made a bunch of minor improvements to keep it fresh with the biggest being the Last Chance Puck Movements. But with little to no improvement in most game modes. If you already have NHL 22, I would wait until NHL 23 is on sale before I get it.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 7, 2022

I don't believe NHL 23 is the must-have annual edition that hockey fans absolutely need. Without diminishing the importance of the addition of women to the game, there's too little other new features. Furthermore, there's a lot of little annoyances that undermine the experience.

Review in French | Read full review

7 / 10.0
Nov 6, 2022

Fun to play and beautiful to watch, NHL 23 has pretty much everything to be a little gem. Everything except the contents, which are exactly the same of the previous edition: a truly wasted opportunity.

Review in Italian | Read full review

5.9 / 10.0
Nov 3, 2022

NHL 23 has a few nice additions, but they quickly wear thin. There's nothing of substance, except perhaps yet another year of the same grind in HUT to eventually get a team together that is worthy of competition by the time the next installment skates around. That doesn't seem appealing to me, and unless you've already skipped several years' worth of NHL entries, NHL 23 isn't worth the full asking price.

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Nov 2, 2022

NHL 23 completely revamps crowd reactions and adds women IIHF players and new desperation moves, and it all works splendidly to create not only the best hockey game in a generation -- but one of the best sports games ever.

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PCMag
Top Critic
Nov 2, 2022

NHL 23 will satisfy hard-core hockey video game fans, but if you didn't like the recent NHL releases, this year's relatively small additions won't change your mind.

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7 / 10.0
Nov 1, 2022

NHL 23 is an improved and refined version of last year's edition. EA Vancouver had stated that it had treasured all the criticism made by its passionate community: so it was.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10.0
Oct 31, 2022

The new hockey season may or may not satisfy the players. It depends on which previous edition you last played and what you actually expect from the game.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

4.5 / 10.0
Oct 28, 2022

A year after a respectable release in NHL 22, 23 seems to have way more bugs than its predecessor and a gameplay meta that is just too much of a slog to enjoy.

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5 / 10
Oct 27, 2022

Fans of the series will definitely like NHL 23, whether it's the involvement of women's hockey or some small news. However, if you don't need to invest in a new edition, NHL 22 will suffice.

Review in Czech | Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Oct 27, 2022

NHL 23 isn't EA's best year, but it's not the worst either. Stumble actions and loose-puck plays help enhance gameplay, but they remain less than groundbreaking. The addition of IIHF Women's teams is long overdue and quite welcome, and the visual quality in this year over last is a noticeable step up. The expansion of franchise mode is the biggest improvement over last year, though it almost feels like the only mode that was actually worked on, while everything else was simply lifted from NHL 22, unchanged in their function. Disappointing, when there's still plenty of changes that could be made.

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3.4 / 5.0
Oct 27, 2022

NHL 23 is NHL 22 with but some presentation polish and international women's teams. It stands as the most obvious current example on next gen of why some sport titles may be better served updated versus re-released when so little new. NHL superfans will no doubt purchase without a thought due to roster updates. Casual ones should consider staying put or at a reduced price. The accompanying review score is a reflection of this reality, as ratings take into account changes – or lack thereof – from NHL 22.

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75%
Oct 25, 2022

NHL 23 seems like an iterative instalment, as EA Vancouver settles in with NHL 22's Frostbite Engine. Nevertheless, if it's an excellent game of ice hockey you seek, then this is - quite literally, as it happens - the only game in town.

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7.2 / 10.0
Oct 25, 2022

Speaking in terms of content, NHL 23 seems more like a (modest) update of NHL 22 than a new chapter of the EA Games series. The changes made to the game structure and modes are really limited, and do not affect the overall experience considerably.

Review in Italian | Read full review

59 / 100
Oct 23, 2022

I’ll even give EA credit. Fifa feels like simulation soccer. Madden feels like simulation football. I know that they’re capable of bigger and better things. But, for now, NHL 23, like all the ones before it, still feels like the black sheep of the family. As if it’s simply incapable of ever feeling like hockey. It’s telling that the worst cover in EA Sports NHL history is tied to the most disappointing game in nearly ten years.

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5 / 10
Oct 23, 2022

It's staggering how little has been done with NHL 23 to differentiate it from last year's edition. Bugs that should have long ago been quashed remain, Be A Pro continues to be littered with spelling errors and conversations that make no sense, retirement and championship banners in arenas are as far behind as half a decade, and the list goes on. Despite all that, women being integrated into HUT and desperation plays are welcome improvements, as is the overhaul of rink atmosphere. Ultimately, while NHL 23 isn't a step backward per se, the move forward is so small, so minuscule, that it may as well not have moved at all.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 23, 2022

NHL 23 finally looks and feels like a next-game game, with welcome improvements in graphics, animation and gameplay. Unluckily, though, some modes - like the Be a Pro campaign - were left untouched compared to last year's edition, while the Ultimate Team mode feels way too microtransactions-based.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.2 / 10.0
Oct 22, 2022

EA Sports NHL 23 is the safest and most minimally upgraded entry they’ve ever done in the series.

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