It is the 30th installment in the NHL game series and was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles in October 2020.

The career mode for NHL 21, known as "Be a Pro", has been expanded to be more interactive and cinematic, similar to other franchises such as Madden NFL and NBA 2K.

[2] A new progression system is introduced to World of Chel, which allows players to earn a rank in each of the four sub-modes separately.

[6] Prior to the reveal event, EA Vancouver opened a registration for a private beta test that players could freely sign up for.

IGN gave the game a 6.0/10, and wrote: "NHL 21 is at its best when I'm playing the wacky modes in World of Chel or the new HUT Rush where I can just go end-to-end while trying to pull off skill moves.

The new Be A Pro additions are also significant and help to get that single-player experience more in line with other modern sports games.

However, it's aggravating that during this whole console generation EA never managed to move past legacy issues like ping-pong passing, a lack of creativity in the offensive zone, and a narrow set of player ratings that make the gameplay feel stagnant.