EA Sports NHL 27 Brings Back Connected Franchise Mode

The wait is over for hockey gaming fans. EA Sports has officially announced that NHL 27 will launch on September 11, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S. The headline addition is the return of Connected Franchise. This highly requested mode allows up to 32 players to manage their own teams in a shared online league, finally bringing back the depth that fans have missed for over a decade.

Beyond the new game mode, the series is getting a major presentation upgrade. John Buccigross and Darren Pang are stepping into the broadcast booth as the new commentary team. Every one of the 32 NHL arenas has been redesigned to look and sound like the real thing, featuring team specific goal songs and unique pre game atmospheres. San Jose Sharks star Macklin Celebrini is also making history as the youngest cover athlete ever for the franchise.

Building on the gameplay foundation of previous entries, the game will continue using real world player tracking data. While we wait for more details on team playbooks, the early pre order bonuses and EA Play trial information are already available. Players who grab the Deluxe Edition can hit the ice starting September 4, giving them a full week of early access before the worldwide release.