The next round of sports titles is slowly trickling in. EA’s cycle started with Madden 23 in August, and FIFA 23 and NHL 23 are next in line.
NHL 23 will be available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, raising the question of whether the game will be cross-play compatible. Cross-platform capabilities allow players to play NHL 23 with each other even if they’re playing on different platforms.
Although the feature has become an industry-standard in most titles, there are still some out there, like Madden 23that don’t support cross-play.
Will NHL 23 have crossplay?
Yes, NHL 23 will have cross-play and cross-platform. The features will be limited at launch, however. Until further notice, cross-play in NHL 23 will be limited to the same-gen consoles. This means that PS4 players will be able to play against Xbox One users, while PS5 players can match up against Xbox Series X|S users.
NHL 23’s Cross-play support won’t allow players to play on the same team during the game’s launch, meaning they can only play “against” players from other platforms. Considering NHL 22 wasn’t cross-play compatible, it looks like EA is taking it slowly while implementing the feature in the franchise.
In addition to letting players play with their friends from other consoles, cross-play is also a lifesaver in reducing match queue times. It tends to be one of the most requested features, so the developers will likely implement more quality-of-life upgrades to NHL’s Cross-play support in the future.