Published , by Bill Lavoy
Published , by Bill Lavoy
NHL 22 is a little less than two months away, and most of us who play Chel already know we’re going to buy this one too. The only question left is which edition do we need? This depends on several factors, such as if you want early access, or if you have friends playing on older console generations like the PS4 and Xbox One. Let’s get after it.
If you’re already planning to buy NHL 22, pre-ordering the game makes a lot of sense since it comes with certain in-game bonuses. In this guide, I’ll be breaking down what you get with each edition, and why it might matter. One reason it doesn't matter, however, is that Auston Matthews is your NHL 22 cover athlete, even if there were quite a few suitable candidates.
The question of which edition you should buy is a loaded one. For me, the obvious reason to buy the X-Factor Edition is for the early access on October 12. However, the X-Factor Edition also includes the dual entitlement, which means a current gen and previous gen copy of the game. On PlayStation, this is a PS5 and PS4 copy. On Xbox, this is an Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One copy. This will allow players with the new consoles to play with their friends on older consoles since NHL 22 is not cross generational.
There’s also the price to consider, and I can’t help you with that. You’ll have to figure out what is worth it to you and within your budget.
The jump from the Standard to the X-Factor Edition isn't small, but it's worse for folks in Canada. The Standard Edition PS5 is $80 in Canada, and $50 more for the X-Factor Edition at $129.99. That's a massive jump in price and the main attractions are the dual entitlement, which gives you either PS5 / PS4 or Xbox Series X/S / Xbox One versions of the game, and three days of early access. If neither of those appeal to you, you're spending $50 for in-game bonuses. It's still a $30 jump for American players, so I advise anyone who is about to pre-order to consider carefully what they value from each edition and how much it's worth to them.
There you have it; a breakdown of NHL 22 pre-orders, bonuses, and prices. Which version you buy will depend on many factors, but hopefully you’ve gotten a clearer picture from this guide. You can find more guides and features about EA Vancouver’s latest offering of puck with our NHL 22 topic page.