10 hour trial for NHL 21 now available through EA Play

NHL 21 can now be downloaded as a timed trial with EA Play on Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The EA Access subscription service was rebranded as EA Play back in August.

Subscribers to the base service will get 10 hours of playtime after which it will expire requiring a second EA Play account to get 10 more hours or the game to be purchased come release. The timer ticks down whenever the game is loaded regardless of whether it is being actively played, menus navigated, or if there is any activity taking place at all. Because of that make sure to exit out and close the application from the respective home screens when not in use.

The 10 hours are there to play immediately but can continue to be used even beyond release. Any progress made in the various modes and online results will carry over if a full copy is purchased. The complete game is available during the trial period.

EA Access launched July 2014 on Xbox One and later was joined by Origin Access on PC. After being prevented by Sony from releasing the service on PS4 it was finally cleared to launch on the system last year. EA Play includes the “Vault” which offers unlimited play with nearly every game from the company’s catalog this generation, 10% off all digital purchases, and the ability to play games up to five days before they release with a limited timed trial. EA Play is $30 for a full year or $5 month-to-month. Later this year EA Play will be included with Xbox Game Pass.

NHL 21 will not be releasing dedicated Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 versions however the current-gen title will be playable on those systems. Those who pre-order the game will receive ‘NHL 94: Rewind’ which features updated rosters for the throwback game.