Known simply as The Great One, National Hockey League Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky is recognized by most as the greatest hockey player of all time. Among the Big Four American sports leagues, including the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and the National Basketball Association, arguably no athlete is more obviously the greatest at their respective sport than Gretzky. He is the NHL’s all-time goals leader and the all-time points leader by nearly 1000 points. If you erased every goal away from his career, he would still have more points than any other player.

He is unquestionably the greatest hockey player of all time. How can fans get closer to him in action? Gretzky has been featured in a variety of great hockey video games. Today, let’s look at some of the best and see how gamers can see his skills on their consoles.

Wayne Gretzky Hockey | 1988 – Home Computers

The oldest game on this list and one of the oldest sports video games accessible for home gamers, Wayne Gretzky Hockey is a home computer game that runs on Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Mac OS, and Nintendo Entertainment System. Released right after The Great One was traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles, the game also featured two sequels released in 1990 and 1992. The game was released to rave reviews, and declared the 111th best computer game ever released by Computer Gaming World in 1996. The game was ahead of its time graphically, letting hockey fans experience Wayne Gretzky in action.

NHL Slapshot | 2010 – Wii

The rare standalone sports game, NHL Slapshot was the third ice hockey video game released by EA Sports for the Wii console. Incidentally, it was the first NHL game in over five years to come with an E rating, thanks to the lack of fighting. With Gretzky on the cover and with the game being distributed on Wii, the game emphasized the ability for fans to feel like a true hockey player. The game offered a miniature hockey stick peripheral attachment, so gamers could simulate playing with actual hockey sticks.

While the concept was good, the game was released to moderate, if not uninspiring, reviews. For Gretzky fans, though, NHL Slapshot came with a Pee Wee to Pro game mode that let gamers play as a young Gretzky and move up his professional career. While they were generally favorable, NHL Slapshot was not renewed for another year.

Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey | 1996 – Nintendo 64, Arcade

Distributed by the legendary sports game publisher Midway on Nintendo 64, Wayne Gretzky‘s 3D hockey was developed for release in 1996. The game was influential as the first-ever four-player game on the Nintendo 64 console and was followed up with Wayne Gretzky’s 3D Hockey ’08 as a sequel. This game, unlike the previous examples, did not focus on realistic ice hockey gameplay. Similar to Midway’s NBA Jam and Blitz 2000, the gameplay was dramatic and exaggerated. For instance, players could deploy a power save move, where a goaltender briefly became a brick wall. Further, some hits from defenders would send an ambulance across the screen.

This game featured higher scoring than actual ice hockey, although there was a game mode for players looking for a more realistic gameplay experience. Despite the unrealistic gameplay, fans would have felt like they were watching Gretzky thanks to the skating animations originating from Gretzky’s skating angles and 3D models imitating his movements. Reviews were mixed, but unrealistic AI made the game hard to enjoy without multiple players.

NHL 14 | 2013 – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Without question, the most realistic game on our list, NHL 14 is the yearly EA Sports hockey game developed for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Martin Brodeur won a fan vote for the cover athlete, and the game itself featured overhauls to two game engines, including collision physics. The game specifically appealed to hockey purists and Gretzky fans thanks to EA including Gretzky as a legend. Gamers can recreate some of Gretzky’s greatest moments as the game engine is far more realistic than its predecessors.

The game was released to rave reviews and was noted as a significant improvement for NHL games. It won the Best Sports Game at the Game Critics Awards Best of E3 2013, and was nominated for Sports Game of the Year at the 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. For fans of the NHL series by EA, they can expect some great new features with the 2025 game.

Gretzky’s Goal | 2023 – Mobile

The newest game on our list, Gretzky’s Goal, is a mobile game where players control Gretzky as he tries to score as many goals as possible. The more targets hit, the more rewards earned, including free games. This is a great option for fans of sports-themed casino games.

What Games Did We Miss?

As the greatest hockey player of all time, there is no shortage of games including, Wayne Gretzky, like NHL 19 and the Wayne Gretzky/Brett Hull Shootout. However, as hockey kicks back into full gear, there will surely be more options coming soon.