NHL 22, the latest installment in the ice hockey simulation saga developed by Electronic Arts, is suffering from some annoying graphical glitches that can directly affect gameplay.

More specifically, it seems that the auto HDR system in NHL 22 is not working properly, causing effects such as very rough differences in lighting between zones, ice too dark, among others.

NHL 22 erratic HDR or ice too dark bug

According to multiple reports, NHL 22 suffers from some pretty erratic behavior when HDR is turned on. In-game image quality is not consistent for many players (1, 2, 3, 4).

Players affected by the issue point out that it results in lack of brightness, dull appearance and gray tones (such in ice). By comparison, NHL 21 HDR reportedly made graphics more vibrant.

The HDR in NHL 22 makes the game look dull and lacks brightness. I used auto hdr for NHL 21 on Series X and everything was very vibrant and bright. The ice was white in 21, but the hdr in 22 makes the ice look grey. I’d like there to be a hdr brightness setting included in the game menus since this is the only game I own where the colors with hdr look dull and there’s currently no way to adjust them.
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The issue with the auto HDR system in NHL 22 also results in abrupt changes in lighting between different zones during the same match, which is quite inconvenient on the eyes.

Dynamic Lighting issues?

Is anyone else experiencing really bad lighting issues? I don’t remember the beta being like this at all. At puck drop every period it’s very dimly lit. It gets brighter when I enter the offensive zone and then darkens again in the defensive zones.

Any tips would be appreciated!
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A potential workaround to mitigate the issue

Having said the above, there is a potential workaround that could help mitigate the issue, pending an official acknowledgment. Basically, it is recommended to disable ‘dynamic tone mapping’ in picture settings.

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However, at the moment, there seems to be no hope for a fix coming soon to resolve the issue. So, players can only wait for future updates on the matter.

NHL 22 Franchise mode crashing issue escalated

Other reports indicate that there is a crashing issue in NHL 22 Franchise mode. So, upon reaching a certain date on the calendar, many players suffer from a frustrating crash that completely stops their progress.

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Fortunately, in this case, the issue has already been escalated to higher instances. So, it’s at least under investigation. However, there is no information on an ETA for the possible fix.

I am keeping tabs here, it’s not being ignored despite no responses. It’s been sent up to the team and I’m awaiting updates from them to share with you here. When we are pinged about any new info it will be relayed ASAP.
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In the coming days, if there are any changes related to the glitches described above, we will update this article with the relevant information. So, stay tuned.

PiunikaWeb started as purely an investigative tech journalism website with main focus on ‘breaking’ or ‘exclusive’ news. In no time, our stories got picked up by the likes of Forbes, Foxnews, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, Engadget, The Verge, Macrumors, and many others. Want to know more about us? Head here.

Jean Leon
1613 Posts

A tech enthusiast since ever. I like to always be up to date on the latest news in the industry and write about it. Twitter: @jean_ERdC

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