NHL Breakaway 98
NHL Breakaway 98 — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is NHL Breakaway 98 on?
- NHL Breakaway 98 was released on Nintendo 64, PC (Microsoft Windows), Sega Saturn, PlayStation.
- When did NHL Breakaway 98 release?
- NHL Breakaway 98 was first released on February 26, 1998.
About NHL Breakaway 98
Hit the ice with NHL Breakaway 98! All 26 NHL teams and over 600 players from the NHLPA. Variable player sizes, from hulking defensemen down to speedy wingers. Playbook based AI, so teams play their actual styles - forecheck, trap, dump and chase. Five gameplay modes: Exhibition, Season, Playoffs, Practice and Shoot-Out modes. Create players - assigned name actually appears on the player's jersey. Season wins provide bonus points which improve coaching, player development, injury therapies and more.
Summary via IGDB.
Game details
- Platforms
- Nintendo 64, PC (Microsoft Windows), Sega Saturn, PlayStation
- Developer
- Iguana Entertainment
- Publisher
- Acclaim Entertainment
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer, Split screen
- Series
- NHL
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Every version compared
Prices, contemporary reception and the studio credited for each release
| Platform | Year | Loose | Complete | Sealed | Period reviews | Fake risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nintendo 64 | 1998 | $6 | $18 | $50 | 10 reviews | Low |
Release timeline
- Nintendo 64Feb 26, 1998
- PlayStationFeb 26, 1998
- PC (Microsoft Windows)1998
First release on each platform, from IGDB’s records of this game’s ports and editions. Remakes are separate games with their own pages, so they are not listed here.
We haven’t priced or authenticated the versions without a section on this page yet.
Collector value & authenticity
Nintendo 64 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-22
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAL release | $12 | $25 | — |
What it needs to play
- RequiredController Pak — to save your progress: the game saves to a Controller Pak, not to the cartridge (game manual).
- OptionalRumble Pak — supported (game manual).
How often it sells
- Loose: about once a week
- Complete: about 2 times a month
- Sealed: about once a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-22.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $0.75 in Oct 2008, $1.76 five years ago, and $5.50 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2009 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.75 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.82 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $2.06 | $6.75 |
| Jan 2015 | $3.41 | $3.75 |
| Jan 2016 | $3.06 | $9.95 |
| Jan 2017 | $3.55 | $7.61 |
| Jan 2018 | $3.65 | $7.59 |
| Jan 2019 | $2.99 | $8.06 |
| Jan 2020 | $3.73 | $8.89 |
| Jan 2021 | $1.61 | $14.67 |
| Jan 2022 | $3.32 | $10.04 |
| Jan 2023 | $5.66 | $24 |
| Jan 2024 | $4.98 | $18.30 |
| Jan 2025 | $6.82 | $20 |
| Jan 2026 | $8.49 | $15.99 |
| Oct 2026 | $5.50 | $18.29 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Cartridge serial | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 25 February 1998 | NUS-NHLE-USA | NUS-01A-02 |
| Europe / PAL | 1998 | NUS-NHLP-EUR | — |
- Region
- NA+EU
- Released
- 1998
- Authenticity
- Low
A solid simulation-style hockey game for the N64 that is among the cheapest cartridges around.
NHL Breakaway 98 was Acclaim's first hockey game and the first released under its Acclaim Sports label. The Nintendo 64 version reached North America in February 1998, after the PlayStation original, and PAL regions later in 1998.
Reviews of the N64 version were more consistently favorable than those of the PlayStation game. Critics said it had more polished graphics, more fluid animation and better control than the PlayStation version. IGN liked its new camera modes and a reduced speed that made it more playable, though it felt slightly sluggish at times. Electronic Gaming Monthly, IGN and GamePro all compared it favorably with the Wayne Gretzky and Nagano Olympics games on the N64, calling it deeper and more realistic.
What the press said at the time
| GameRankings (aggregate) | 78% | |
| AllGame | 2.5/5 | |
| CNET Gamecenter | 7/10 | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 7.25/10 | |
| Game Informer | 8.25/10 | |
| GameSpot | 7.8/10 | |
| Hyper | 87% | |
| IGN | 7.4/10 | |
| N64 Magazine | 62% | |
| Nintendo Power | 7.6/10 |
“own an N64, purchase this game … because it’s good, but PlayStation … hockey still reigns king.”
“Whilst Gretzky was an almost-perfect N64 version of a very popular sports simulation, NHL Breakaway ‘98 is just a few rungs lower down that elusive ladder of perfection.”
“Breakaway offers a solid sim-hockey experience that, until now, has been missing on the N64. So if you’re looking for something a little more like the real thing, you’d do well to hit the ice with this title.”
“This is the best N64 hockey game I've played yet. Granted there are only three others (Midway's Gretzky triplets), but Breakaway offers the most realistic and entertaining play.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Nintendo 64 version.
How the Nintendo 64 version differs
GamePro, reviewing the N64 version, called it a solid sim-hockey experience that had been missing on the console.
Also on other platforms
PlayStation
- PlayStation. Critics almost uniformly praised the PlayStation game's management mode and its system of using points to improve a team.
- PlayStation. GamePro found the PlayStation version hard to control, saying the unruly movements of your players make controlling them very frustrating.
How the other versions reviewed
| PlayStation | GameRankings | 66% |
| PlayStation | AllGame | 2/5 |
| PlayStation | CNET Gamecenter | 7/10 |
| PlayStation | Game Informer | 7.75/10 |
| PlayStation | GameFan | 75% |
| PlayStation | GameRevolution | C− |
| PlayStation | GameSpot | 7.9/10 |
| PlayStation | IGN | 7/10 |
| PlayStation | Next Generation | 3/5 |
| PlayStation | Official PlayStation Magazine | 3/5 |
These are the other versions’ scores, not this one’s. Ports of this era were frequently built by different studios, so they do not transfer.
Before you buy
The game saves to a Controller Pak, so budget for one; the Rumble Pak is supported but optional. This is among the cheapest carts in the library loose, and PAL copies cost noticeably more than the North American cart. A complete copy costs about three times the loose price. Fake risk is low.
NHL Breakaway 98 screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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