Sales of Wayne Gretzky Hockey reached 350,000 units by 1995, which "put Bethesda Softworks on the gaming map", according to PC Gamer US.[4][1][5]
In the April 1989 edition of Computer Gaming World, Johnny Wilson gave an "unhesitating recommendation" of the game "to anyone who enjoys hockey".[6]
In the January 1990 edition of Games International (Issue 12), Mike Siggins found the arcade version of the game uninspiring, and the strategy game only a bit better. He concluded by giving the game 3 out of 5 for game play and 4 out of 5 for graphics, saying, "It is among the best hockey games around but sadly, given the earlier efforts in this field, that is not saying much [...] It is neither a good arcade game or stats based game, while it attempts to do both."[7]
In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Wayne Gretzky Hockey the 111th-best computer game ever released.[8] The Amiga version of the game was voted “Best Sports Simulation of the Year’ by members of the Software Publishers Association.[9]