Club Benefits
Tom's Guide Verdict
I’ve tested every model of the Asics Novablast, and the Novablast 6 is the best yet, offering a winning blend of comfort and bounce at a reasonable price. It’s a shoe that will work well for all kinds of runner and one of the standouts of 2026 so far.
Pros
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Springier midsole design
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Comfortable for long distances
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Improved grip
Cons
- -
More expensive than Novablast 5
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The Asics Novablast has quickly cemented itself as one of the most popular running shoes on the market, beating out long-running favorites like the Nike Pegasus and Hoka Clifton to be the most tagged shoe on Strava in 2025.
Given the Asics Novablast 5 is so popular, Asics might have hesitated to make big changes to the Novablast 6 for fear of offending existing fans of the shoe, but instead the brand pushed ahead and made some telling improvements.
The result is that the Asics Novablast 6 is one of the best running shoes I’ve tested this year, and it's an easy one to recommend to all kinds of runners thanks to its comfortable, versatile design.
Asics Novablast 6 review: price and availability
The Asics Novablast 6 was unveiled in May 2026 and goes on sale globally on 1 July, costing $155 in the U.S. and £140 in the U.K., a $5 price rise on the Novablast 5.
It enters a very crowded area of the market where it competes with classic daily trainers like the Nike Pegasus 42 and Hoka Clifton 10, as well as popular new shoes like the Adidas Adizero Evo SL and Saucony Endorphin Azura.
Asics Novablast 6 review: design and fit
The Novablast 6 will launch in 11 colors, including the Rose Dust design I tested. It fits me well in my normal running shoe size, the same size I’ve used for all past Novablast models.
It’s a high stack shoe, standing 41.5mm tall at the heel and 33.5mm at the forefoot for an 8mm drop, but it weighs just 9.2oz in my US men’s size 10, which is impressively light for such a cushioned shoe.
Upper
The Novablast 6 has a comfortable woven upper with a lot of padding around the collar and a stiff internal heel counter to add stability at the back of the shoe.
I had no problems with the fit or feel of the upper during my runs. It held my foot securely and comfortably throughout testing, including long runs and workouts.
Midsole
The biggest update to the Novablast 6 is found in the midsole, which now features a ‘puck’ of Asics’ FF Turbo Squared foam under the forefoot, with the rest of the midsole being made from the FF Blast Max.
FF Turbo Squared is the energetic foam used on the Asics Megablast, and its addition makes the Novablast 6 lighter and livelier than its predecessor, and better at faster paces in particular.
Outsole
Unreliable grip in wet conditions has been a minor but persistent weakness with past Novablast models, so it’s good to see that Asics has addressed it with the Novablast 6, which uses ASICSGRIP rubber in the forefoot to improve the traction of the shoe, alongside durable AHAR LO rubber at the heel.
I had no trouble with grip during my testing of the Novablast 6, and both types of rubber are holding up well, with no signs of wear after 40 miles of running.
Asics Novablast 6 review: running performance
As a big fan of the Asics Megablast, I was excited to see that the foam from its midsole had been added to the Novablast 6, which is a much cheaper and more accessible shoe.
While there’s only a small chunk of FF Turbo Squared in the Novablast 6, it makes a big change to the ride of the shoe, which is more energetic than the Novablast 5 and performs better during fast runs in particular.
I liked the Novablast 5 a lot, but it was a shoe that I only really used for easy and steady runs, whereas the Novablast 6 retains the same comfort at the heel while increasing the energy return in the forefoot to make it a shoe that’s great for tempo and threshold runs alongside easy efforts.
During my testing, I used the Novablast 6 for a wide variety of runs and enjoyed it for almost everything — it’s not ideal for all-out intervals or races, but can handle all your other training runs.
I even did a short run wearing the Novablast 5 on one foot and the Novablast 6 on the other to check the difference, and there’s notably more punch from the forefoot on the new shoe.
It’s still not as impressive an all-rounder as the Megablast, but it’s $70 cheaper and a more stable and comfortable shoe. I’d recommend the Novablast as a great option for new and experienced runners alike, whereas the Megablast is harder to suggest buying, given the high price.
Should you buy the Asics Novablast 6?
The Asics Novablast 6 is definitely a shoe worth considering, whether you need a daily trainer to use for all your runs or a cushioned sneaker to pair with faster shoes in your running shoe rotation.
I like it more than long-running rivals like the Nike Pegasus 42 and Brooks Ghost 18, which are less cushioned, heavier, and have duller foams in the midsole.
If you don’t mind the extra cost, then the Asics Megablast is even lighter and more versatile, and if you prefer lower-stack running shoes, the Adidas Adizero Evo SL is a great daily trainer around the same price as the Novablast 6, though less stable.
Other strong alternatives include the Hoka Mach 7 and Kiprun Kipstorm Tempo, which are great daily trainers that lean more towards speed than the Novablast 6, and so are a little less comfortable.
The Novablast 6 excels on many fronts and is up there with my favorite new shoes of the year so far. It’s comfortable, versatile, and even looks pretty good with jeans, depending on how you feel about the angular midsole design.
