The study reports the development of a nitrogen (N)-doped high-entropy alloy (HEA) electrocatalyst, N–Pt/HEA/C, for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. The catalyst consists of a Pt-rich shell and a N-doped PtCoFeNiCu core supported on carbon. The N–Pt/HEA/C catalyst exhibited superior ORR activity and durability compared to commercial Pt/C and other binary/ternary Pt-based catalysts. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and theoretical calculations revealed that the enhanced ORR activity was due to the optimized adsorption energy of intermediates and the formation of multiple metal–nitrogen (M–N) bonds, which improved the corrosion resistance of the 3d transition metals and enhanced the ORR durability. The study highlights the potential of N-doped HEA catalysts for achieving high activity, stability, and low cost in fuel cell applications.The study reports the development of a nitrogen (N)-doped high-entropy alloy (HEA) electrocatalyst, N–Pt/HEA/C, for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. The catalyst consists of a Pt-rich shell and a N-doped PtCoFeNiCu core supported on carbon. The N–Pt/HEA/C catalyst exhibited superior ORR activity and durability compared to commercial Pt/C and other binary/ternary Pt-based catalysts. In situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and theoretical calculations revealed that the enhanced ORR activity was due to the optimized adsorption energy of intermediates and the formation of multiple metal–nitrogen (M–N) bonds, which improved the corrosion resistance of the 3d transition metals and enhanced the ORR durability. The study highlights the potential of N-doped HEA catalysts for achieving high activity, stability, and low cost in fuel cell applications.