Konami's free-to-play eFootball 2023 has now been downloaded over 600 million times.

Despite a troublesome launch that once saw it rated as one of the worst titles on Steam, the soccer game has now clocked up over 600m downloads worldwide across mobile, PC, and consoles. 

To celebrate, Konami is giving away free eFootball coins - just log in each day between now and March 30 - along with Neymar Jr, which should be a welcomed addition to most dream teams. If you manage to score with him between now and March 16 - or Lionel Messi between March 16 and 30 - you'll get more free eFootball coins, Game Points, and experience points for your trouble.

As part of a wider "commemorative campaign", there's a new card theme available now, too: Show Time. Offering different abilities and skills such as Game-Changing Pass, Phenomenal Finishing, Momentum Dribbling, and Fortress, the new card will be available for the "top players who reflect these skills in real-life football".

This time last year, Konami committed to accepting criticism of its free-to-play soccer game, eFootball, promising that it was taking fan feedback "very seriously" and acknowledging that the game's "incompletion" was just one of "multiple factors" that impacted the sports game's troublesome launch. 

It also appears that there was a rush to get the game ready in time for the start of the European soccer season, with Konami stating it had a "strong desire to deliver the new eFootball 2022 game to users as soon as possible", "in parallel" with the start of the season.

“It’s hard to point to one deciding aspect," a Konami spokesperson said at the time. "The incompletion of the game came as a result of multiple factors, including the transition to a new football game engine, the support of next-generation consoles such as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the change of play style to free to play, and furthermore, we tried to deliver new eFootball 2022 for players as soon as possible."

Since the release in September 2021, Konami said it had prioritized improvements and corrections based on the feedback and opinions it received, calling players' feedback "much appreciated".

Keep up to date with all the best games set to launch this year with our guide to new games 2023. 

Konami says it is taking criticism of its free-to-play soccer game, eFootball, "very seriously" and acknowledges that the game's "incompletion" was just one of "multiple factors" that impacted the sports game's troublesome launch. 

It also appears that there was a rush to get the game ready in time for the start of the European soccer season, with Konami stating it had a "strong desire to deliver the new eFootball 2022 game to users as soon as possible", "in parallel" with the start of the season.

“It’s hard to point to one deciding aspect," a Konami spokesperson told VGC. "The incompletion of the game came as a result of multiple factors including the transition to a new football game engine, the support of next-generation consoles such as PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, the change of play style to free to play, and furthermore, we tried to deliver new eFootball 2022 for players as soon as possible.

“Resultantly, the game received harsh feedback about the quality. Since eFootball’s launch back in September, however, we have prioritized improvements and corrections based on the feedback and opinions we received," the statement continued.

"We are taking the opinions of our players very seriously. Since the release last September, we have prioritized improvements and corrections based on the feedback and opinions we received. We will continue to work on the game’s improvement and as always, the player’s valued feedback is much appreciated."

A new 1.0.0. update - which takes the game to its first "full" version and hopes to resolve many of the issues players have had - is expected to release on April 14, 2022.

ICYMI, the Commonwealth Esports Championships has unveiled its games line up for later this year, and Konami's eFootball series has made the cut over FIFA.

This is an absolutely wild turn of events. The Commonwealth Sport Twitter account just announced the three games would that feature in the Championships yesterday, revealing that DOTA 2, Rocket League, and eFootball would comprise the line up of titles that competitors will battle it out over in August.

In other soccer news, it looks like EA is indeed rebranding its smash-hit FIFA franchise as EA Sports Football Club.

Read up on our new games 2022 guide for a complete look over all the other games launching over the next few months.

The full release of eFootball 2022 has been pushed back to next Spring, with refunds to be issued to purchasers of the game's premium pack.

In an announcement, Konami told fans that the 1.0 version of the game, originally scheduled to release next week, "has been postponed until Spring 2022." The developer says that it has "been working diligently towards distributing an update that will bring new content to the game [...] as well as support for mobile devices on November 11. Unfortunately, we have concluded that more time is needed to deliver the product in the quality that will meet the expectations of our users and have decided to postpone the delivery."

The delay means that Konami has decided to issue automatic refunds to players who pre-ordered the game's Premium Player Pack, as it contains in-game items that can only be used after the update.

A new, smaller update is available today, fixing "numerous bugs on each platform," but it won't tackle more significant gameplay faults. There's also no word on when the mobile version will launch, with details on that front to be announced later.

This is a significant blow for Konami's reboot of its long-running football series, which got off to a seriously rocky start amid an early access release last month. Marred by bugs, dodgy AI and even dodgier player likenesses, eFootball 2022 swiftly became the lowest-rated game ever on Steam. With a launch update intended to fix some of those issues now bumped halfway through the season, the title is likely to have a long and difficult road ahead of it. 

For a sense of the progress Konami needs to make, check out our eFootball 2022 review. 

Konami has delayed an update to its newly-launched free-to-play eFootball 2022 in order to "ensure the experience is improved for all [its] users".

The update – which will now roll out in November – was initially expected by the end of this month, October, but Konami says it needs "additional time" and says it will announce the date and details of the fixes "as soon as they are confirmed". 

"We would like to inform users that we have decided to delay the release of version 0.9.1. to early November. We sincerely apologize for the delay and the inconvenience caused. Our hope is that the additional time taken will allow us to ensure the experience is improved for all our users," the "Konami Team" explained in a statement published on Twitter.

"We will announce the date and details of the fixes as soon as they are confirmed. In the meantime, we will continue to work on improving the game and look forward to working with you on eFootball 2022. Thank you for your patience."

eFootball 2022 was launched as the new – and free-to-play – successor of Pro Evolution Soccer, but quickly became one of the worst-reviewed Steam games of all time. After an embarrassing litany of bugs, glitches, and peculiarities, Konami issued a public apology for the issues eFootball 2022 players faced at launch, pledging to deliver an update later this month – which has now been delayed, of course.

"We are very sorry for the problems, and want to assure everyone we will take all concerns seriously and strive to improve the current situation," Konami said at the time. "This work will be continuously updated, quality will be improved and content will be added consistently. From next week onward, we will prepare for an update in October, while receiving further opinions through questionnaires to our users."

"The great shame is there was potential to break the mold here," we said in GameRadar+'s eFootball review. "The monetization of sports games in recent years screams greed: as I mentioned when reviewing FIFA 22, EA made $1.62 billion last year from purchases made after FIFA, Madden and NHL players had shelled out £50-70 on their initial products. So there should be much to like about a model in which the base game is free, and paid-for extras are down to user choice. For that to work, however, that base game has to function to at least a reasonable level. eFootball 2022 does not."

If you might want to give eFootball 2022 a miss for now, here's our list of the best sports games.

Konami has issued a public apology for the issues eFootball 2022 players have faced at launch, pledging to deliver an update for this month.  

The next entry in the series formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer came out this week and quickly became one of the worst-reviewed Steam games of all time. On top of issues with the way the game plays, players have flooded social media with bizarrely humorous images of game glitches as well as some rather unflattering in-game models of well-known players such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. 

The update acknowledges the issues with "pass speed and defense operation," the way both players and the ball move, and problems with cut-scenes and facial expressions.

"We are very sorry for the problems, and want to assure everyone we will take all concerns seriously and strive to improve the current situation," the message continues. "This work will be continuously updated, quality will be improved and content will be added consistently. From next week onward, we will prepare for an update in October, while receiving further opinions through questionnaires to our users."

Along with changing the series' title, eFootball 2022 also marks a transition toward a free-to-play business model. This means there's no upfront cost for dissatisfied players to refund, so at least Konami doesn't have to worry about a Cyberpunk 2077 situation for the time being. Still, first impressions are important, and the newly-reworked sports franchise now has an uphill battle to make up for this one.

Meanwhile, our FIFA 22 review will let you know how the other side of the virtual pitch is looking. 

eFootball 2022 has just launched, and immediately dropped to the lowest-rated game in Steam history.

At time of writing, Konami's latest take on the series formerly known as Pro Evolution Soccer or PES boasts an 'overwhelmingly negative' rating on Steam, with only 9% of its 4,300 reviews recommending the game. That's significantly lower than the next lowest game, 2011's Flatout 3: Chaos & Destruction, for which 15% of the reviews are positive (via VGC).

It's worth noting that all of these player reviews have appeared mere hours after release, so might not be entirely reflective of the game's quality. That said, with no scores available on Metacritic at time of writing, these are some of the only opinions that potential customers will have to go on. Multiple players liken the title to a mobile game, while others complain that the title is lacking features and clubs, and that its player and ball physics are wrong.

The title is also getting lambasted on social media due to hilarious bugs and terrifying player likenesses. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo both look like unfortunate caricatures of their true selves, while other players have noted flattened referees, Naruto-running strikers, and some horrific arm injuries.

eFootball is, admittedly, a free-to-play title that Konami says it'll be updating over time. That should make it easier to make improvements in the long-term than it might have been for a full release. That's unlikely, however, to impress PES fans who have been waiting two years for this game and its new engine. A launch this flawed is also likely to do some significant damage to Konami's monetisation plans, which the now-free eFootball series will rely on to survive without game sales.

Changed your plans for this evening? Here's our list of the best sports games.

Konami is coming to Gamescom 2021, and it's bringing new announcements for two of its biggest franchises that aren't Metal Gear or Silent Hill.

The company confirmed in a press release today that it's bringing eFootball (the new name for the football/soccer franchise formerly known as PES) and Yu-Gi-Oh Master Duel to the all-virtual conference. It will "feature new announcements and content" for the games at the show, though it didn't specify how it will deliver them, since there won't be big booths to wander around in or anything. Maybe a spotlight at the big Gamescom Opening Night Live event on August 25?

Konami holds a massive catalog of beloved games, and while the company has made few moves with Metal Gear since its acrimonious split with Hideo Kojima, rumors continue to bubble that it may be moving to revive Silent Hill after years of inactivity. Actor Norman Reedus - who was set to star in Silent Hills before it faded away in Kojima's absence - recently posted a strange video of himself with Silent Hill's Robbie the Rabbit, and Konami also recently signed a multi-game deal with horror specialist studio Bloober Team.

It's possible we may get more surprise announcements from Konami than just the two titles it has confirmed for Gamescom so far, but if so, it's keeping quiet about them for now. If you need me before then, I'll be updating my vision board for a Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon remake.

See what else we're looking forward to with our guide to new games 2021 and beyond.

Euro 2020 isn't happening until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic – but you can now play the tournament on PS4 and Xbox One as part of PES 2020.

A new DLC offering, titled Data Pack 7.0, adds the tournament to PES 2020 along with seven new Iconic Moment Series Legends for MyClub, Konami's answer to Ultimate Team. 

All 55 teams who entered Euro 2020 at the qualifying stage, including minnows such as Faroe Islands, San Marino and Andorra, are in the DLC with their current squads and kits. You can play out the tournament with groups adjusted to your liking using the Euro 2020 match ball. Two of the competition's biggest stadia, Wembley and St Petersburg, are also accurately re-created.

However, a planned boxed edition of PES 2020 featuring new Euro 2020 specific artwork has been cancelled.

The list of upgraded MyClub legends, all of whom receive boosted stats inspired by a famous match or moment, is made up of Dennis Bergkamp, Emmanuel Petit, Robert Pires, Iker Casillas, Guti, Roberto Carlos, and Fernando Morientes.

In the official PES 2020 Data Pack 7.0 patch notes, Konami mentions that it's also fixed a couple of MyClub bugs:

"An issue that caused the incorrect Team Strength values to be displayed in the Squad List for all teams that include players from the Iconic Moment Series. This issue was triggered by using a Matchday team that differs from your Base Team."

"An issue where the Team Strength Level filter for matchmaking in Ranked Matches did not work correctly. This issue was triggered by switching to a normal squad from a Club Edition Squad that differed from your Base Team."

The pack should download automatically next time you start the game on PS4, Xbox One or PC.

The real-life Euro 2020 will now take place next summer, from 11 June to 11 July 2021.

Konami have confirmed that UEFA Euro 2020 DLC is coming to eFootball PES 2020.

While the entire Euro 2020 football tournament has been thrown into doubt by the Coronavirus pandemic, it will still happen in the digital sense after Konami confirmed the DLC will be released on 30 April.

On top of that, it'll be completely free of charge to anyone who already owns the game. For those who don't, a combined version of PES 2020 and EURO 2020 will also be available in stores from that date onwards, exclusive to PS4.

All 55 UEFA national teams are fully licensed in the update, from heavyweights such as Germany, Italy, and France to minnows like Andorra, Malta, and San Marino. Wembley and St Petersburg are among the confirmed stadiums, and the official Euro 2020 trophy and ball also feature from launch.

A second ball, especially made for the EURO 2020 final, will be added to the game in June. 

MyClub, PES 2020's answer to Ultimate Team, inevitably gets some additional content as part of the update. Special 'featured players' will be accessible in this mode throughout the tournament, and the Team Of The Tournament will be added to MyClub once the whole thing has concluded, assuming that the tournament is played some time this year.

Euro 2020 themed matchdays, where you can represent your country in online fixtures, are also promised.

"We are very pleased to continue and extend our working partnership with Konami," says Guy Laurent-Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA. "UEFA Euro 2020 provides an opportunity to build an even closer working relationship, allowing us to activate it in new and exciting ways, and to engage with our mutual fans around the world.”

The latest news on the real-life tournament is that it could be postponed by a year as a result of Covid-19's spread across Europe, and indeed the world. Ticket sales for the final qualifying matches involving Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been suspended, with the ROI game against Slovakia now taking place behind closed doors on 26 March.

The Euro 2020 DLC will inevitably be followed in September by PES 2021. Hit that link for more of what to expect from Konami's next footy effort, including a brand new engine for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

As both major football games become esports focused, PES 2020 formations are a Konami priority – getting your tactical set-up just right often proves the difference between winning and losing, especially online. As a result, eFootball PES 2020 gives you a plethora of strategic choices to ensure your team ticks exactly as you need it to. This plentiful selection can be overwhelming to the new player, so to help with that and ensure the best get even better, I've put together this PES 2020 formations expert guide.

Best PES 2020 formations: 4-3-3 (4-2-1-3 in PES) 

Best for: Players who like cut and thrust football

Going forward: This formation relies on you getting your wingers in behind the opposition full-backs as quickly as possible, enabling them to angle a free dribble towards goal, or to cross it in to a waiting Centre Forward. 

Naturally this requires you to utilise a wide attacking area, allowing your players to find space. Dragging your wingers as high and wide as possible and using the Hug the Touchline advanced instruction ensures this method.

It doesn’t matter if you favour a possessive or counter attacking style in order to do this but having a long-pass build up and high support range is essential.

Keeping it tight at the back: The danger with this formation is that with your wingers high and wide up the pitch, the defence can be left exposed, especially out wide where any opposition overlaps aren’t covered. 

If this is a concern, consider deploying two of your three midfielders as DMFs to provide cover, whilst setting up to contain attacks through the middle. 

What you need: Pacy dribblers on the wings are a must and if you’re able to complement them with a clinical finisher in the box it pays dividends. Elsewhere, DMFs with high stamina and good defensive abilities are advantageous.

Best PES 2020 formations: 4-2-1-2-1 (4-3-2-1 in PES)

Best for: More patient PES players 

Going forward: The aim of the game here is to move the ball toward goal with a series of short passes to retain possession, while keeping your teammates close by. 

PES offers a number of attacking instructions to help you do this. Play with a possessive attacking style, build up with short passes through the centre, and instruct your players to maintain formation with a low support range to ensure they’re in position.

Using the fabled Tiki-Taka advanced instruction sees players take up positions to help facilitate this. If you need even more help, employing false full-backs offers even more outlets in the middle. 

Keeping it tight at the back: Having players grouped so closely together means that once you lose the ball it becomes imperative to win it back before your opponent finds any of the space left unattended. Using aggressive pressuring and frontline pressure to strangle your opponents can be an effective way of doing this – with a little help from the stamina draining Gegenpress if needs be. 

Elsewhere, having 2 DMFs means you can afford for your back line to play a bit deeper. This can be particularly helpful if your opponent is looking to break with quick counter attacks.

What you need: Whilst great passing and dribbling throughout your team is essential, the bigger need is that of your own patience. Whilst an effective formation, a methodical approach is required for it to pay off and waiting for exactly the right time to make that killer move is crucial.  

Best PES 2020 formations: 5-3-2 (5-2-1-2 in PES)

Best for: Those who put defence first

Going forward: Yes, the focus here is on defending – but with two centre forwards lurking up the field it can be devastating in attack too. The key is to get the ball up top as soon as possible, so use a counter attacking style with long-ball build up. Setting your preferred striker as a counter target so he offers a dangerous out ball also pays dividends.

For the more daring, instructing your full-backs to be attacking can provide some width if things are getting a little too narrow. Use these sparingly so as to avoid conceding soft goals.

Keeping it tight at the back: This formation is so defensive there’s little you need to do to ensure things are tight. Using two deep lying midfielders to close down attacks gives you the luxury of being able to drop your defensive line back a bit, giving your opponent even less chance of unleashing a killer pass. 

What you need: It goes without saying that for this you need good centre backs: three of them to be precise. As this isn’t the most creative setup, a striker with abilities to make things happen on their own is crucial. 

Best PES 2020 formations: 4-2-1-3 

Best for: The potential professionals 

Going forward: If it’s good enough for the current PES World Champion – Usmakabyle – then it should be good enough for you too.

The formation is designed with one thing in mind: attacking. Everything should be focused on working the ball through the midfield – nicknamed ‘the dog’s leg’ by PES casters, and up to the narrow front three to finish the job. 

Moving the ball quickly is vital for this formation to be at its most effective, so work it through your midfielders at a rapid pace. As a result your players should be kept on a tight leash positionally to ensure they’re in the right place to receive a pass at all times.

Lowering the range of support also ensures that there’s plenty of passing options once the ball gets to the business end of the pitch. 

Keeping it tight at the back: Having a front three means you’re already light defensively, and the narrowness of the formation finds lesser players increasingly susceptible to opposition attacks.

To counter this, it’s imperative to win the ball back at the earliest opportunity. Frontline pressure, aggressive harrying of opponents and a defensive line positioned as far forward as possible limits opposition space and make it difficult to find a route to goal. 

Beware though, this strategy is very high risk. If your defending isn’t up to scratch you could find yourself on the wrong end of some emphatic hammerings. 

What you need: Squad strength and depth: The high pressure nature of the defending drains stamina, and you need to make changes to last the full 90. A midfield with high passing and attack with high finishing attributes also help immensely. 

PES 2020 is out now. To up your game even further, head over to our PES 2020 tips covering 5 essential things to know before you play.

This is a colossal year for PES. The brand has undergone a name change to satisfy its growing esports focus, while major new partnerships and forthcoming content surrounding UEFA Euro 2020 add up to a notable period of expansion for Konami’s long-treasured series. Even EA Sports’ FIFA series is feeling the effects, with PES now retaining exclusive rights to Serie A champions Juventus, amongst others. 

But as is tradition, PES 2020 places its biggest focus on the football itself, implementing a host of new features and refinements on the pitch. The finished package adds up to a smartly improved and more engaging effort than its predecessor, albeit with a few trademark quirks that slightly hinder its title-winning potential.

Take a seat

The most immediate difference compared to PES 2019 is the new default camera angle. It’s called ‘Stadium’, and serves as one of the best additions in this year’s game, implementing an authentic, broadcast-like approach. It assists in bringing the series’ intricately detailed stadiums to life, including new locations such as Manchester United’s Old Trafford and Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena, and also works to enhance gameplay by injecting an added sense of realism. 

And it’s gameplay which has always been paramount to Pro Evo, often to the chagrin of FIFA die-hards. There are crucial improvements to note this year. A new Finesse Dribble system provides improved ways to conquer one-on-one situations with subtle right-stick skill moves, and excels because of its low-key approach. It allows the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Juan Cuadrado to prove dominant, using quick feet to pull off ballet-toed manoeuvres.

You can now get more whip on your crosses, too, with headed attempts feeling more powerful, while an array of new defensive animations lead to far more crucial blocks and tense goalmouth scrambles than ever before. This makes top teams even harder to break down, especially on higher difficulty levels, where you encounter star defenders constantly putting their bodies on the line to prevent goalscoring opportunities. 

However, the subtlest change has the greatest effect: a gameplay element called ‘miss-kicks’, which places a greater emphasis on player errors. It works to eliminate the occasional ping-pong nature of PES 2019 by reducing passing (and shooting) accuracy in appropriate situations, such as when facing away from the person you’re passing to. As a result, you’re forced to consider your actions more carefully before the ball leaves your feet, helping to curate a more authentic tactical mindset.

Managerial makeover

In terms of game modes, the biggest changes arrive in Master League - Pro Evo’s long-running offline career mode. This time around, the focus is on new cutscenes, some of which are interactive, helping to craft a more personalised story than in years past. The board might question you about objectives, for example, with multiple responses available, and you also come across detailed scenes surrounding press conferences, new signings, team talks, and much more.

It’s clear love and attention has gone into these segments, and they do a good job of progressing your personal narrative. That said, they don’t have much lasting impact on the team itself, only occasionally affecting things like player form, which feels like a missed opportunity. Still, they at least result in the freshest and therefore most enjoyable Master League in years, with upgrades also applied to the transfer system and mode customisation. However, the lack of a realistic regeneration system continues to disappoint, with retired players still being reincarnated as younger versions of themselves. The sooner this is remedied, the better.

Elsewhere, there aren’t too many new features, although plenty of returning favourites. The popular Become a Legend player career mode benefits from Master League’s intuitive new menu layout, but otherwise remains overly similar to last year’s effort. The same can be said of the Ultimate Team style myClub mode, which surprisingly takes a backseat, retaining much of the same content and presentation as last year. 

The one exception is the addition of Matchday - a time-limited online tournament in which you pick sides and play to earn points for your chosen team. This is a reasonably fun mode, dishing out plenty of myClub rewards along the way, but it's too restrictive at present. At launch, you can only play it within a four-hour window, so if you’re not around at those times, you’ve no choice but to miss out.

Liquid football

The tagline for PES 2020 is “Playing is Believing”, and in many aspects, this rings true. Visually, it’s one of the most impressive sports games on the market, sporting an ever-improved set of realistic player models, as well as upgraded lighting and stadium enhancements. Pre-match segments fizz with big-game atmosphere, even when laced with Peter Drury and Jim Begin’s outdated commentary, which feels like it’s barely changed over the past twelve months.

As usual, the game does its best talking on the pitch. This year’s version adopts a slightly slower pace compared to PES 2019, and benefits as a result, encouraging more thoughtful build-up play and intelligent passing moves. There’s a greater sense of balance in general, with the engine rewarding you for prioritising patience and clever thinking, as opposed to exploiting any particular style of play.

PES 2020 also does an exemplary job of highlighting individual player traits. There’s a distinctly unique feel to all the top players, and adapting your tactics around them is the key to success. The likes of Mario Mandzukic are excellent at playing a long ball style, winning headers and holding up play, while someone like Sergio Aguero feels positively lethal with the ball at his feet. We saw this sort of thing in PES 2019, but it’s far more pronounced this time around.

Notable improvements bolster the AI, too. Playing against the CPU is far less repetitive and tiresome, with teams mixing up their strategies and styles of play. The likes of Barcelona attack with quick passing and creative flair, while lesser-rated sides are more prone to miss-kicks, and often look to waste time when taking an unlikely lead. The biggest downside to the AI is its off-the-ball intelligence, which still suffers from an occasional lack of responsiveness. There are times when player switching goes awry, or a player watches the ball float past them needlessly, and while these instances are rare, they’re often an annoyance.

For the most part, eFootball PES 2020 offers up a faithful replication of the beautiful game. It’s easily the most realistic PES to date, with various visual tweaks and gameplay enhancements proving key additions. It’s also a more immersive game than last year, particularly in terms of the new TV-style camera and growing number of major licenses, boosting its sense of legitimacy both on and off the pitch. 

The lack of inventiveness applied to some modes - such as the ever-popular myClub - is a shame, and even Master League isn’t yet the finished package. But when the quality of the football is this good, it’s easy to forgive a few own goals. 

Reviewed on Xbox One.

You're going to need a PES 2020 Option File if you’re looking to play PES 2020 (or eFootball PES 2020, to give it its new, fuller title). While there are more real names this year, you’ll still need to install real badges and kits from the Premier League, Championship, and Spain’s La Liga, to bring the licenses up to scratch with FIFA. Below, we’ll go through everything you need to know about downloading and using PES 2020 Option File on PS4 and PC.

PES 2020 Option File: What you need

Thankfully, it’s not a complicated process. The main, key, piece of hardware you’ll need (at least on PS4) is a USB stick, preferably with at least 8 GB of memory. You’ll also need to find a solid Option File itself. Speaking of which…

PES 2020 Option File: Where to get one

For now, many PES 2020 Option Files out there are paid-only. If you’re willing to stump up the cash, the likes of PES Universe have one for £10 ($12) which I’ve used myself. However, you can also check out PES World to see if any free Option Files crop up on there from the crack team of modders and editors a few days after release.

PES 2020 Option File: How to install real names, kits, and badges on PS4

If you haven’t used your USB on your PS4 before, you’ll need to format your USB to FAT32. It’s nice and simple but copy and backup all of your current files onto your computer as formatting it will wipe everything.

Right-click on your USB, then press Format. Select ‘FAT32’ from the File System dropdown menu and click Start. Easy. Then, all you need to with your USB is create a new folder and title it ‘WEPES’

Next, download a PES 2020 Option File from one of the sites above (or another of your choosing if you so wish) and extract the files using WinRAR or equivalent software to the WEPES folder now present on your USB drive. You can finally slot your USB into your PS4.

Note: If the Option File already has a folder called ‘WEPES’ (it’s rare, but does happen), you don’t need to create a new folder, just extract it directly onto the USB.

Ensure all patches and Live Updates have been installed before beginning (go to ‘Apply latest Live Update’ in Settings for the latter), then click on Settings in the main menu, then Edit.

Create Edit Data if you haven’t already. Then, scroll down to Import/Export, press Accept on the warning, then click Import Team and then press X to proceed if you’re looking to get all the real names, kits, and badges.

Annoyingly, this year, you’ll have to go through a quick tutorial first. Do that (just mash X and follow the on-screen instructions when required) and go back to Import Team.

Select your USB when the option pops up, and then press Square – ‘Select all files’ and proceed. Don’t tick anything on Detailed Settings and hit OK. You then have to wait around 10-15 minutes for the files to copy over, depending on how large your PES 2020 Option File is.

So, in summary:

• Format USB (if required)
• Download a PES 2020 Option File
• Extract the files onto the USB,
• Put the USB into the PS4
• In PES 2020, go to Settings > Edit > Import/Export
• Go to Import Team, complete the quick tutorial if required
• Select USB in pop-up screen
• Press Square to select all files then go to Detailed Settings
• Leave all boxes unchecked on Detailed Settings and press OK
• Wait for your files to install – all done!

PES 2020 Option File: How to install real names, kits, and badges on PC

The first thing you need to do on PC (other than downloading an Option File, of course) is to boot up your copy of PES and go to Settings > Edit for the first time. This will create Edit Data, which will also automatically make a ‘WEPES’ folder for you to copy Option Files into.

There are two possible destinations for the WEPES folder, depending on whether you’re playing the game on Steam or not.

On Steam, the WEPES folder can be found here: C:\Steam\steamapps\common\Pro Evolution Soccer 2020.

If you’re not playing on Steam, the folder location should look like this: My Documents > Konami > Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 > WEPES

Once that’s done, copy all files from the downloaded Option File directly into the WEPES file.

Go back into PES 2020 and go to Settings > Edit > Import/Export

From here, accept the warning, and click on Import Team. Hit the command shown to ‘Select All Files’ when the list of files show up on the Select File screen.

After they’ve all been ticked, click through to Detailed Settings, leave all boxes unticked and press OK.

The whole process will take around 10 minutes, perhaps longer if you have several leagues and teams to overwrite. Once it’s done, however, you’ll have the real deal: all authentic kits, badges, and names for the 2019/2020 season.

PES 2020 Option File: Can I get real names, kits, and badges on Xbox One?

As of writing, there is still no way to get real names, kits, and badges on your PES 2020 Xbox One copy. Outside of being a dab hand at using the in-game editor, it’s impossible due to the Microsoft console’s lack of compatibility for third-party files.

PES 2020 Option File: Does it work in online matches?

All downloaded names, kits, and badges will work online in PES 2020, albeit with a caveat. Only you can see it, not your opponent.

Conversely, if you’re going up against a player with a different Option File (for example, a retro-styled Option File featuring 1990s kits), then you’ll only be able to see your Option File’s version of each team, including all strips, badges, and all the rest of it.

eFootball PES 2020 is out now. Just getting started? Then be sure to immediately head over to our PES 2020 tips for 5 key things to know before you play. Or check the best PES 2020 formations here!

Following an off-season which seemed to last an eternity – and a mildly curious name change – the time for some eFootball PES 2020 tips is finally upon us. And it’s not just that new moniker you have to get used to where PES 2020 is concerned. The latest instalment features a raft of gameplay changes, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, meaning your muscle memory is about to get a serious workout. Never fear, however. With GR’s PES 2020 tips you’ll be defending like Van Dijk in no time at all. We've got five PES 2020 tips here, ranging from tactics to skills and even how to manage your players' balance.

Tactics aren’t just for show

A big advantage Pro Evo holds over rival FIFA 20 is its wealth of tactical options. PES 2020’s scope for getting a team to play just the way you want it, via formations, playing styles and even individual player instructions, is massive – allowing you to fine tune to the tiniest of details.

Having a team set up to complement your footballing ethos and the players at your disposal is essential if you want it to outperform the sum of its parts – so use your first few matches to experiment with what’s on offer before jumping into modes such as Master League. If you like to whip balls into the box, a wide formation with the ‘hug the wings’ instruction ensures space on the flanks. Those who prefer intricacy will be better suited to a narrower set-up making use of the Barca-esque Tiki Taka approach. Still unsure? Then you need our PES 2020 formations guide, which will be live on the site imminently.

Defenders assemble

For the longest time PES’s defending was somewhat automated. If your opponent was in possession you’d simply direct a player towards them, hold down X, and moments later emerge with the ball.

In PES 2020 things have changed. Tackling has been refined, with referees now more than willing to penalise those that rely on blindly pressuring opponents to win possession. But don’t panic! The key to a clean tackle is all in the timing: waiting for the perfect moment to make your move and win the ball without committing a foul.

This requires patience, and it’s often more beneficial to force your opponent into making an error rather than dive in and risk the ire of the referee. Using the square button to summon AI assistance is the most effective method of doing this: it allows you to close down and potentially intercept your opponent’s passing opportunities, whilst always keeping a man between them and the goal. As Paolo Maldini once said: "If I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake."

Go backwards to go forwards

While patience is critical in defence, it’s a handy attribute to have in attack too. One of the main differences between PES 2020 and previous iterations is its slower game speed, which means your route to goal often benefits from a more cerebral approach. Instead of attacking at will, it’s usually advantageous to work the ball into other areas of the pitch, even if that means passing backwards.

This is helped by the new broadcast camera which gives you a wider view of the pitch, and more opportunity to explore areas in which your attack may be more potent, or your opponent’s defence weak.

Patience is also needed when it comes to passing and shooting, following the introduction of context-sensitive kick accuracy. This means that the effectiveness of every pass and shot is influenced by the posture of a player, his position, and the pressure he’s under.

A shot taken whilst your player is off balance is more likely to find Row Z than the back of the net, so be sure to wait for the exact moment in which to strike. The reduction in game speed is again a huge help on this front.

Do homework on your squad

With each incarnation of Pro Evolution Soccer, Konami faithfully recreates thousands of pro footballers to give the most realistic experience possible. It’s not just the players’ likenesses that get added into the game, however: their playing styles, strengths and weaknesses are also masterfully implemented.

Knowing your individual players strengths, weaknesses, and preferred foot – and therefore swiftly learning what each is or isn’t capable of – can lend a huge advantage both online and off. You wouldn’t expect Gareth Bale to take a shot on his right foot if the opportunity was there to use his left and the same principles apply to PES.

PES 2020’s menus can be a headache, so if you’re struggling with those use a third-party site such as PES Master instead. For example, a comprehensive guide to Virgil van Dijk’s in-game attributes took me exactly three seconds to track down.

Dish out some right stick

The introduction of a new finesse dribbling system – developed with the help of Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta – makes a colossal difference to the feel of PES 2020 compared with its predecessors.

With a flick of the right stick your player now moves the ball in the desired direction, regardless of which way they are facing. This not only makes it easier to retain possession, but when used with traditional sprint and dribble functions can be a devastating way of beating an opposition player.

Finesse dribbles can also be linked together with multiple turns and shimmies incorporated into player movements to truly bamboozle defenders. These are especially effective in one-on-one situations. Oh, and they look awesome too!

Although players with high dribbling attributes can execute better moves, every player in the game is able to finesse dribble to some extent – meaning it’s well worth mastering the technique.

PES 2020 is out now. Prefer its soon-to-be-released, big-bucks rival? Then here’s a breakdown of FIFA 20 ratings, showcasing the top 100 players in EA’s football sim this year. Or check the best PES 2020 formations here!

Konami's long-standing football franchise may have added "eFootball" to the start of its name, but to fans of the series, it will always be PES 2020. If anyone's been super keen to jump in ahead of the September 10 release date, the PES 2020 demo is available to download and play right now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, so you can see what's in store for the next year of the other football game.

The eFootball PES 2020 demo download features 13 teams in total, and while most of them are South American clubs like River Plate, Sao Paolo, and Corinthians, there's five big teams to play as: Manchester United, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich. All five teams have signed deals with Konami for eFootball PES 2020 to feature their kits, stadiums, badges, and players in the game, and while four of them aren't exclusive so FIFA 20 will have them too, the Juventus deal is.

This means that the Juventus we know isn't in FIFA 20 at all, and is instead known as Piemonte Calcio. The only way to play with Juventus is through the PES 2020 demo, and later on the full game, which will no doubt be a huge selling point for fans of the Italian giants.

If you're playing the PES 2020 demo on PC or PS4, you've also got access to the Edit mode, which allows you to delve into the data for any club in the game - even those not featured in the demo - and edit their club details like team colour, kits, official partners, and more.

Make sure you check out our PES 2020 preview before getting stuck in! Or check the best PES 2020 formations here!

Farewell, then, Trad Brick Stadium. The PES staple is gone, replaced by a meticulously detailed recreation of Old Trafford, as part of a partnership of as-yet-undetermined length between Konami and the team series veterans have come to know as Man Red. The publisher euphemistically calls it "a year of significant change for both brands" – though it's obvious why such a deal would appeal for Konami given the size of United's global fanbase, even with the Theatre of Dreams having become something more like the Theatre of False Hopes in recent times. Perhaps, in fact, that's why a partnership is now more viable – Jonas Lygaard, Konami's senior director of brand and business development, refers to a "two-year journey" to ink the deal. Maybe José Mourinho was more of a FIFA man.

Regardless, at an event held at United's Carrington training complex, it's hard not to be impressed when first-teamers Scott McTominay, Victor Lindelöf and Diogo Dalot appear on stage next to holograms of their uncanny in-game likenesses. We see footage of a rig of cameras capturing their faces and bodies from a wide range of angles, while Lindelöf is just one player whose extensive arm tattoos have been rendered in remarkable detail: he seems quietly impressed at how well they've been recreated on his character model as it sways gently beside him. 

McTominay, meanwhile, has been newly appointed as a PES brand ambassador, which means he'll be paid lots of money to pretend he doesn't play The Other Football Game – the sparky midfielder claims to be the one to beat in the changing room for video games of any kind, the most human part of an otherwise painfully stilted on-stage 'interview'. (No blame attached to the players; there's little difference from the usual PR-trained post-match chat.)

New name, familiar game

After a build-up of Sky Sports Super Sunday proportions, it's finally time to go hands-on with the game they're now calling eFootball PES 2020 – which doesn't feel any less clumsy than the first time we heard it. Though if at first it seemed like an attempt to get away from the Pro Evolution Soccer name, which no longer holds the same cachet as it did during its early PlayStation heyday, there are no signs that it's being retired just yet. When not called to give it its full title, the Konami reps still say 'PES', and McTominay refers to it as 'Pro Evo'. Good man. 

He's on the title screen, too – at least in this build, which allows us to play as either United or a team of PES Legends. The latter come with a borderline psychotic setup, with those famous centre-backs Pavel Nedved and Patrick Vieira part of a defensive three, and Diego Maradona inexplicably left on the bench. It's even more baffling when you see him in action, since as much as anyone else he highlights the care Konami puts into distinguishing players, particularly the superstars of the game.

Maradona's close control and low centre of gravity makes it very hard to rob him of possession by fair means – and he has a habit of hurdling attempted fouls, too. At one stage we resort to Massing-v-Caniggia tactics to ensure he doesn't get into the penalty area, only for one David Beckham (the first of a series of United legends who'll appear in the game) to curl in a trademark free-kick. As Beckham wheels away, David De Gea frustratedly punches the ground with both fists in familiar fashion; later, he plucks a shot out of the air that seemed to be arrowing towards the top corner with the kind of commanding ease to which United fans have become accustomed. 

PES has always been good at this stuff, of course, but this year those fine details are, well, finer. Some of that's down to the quality of the animation. Previous entries captured individual movements well, but they felt awkwardly stitched together; this year it appears they've been more effectively blended. If the joins are less noticeable, it occasionally seems to have an impact on response time – we're some way from the zippy arcade feel of PES 2013, though you can still pull off slick, one-touch passing moves in the middle of the park. That's partly because there's a little more space: pitch dimensions feel slightly larger, though that may be something to do with the new default camera. It moves along a slight curve for a more televisual framing, though it doesn't always fully keep up with play - on more than one occasion, we found ourselves inside our opponent's half without knowing if our wingers were free. 

Integral strategy changes

There's an increased physicality, too, with fouls packing a wince-inducing wallop – there's a brilliant moment where a cross thuds into Phil Jones' ample midriff, and he bends over as if winded, letting our opponent recover the ball. Referees are occasionally a touch whistle-happy, not least when we concede a penalty for a standing tackle that cleanly won possession. But elsewhere, as McTominay (who, as brand ambassador, would appear to have had his stats slightly inflated) we knock Totti off the ball with a good old-fashioned shoulder barge and the ref waves play on. 

Tackling is fun, in other words – no invisible force fields around your opponent here – and while the AI is generally competent, they're capable of mistakes that mean you'll see plenty of possession. Whether that leads to more goals, however, will depend on how you acclimatise to shooting that offers less margin for error. Pressure from defenders makes miskicks all the more likely, which encourages you to work the space for more clear-cut openings – for which the new right-stick 'finesse dribbling' is ideal. 

While two hours' play with two teams isn't enough to fully pinpoint potential tactical shortcomings, it's clear that low crosses from wide have been nerfed, while angled lofted through-balls seem slightly OP – though Marcus Rashford against a lumbering Vieira was always going to be a mismatch. Besides, as has happened in years past, some of this will be subject to change between now and the game's September release.

You'll be able to see for yourself soon enough. A demo is coming at the end of July, featuring 12 teams and, more significantly, the game's Edit Mode, letting you get ahead of the game with kit and line-up changes before launch day. It's an acknowledgement on Konami's part that if it can't compete with EA in licensing terms, it can at least rely on the game's biggest fans to pick up the slack. Whether the sport's biggest fanbase can get eFootball PES 2020 closer to its moneyed rival remains to be seen. Still, Konami will be hoping, as will United, that the changes it's made on and off the pitch will help it become a Theatre of Dreams once more. 

eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 is launching on 10 September 2019 for PC, PS4, Xbox One.