FIFA 20 launched globally this week and players around the world are now playing EA’s mega-successful yearly series. And as is always the case there is one question on everyone’s mind – which is better FIFA 20 or PES 2020? We attempt to answer that below.

Gameplay

For a few years now, PES has played a better game of football than its more illustrious rival. This year is no different with PES 2020 or to give it its proper official name this year eFootball PES 2020 (catch isn’ it) dominating on the pitch.

PES has played a fairly solid style of football with fluent passing and crisp finishing closely mimicking the real game for the last two to three iterations. Things have gotten even better in PES 2020 with a brand-new set of animations between players creating an even realer feel to the game, and ensuring that there is a distinct feel to every match you play and every goal you score.

FIFA for its part has also improved on the pitch, with a game now playing at a slightly slower pace and has become more methodical than just pumping the ball up-field and chasing it down with your fastest players. This gives the game more dynamism and at times patient build-up at times paying off. However, overall PES can still comfortably hold its claim to be the best football simulation.

Presentation

This really hasn’t been a contest for years and this iteration is not much different. While FIFA continues to add polish to its already stellar menus and overall navigation, PES for some reason seems simply reluctant to change its PlayStation 2 like menus and fonts that should have been abandoned in 2002.

There are improvements in the Master League mode though with additional cutscenes included that show behind-the-scenes interactions between managers, players and agents. The pitch side presentation and the camera modes remain the same for PES and FIFA, but the latter stands out here with its TV like cuts and graphics. 

The biggest letdown once more is the commentary for PES which will often bear little resemblance to the action on the pitch. It is extremely befuddling to understand why the powers that be at Konami haven’t prioritized these aspects of the game particularly in light of their exclusivity deal with Juventus.

Game Modes

FIFA has introduced Volta as a new game mode that is set to replace The Journey from previous editions. Volta is basically street football and conjures up memories of those old Nike commercials from almost 20 years ago. There are certain story elements to this mode as well as you try and create a team and then climb up the very summit of this format.

Volta’s addition gives FIFA a mode that allows players to mix up the usual 11-v-11 match-ups and while you may not necessarily play it with your friends all that much, it is certainly interesting enough to give a go. The usual suspects for FIFA as Career Mode and Ultimate Team are back as well meaning you should have enough to sink your teeth into for the next 12 months.

PES on the other hand is quite content to sit on its laurels, and while myClub certainly challenges Ultimate Club it is fair to say the mode hasn’t changed drastically over its predecessor. Master League still maintains its charm though and is a fair bit more rewarding than what FIFA have on offer.

As you might have deciphered from above, both FIFA and PES are largely unchanged from their previous editions. While FIFA have made some gameplay tweaks and introduced Volta game mode, PES has chosen to further refine things on the pitch and will be concentrating on the esports aspect of things with this year’s entry. 

The choice before the buyer is simple – if you want to play an amazing game of football and don’t mind having the commentary switched off and downloading a patch then go with PES. If on the other hand, you want your games to feel sleek and enjoy spending time in the menus at the cost of a lesser football simulator, go FIFA.