When we talk about sports simulation games, one that rings a bell in our mind is football. Football simulation games have been entertaining games for years. The FIFA vs PES ( Pro Evolution Soccer) battle has been dominating the football gaming industry for a long time. Both of these games are top-notch and provide the users with the best gaming experience. Their hunger to rule the industry increased as years passed by. Developers of both the games tried hard to suppress each other by bringing in new updates and improved versions of the game. This cold war ultimately benefited the gamers who got to relish upgraded versions of the game every year.

About FIFA

The legendary FIFA series has been produced by EA SPORTS for over 20 years and is now the largest sports video game franchise on the planet. FIFA brings the World’s Game to life, letting you play with the biggest leagues, clubs, and players in world football, all with incredible detail and realism. Born in the year 1993, it is the first football simulation game to have an official license from FIFA.

About PES

Known in Japan and formerly North America as eFootball Winning Eleven, is a series of association football simulation video games developed and released by Konami. It is itself a sister series of Konami’s earlier International Superstar Soccer and has been released under different names before the name Pro Evolution Soccer was officially released worldwide.

What led to FIFA vs PES?

Before understanding the FIFA vs PES rivalry it becomes necessary to understand the history that led to it. EA and Konami entered the football game arena in the late 90s. The first EA FIFA title was released in 1993 titled FIFA International Soccer with only national teams and no real players.  It introduced an isometric camera angle that would reveal facets of the environment not visible from a top-down or side-view perspective thereby producing a three-dimensional effect. This major upgrade resulted in selling thousands of units of the game within a week after its release becoming the top-selling video game for six months.

         On the other hand, Konami developed and released International Superstar Soccer in 1995 becoming the main contender along with the FIFA series. Although EA and Konami continue to battle over the domination in the football game genre as far as sales are concerned it is hardly a conflict. FIFA 19 outsold PES 2019 at a ratio of 22:1. The last pro evolution soccer that ever came close to the sales of FIFA was in 2009. A countless number of games have been released between 1980-2020 but all the roads led to one destination i.e the FIFA vs PES duopoly that the industry is currently facing.

While both of these games have a huge fan base, a question that still exists is “ Which one of them is the best football game”. Before coming on to the final verdict let’s take a look at some of the defining parameters:

1. Gameplay

Both of them are equally entertaining and distinguishing them on the basis of gameplay becomes a little bit tricky. The primary difference between FIFA & PES is the arcade-like approach of the former which makes it a little bit easier to get addicted while PES is a simulation of real football. Its gameplay is truer to life hence it becomes a bit harder to master. FIFA focuses more on the offensive side whereas PES believes in a defensive play. PES is a perfect example of how football should feel. Newly added 11 skills include the crossover turn, no-look pass, controlled chip, dipping shot, and rising shot but unfortunately it’s tangible and authentic gameplay has become a roadblock for its own career.

Winner- PES

2. Graphics

When it comes to presentation, FIFA beats the shit out of PES. The crowd detailing ( you can actually see individuals waving flags), faces of players, and the stadium design are far better than PES. The kind of detailing and animation provided by FIFA is beyond any comparison. Facial detail looks better in FIFA and there is more realism in expression while PES often looks like a bunch of inanimate objects moving all around the field aimlessly. Lighting, however, looks very nice in PES 2019 especially with an HDR TV and compatible consoles.

Winner- FIFA

3. Modes

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FIFA’s latest update comes with a VOLTA mode. It has a brand new style of gameplay that immerses players in the flow of the street. This realistic model comes with new tools like simplified flicks and skill moves. FIFA’s career mode has taken a revamp this year with refurbished manager customization and more interaction with players taking this game to the next level.

          PES’s Master League is the next best alternative to FIFA’s career mode. The master league provides you with a proper story mode where you can adjust pretty much everything about the transfer window including transfer frequency, budget, etc. You are required to face the media which gives you a chance to shape your managerial personality in a press conference.

Winner- PES

4. Licenses

FIFA holds major UEFA licenses with it including the Champions League and Europa League. Its massive selection scale of licenses gives it an edge over PES and is a major reason as to why they sell more. The World Cup can only be experienced at FIFA which makes it worthy of a try. If you’re after some of the most powerful licensed authenticity in a game, FIFA is the only choice you got.

Winner- FIFA

Here comes the Judgement!

It seems that it is a tie between both the games but we never know when that changes.

FIFA vs PES is a never-ending battle, although it totally depends upon your choice. Both of them are based on the football genre but their gameplay is entirely different. One (FIFA) focuses more on player details and graphics while the other one ( PES) lays more emphasis on tactics and real-life football which makes FIFA vs PES rivalry more interesting.

Both of the games are equally strong in their respective fields. Two making a choice between the two will be an injustice for the other.  Although when we play a game it is not always about statistics, it’s the fondness towards the game and here FIFA excels with a huge fan base compared to PES. Due to some of the major updates in FIFA, its sales have skyrocketed this year which is bad news for the other one. Some updates like FIFA 20 – THE REALISM MOD! has really helped FIFA!

But at the same time, PES should not be underestimated as the amount of growth and development exhibited by it even without many licenses is appreciable and can give a tough fight to FIFA in the years to come. If things go on at this predictable rate maybe the future becomes unpredictable.

Purchase FIFA 20 from here and PES 20 from here!