FIFA 20 Vs. EFootball PES 2020: Which Is The Better Game?

FIFA 20: The new season has started - launch trailer

In FIFA 20, all the signs are on the street. With the new VOLTA mode, EA brings FIFA Street back to the consoles. The game is played in 17 different fields in several different game modes around the world. The players can expect a story, customizable avatars and different types of game - from 3v3 without a goalkeeper to 5v5 with real futsal rules. The options promise great variety. In addition to VOLTA, FIFA 20 advertises changes in gameplay as well as the Pro Clubs, Career and Ultimate Team modes.

You can find our review of FIFA 20 here

eFootball PES 2020: Everything for the perfect simulation

eFootball PES 2020 E3 trailer

New name, old game. Pro Evolution Soccer is called eFootball PES from this year and would like to strengthen its position as an eSport title. The focus is on a revised gameplay, which is supposed to be a bit more realistic than its predecessors. For the new "Finesse Dribbling", the developers also took advice from Spanish midfield star Andrés Iniesta. In the Meisterliga mode, legends like Maradonna, Zico or Matthäus can be chosen as avatars and examined in new cutscenes. There is also the new “Matchday” mode and a major update to Euro 2020 that has already been announced.

You can find our test on eFootball PES 2020 here

1. Licenses

For many players, the most important decision criterion: the licenses. Whether kicking with Chelsea FC or London FC makes a huge difference for large sections of the players. Let's take a look at the facts. FIFA 20 shows off more than 30 licensed leagues, over 700 clubs and 17,000 players. The first Romanian league has also entered the franchise of the software giant for the first time. eFootball PES 2020 still has an impressive portfolio of 23 leagues, but has to fall back on fancy names and generic emblems in the top competitions from England and Spain.

This is the best way to cheer in FIFA 20.

Start photo gallery (16 photos)

The Bundesliga, however, is completely lacking in the game, as a result of which there is an irreparable gap in the license landscape of Konami, especially in this country. An editor mode and exclusive club partnerships with the big players Juventus Turin (completely exclusive), FC Bayern, Manchester United and FC Barcelona are intended to compensate for the deficit. But as much as Konami kicks, scratches and bites - in terms of licenses, FIFA 20 takes a big win this year. 1: 0

2. Graphics

Not only should it be fun, it should also be pretty. The detailed representation of players and stadiums has always been one of the annual sales arguments of game manufacturers. In fact, FIFA 20 and eFootball PES 2020 can realistically reproduce the protagonists of world football. We think Konami has been in the lead in this area for many years. Thanks to elaborate 3D scans, PES offers not only the obligatory player faces, but also detailed tattoos.

Additional sweat and light effects as well as the hair textures make the players in the work of Konami seem a bit more real than with EA. The stadiums also benefit from accurate implementation using scanning technology, which makes them look fancier than the competition. Therefore, the point goes to eFootball PES 2020. 1: 1.

3. Gameplay

Both titles scold each other as a football simulation, but which one actually plays better? When you start playing, you quickly notice that FIFA 20 is significantly faster than PES and allows a higher ball control. The gameplay has its own dynamics, but clearly differs from real football. FIFA is aimed at casual players who prefer an arcaded experience without major entry hurdles. This year's PES is completely different.

The makers concentrate entirely on what is happening on the pitch and thus orientate themselves to games from the real stadiums. The player movements and ball physics are accordingly realistic - but also sluggish. Beautiful dribbles every second are much more inefficient and can only be done with a lot of practice. The bottom line is that everyone has to think about what is better: casual or realistic? Far from the tastes, we find that eFootball PES 2020 is more consistent in the implementation of its gameplay. 1: 2 for PES!

4. Scope

PES makes it easy for the competition this year. In terms of scope, this year's offshoot remains modest. In addition to the well-known modes, players can re-enact real encounters in “Matchday”, but there is not much new to offer. A free Euro DLC is planned, but it won't be released until next spring.

Not enough to hold water for FIFA 20. After all, EA has added a mode with VOLTA that is large enough to make it a game of its own. The street football trip is supplemented by all sorts of features in a wide variety of modes. FIFA 20 capitalizes on scope and depends on PES by a long margin, as it does with licenses. Compensation, 2: 2!

5. Presentation

What is a good game if it is not well staged? The presentation matters a lot. This year, both EA and Konami are working hard. With its new positioning towards eSport, PES has also changed its corporate design right away - bright pink and violet trains are entering the game. In addition, the menu design has been completely streamlined and modernized compared to last year. This also applies to the popular Master League mode, which now shines with a clear tiled look. There are also chic cutscenes with prominent trainer avatars.

The place is similarly chic. Cameramen, photographers and lawn keepers with an authentic stadium atmosphere are particularly convincing when the teams arrive. EA goes one step further by using the respective league design for the largest division. Especially in career mode, the varied look works wonders. But above all the story in street football mode VOLTA and other customizable stadium elements in Ultimate Team make FIFA 20 strong in terms of staging. As pretty as eFootball PES 2020 is this year, Konami will not be able to match the presentation of FIFA 20 this year. 3-2 lead for FIFA 20.

6. Commentators

Every good football game needs a good commentator - virtually as in real. No wonder that both EA and Konami have relied on prominent voices from sports journalists for decades. For five years, the German team in FIFA has been called Wolff-Christoph Fuss and Frank Buschmann; Hansi Küpper and Marco Hagemann have occupied the speaker booth for PES for just as long. The performance of the speaker voices is extremely good on both sides. It is due to the programming that it doesn't look completely natural in either game.

How well do you know yourself?

How well do you know FIFA? (Quiz)

FIFA is currently the only serious soccer simulation on PC and consoles alongside Pro Evolution Soccer. EA Sports has been sending virtual kickers to the field since 1993, back then with fantasy names, today with a thick license package and thus with numerous original players with faces, team names, jerseys and more. Many consider themselves the best FIFA players in their area. But championships are won not only in practice, but also on the tactical board.

This is the one that specifies when which sound file is played. And in this aspect , FIFA 20 runs much more smoothly than eFootball PES 2020. In EA's work, the comments are now largely situation-specific. For example in the extended time game, which is cynically mentioned by Frank Buschmann. In PES, on the other hand, the comments do not yet appear to be neatly embedded. When the ball is accepted slowly at the penalty area without any intention to shoot, the commentators still rashly shout the name of the player in possession of the ball. Small things, but enough differences to give FIFA 20 the point: 4: 2.

7. Pay-2-win factor

FIFA has had Ultimate Team mode for ten years. FIFA 09 celebrated the birth of microtransactions in the annual soccer games. Not mentioned much at the beginning, over the years the topic developed into an enemy image for the players. The specialist press also rated microtransactions accordingly negatively. Especially if they degenerate into Pay-2-Win. FIFA 20 makes it easy for players in that the hunt for good player cards is not as difficult as in previous parts. In the form of regular rewards from different challenges, players quickly come to presentable teams.

Start photo gallery (15 photos)

Nevertheless, the best players are very rare and special, event-related versions of football players can only be obtained with a lot of luck. The situation is very similar with the FUT equivalent “MyClub” from PES. Here, too, the top players are difficult to get, but far from being the case with EA's competitor, which is most likely due to the total number of players in the game. Both titles, FIFA 20 and eFootball PES 2020, use microtransactions to purchase packs with unknown content. Unfortunately, none of the games scores here, it remains at 4-2 for FIFA 20.

Conclusion

FIFA 20 or eFootball PES 2020? Our comparison shows that both titles have their advantages and disadvantages. Not good for either: In their trading card modes, they rely on microtransactions that bring in-game advantages - clear Pay2Win. PES scores with us in terms of graphics and gameplay. With elaborate 3D scans of players and stadiums, PES is the much nicer game. Thanks to its optimized gameplay, Konami's work is aimed strongly at fans of realistic football simulation. On the other hand, if you resort to FIFA, you will receive an extensive package of licenses, varied modes and regular events in Ultimate Team. If you also value accurate commentators and coherent staging, the title from EA is well advised. Overall, FIFA 20 does better for us than eFootball PES 2020.