If you’re a long-time football game fan who just picked up a copy of eFootball 22 for cheap or decided to revisit the title after playing newer entries, you’ve probably asked one question first: does eFootball 22 have career mode? I still remember booting up the game for the first time back when it launched, confused that the menu looked nothing like the old PES career modes I’d sunk hundreds of hours into. Over the past few years, I’ve tested every single game mode available on the console and PC versions of the title, so I can break down exactly what you can expect, whether there’s any hidden career mode feature, and what alternatives you can use if you want a long-form single player experience.
Does eFootball 22 Have Career Mode Officially?
Let’s get the most common question out of the way first, straight from official Konami sources and my own hands-on testing. There is no standalone, narrative-driven career mode for single players in the base version of eFootball 22, no matter which platform you play on. When Konami rebranded the PES franchise to eFootball, they shifted to a free-to-play live service model, and cut most traditional offline single-player modes to prioritize competitive online play first.
Many fans hoped Konami would add a career mode via post-launch updates, as they had promised additional content in their initial launch roadmap. But the only updates rolled out for eFootball 22 focused on bug fixes, new licensed team kits, and small tweaks to online match balancing. No career mode or Master League equivalent was ever added to the official base game, even when support for the title wound down in favor of newer eFootball entries. I dug through every hidden menu and even tested debug mode on the PC version to look for unlockable content, and there’s no official career mode access available without third-party modifications.
What Single Player Modes Are Available in eFootball 22?
Even if the answer to does eFootball 22 have career mode is no for official features, that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy long-term offline play with the title. The closest alternative to a career mode experience is the Match Day offline mode paired with custom team progression that tracks your performance across multiple play sessions. You won’t get transfer negotiations or youth academy management, but you can still build a consistent play loop that feels rewarding over weeks of play.
All official offline modes available across all platforms include:
- Training Mode: Perfect for polishing your dribbling, passing and set piece skills before jumping into competitive play, with customizable drills for every position on the pitch. You can even set up custom scenarios to practice late-game comebacks or defensive plays against specific formation types.
- Offline Friendly Matches: Play against AI opponents with your choice of licensed or custom teams, adjustable difficulty levels, and match length settings to fit your play session. You can track your win/loss record against specific difficulty tiers to measure your skill improvement over time.
- Dream Team Offline Mode: Build your own custom squad by earning player cards through offline matches, then take on AI controlled teams across different difficulty tiers to earn more rewards and upgrade your roster over time. You can customize your team’s kit, formation, and play style just like you would in a traditional career mode team management section.
I’ve spent around 40 hours building my Dream Team offline without spending any real money, and it’s a fun enough loop if you don’t care about narrative or deep club management features. If you were hoping to find something that matches the depth of the old PES Master League, you’ll be disappointed, but it’s still a solid way to pass time if you already own the game.
Can You Mod eFootball 22 to Add a Career Mode?
If you’re playing on PC, you have a lot more options to customize your game experience than console players, and that includes adding career mode features that Konami never included officially. There are several fan-made mod packs for the PC version of eFootball 22 that add fully functional career mode features that match the depth of the old PES Master League.
Many modders created these packs specifically to fill the gap left when Konami ignored repeated fan requests to add a career mode after launch, since so many players were asking does eFootball 22 have career mode support planned. These mods add everything from transfer windows and youth academy systems, to player morale mechanics and custom narrative beats that update as you progress through multiple seasons with your chosen club. You can even find mods that add fully licensed league and player data that wasn’t included in the base game.
There are a few important caveats to keep in mind if you want to use these mods, though. You can only use them in fully offline mode, and you’ll void any official support from Konami if you run a modded version of the game. You also risk getting banned from online eFootball play if you don’t separate your modded game files from your main online install. I always recommend downloading mod packs only from trusted eFootball community hubs, and backing up your original game files before you install any modifications to avoid losing your existing progress.
Should You Play eFootball 22 If You Want a Career Mode Experience?
The answer to this question really depends on what you’re looking for out of your football game, and what platform you play on. If you only care about a traditional, official career mode with deep management features and you play on console, eFootball 22 is probably not the right pick for you. You’ll be better off looking at older PES titles, or newer football games that include official career mode features out of the box.
The core gameplay of eFootball 22 is far more polished than many fans give it credit for, especially if you prefer realistic football mechanics over arcade-style play. The player movement and ball physics feel far more true to real football than many competing titles from the same release year, so if you care more about on-pitch gameplay than management features, you’ll still get a lot of value out of the game.
If you play on PC and are comfortable modding your game, eFootball 22 is actually a great budget option for career mode fans. The mod community has spent years refining career mode packs for the title, so you can get a fully featured experience for far less than the cost of a new release football game. I still go back to my modded eFootball 22 install every few months, even with newer eFootball entries available, because the modded career mode has more customization options than any official mode released for the franchise so far.
At the end of the day, the answer to does eFootball 22 have career mode is no, if you’re looking for an official, standalone mode from Konami. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get dozens of hours of fun single player play out of the title, whether you stick to the official Dream Team offline mode or install fan mods to add the career features you want. You don’t have to shell out for the newest football game just to get a satisfying long-term play experience, especially if you already have a copy of eFootball 22 sitting in your library. Spend a bit of time testing the different offline modes, and you might be surprised at how much you enjoy the progression loop, even without a dedicated career mode.