If you tried eFootball 2022 when it first launched, you probably remember the chaos. Janky player animations that made defenders slide across the pitch like they were on ice, brain-dead goalkeepers that let easy shots slip through their hands, and constant server disconnections that made ranked matches unplayable. Konami got so much backlash that they issued a public apology and promised years of post-launch fixes to make the game live up to fan expectations. If you’re one of the thousands of players who’ve wondered has eFootball 2022 improved since that rough debut, we’ve spent 40+ hours testing the latest patched version across casual, co-op, and ranked play to give you a straight, no-fluff answer.
Core Gameplay Changes: Has eFootball 2022 Improved for Casual Play?
The biggest complaint at launch was how unresponsive and unrealistic the core gameplay felt. You could sprint full speed across the entire pitch without tiring, passing had no weight to it, and tackle mechanics were so inconsistent you’d get a red card for winning the ball cleanly half the time. Those issues are almost entirely fixed in the latest version of the game.
Player movement physics are now some of the most realistic in any football game on the market. Players slow down slightly when turning, fatigue builds up naturally over the course of a match, and you can no longer slide across the pitch unless you’re playing on a wet or snowy surface. For example, I used to main Messi at launch, but he felt so slow and clunky that he was completely useless against any defender with 80+ speed. Now, his dribbling feels tight and responsive, and I can pull off the same kind of sharp turns and through balls you see him make in real matches. It’s a night and day difference.
Goalkeeper AI is another area that’s seen massive upgrades. At launch, keepers would drop simple crosses 90% of the time, and they’d stand frozen as easy shots rolled past them into the net. Now, they make realistic split-second decisions, dive for shots that are actually on target, and only make mistakes when they’re under heavy pressure or facing a perfectly placed shot. The only small issue left is that keepers still sometimes fumble long-range shots, but that’s rare enough that it doesn’t ruin the experience.
Online Performance & Server Stability Updates
At launch, playing eFootball 2022 online was almost impossible. You’d wait 10+ minutes for a match, only to get disconnected mid-game, or face unplayable lag even if you had a high-speed fiber connection. Ranked progression was also broken, so you’d lose points even if the other player disconnected first. Those issues are largely a thing of the past now.
Cross-play functionality actually works across all platforms now, including console, PC, and mobile. I even played 3 matches with a friend who lives in another country, and we only had one small lag spike right at the start of the first match, which resolved itself in 10 seconds. That would have been impossible at launch, when cross-play wasn’t even functional and any cross-region match would disconnect within 5 minutes.
Out of 27 ranked matches I played over two weeks on a 100mbps fiber connection, only two had noticeable lag, and zero disconnections mid-match. Konami also fixed the ranked progression bug, so you only lose points if you actually lose the match, not if your opponent rage quits. The match making is also far more balanced now, so you won’t get matched against top 100 players when you’re just starting out in the lower ranks. If you have a spotty internet connection, you still might run into occasional lag, but it’s nowhere near as bad as it was two years ago.
Available Game Modes & Post-Launch Content Additions
Launch day eFootball 2022 only had two game modes: casual friendlies and a barebones ranked mode, with no career mode, no team customization, and almost no official licensing for smaller leagues. Konami has added dozens of new features and content drops in the years since, so the game now feels much more fleshed out.
Some of the most popular additions include:
- Official licensing for 12+ new leagues, including the Serie A and Ligue 1, with real player faces and kit designs for almost every team
- Weekly themed events tied to real world football, like Champions League knockout stages and international tournaments, with special limited-edition player rewards
- Local co-op mode for up to 4 players on the same console, a feature fans begged for for 8 months post-launch
- Customization options for kits, stadiums, and player celebrations, which were completely missing at launch
Dream Team mode, the replacement for Konami’s classic myClub mode, is also now fully functional. You can build your own custom squad, sign players by completing in-game challenges, and compete in weekly tournaments for exclusive rewards. I’ve been playing Dream Team mode for 3 weeks now, and I’ve unlocked 3 top tier players just by completing weekly challenges, no money spent. That’s a huge improvement from launch, when the only way to get good players was to spend $20+ on loot packs with terrible drop rates. The only downside is that the full Master League career mode is still locked behind a paid DLC, but the free Master League Lite version is enough for casual players who don’t want to spend extra.
Remaining Issues That Still Need Fixing
For all the improvements, eFootball 2022 still isn’t perfect, and there are a few small issues that Konami still hasn’t ironed out. These aren’t dealbreakers for most players, but they’re worth knowing about before you decide to pick the game up.
Lower league licensing is still spotty, for starters. A lot of teams in the EFL Championship and lower leagues across Europe still have generic player faces and fake team names, which is annoying for fans of those clubs. Konami has said they’re working on adding more licensing, but there’s no timeline for when those updates will drop.
There are still occasional animation glitches when players go in for hard tackles. I had a red card last week for a tackle where I won the ball cleanly, and there was no way to appeal the call, so I lost 3 ranked points for no reason. That’s the only major glitch I’ve run into in 40 hours of play, which is a massive drop from the 2+ glitches per match I dealt with at launch, but it’s still frustrating when it happens.
Microtransactions are also still a bit predatory if you want to get top tier Dream Team players quickly. You can spend $50 on a special edition pack that still might not give you the player you want, so it’s best to avoid spending real money unless you’re okay with that risk. The commentary is also still super repetitive, you’ll hear the same lines after 3 or 4 matches, which gets annoying fast if you play for hours at a time.
At the end of the day, the short answer to whether has eFootball 2022 improved is a resounding yes. It’s gone from an unplayable mess at launch to a polished, fun football game that holds its own against other options on the market. If you wrote it off back when it first came out, it’s absolutely worth downloading or picking up on sale to test the changes for yourself. Just go in knowing there are still a few kinks to work out, and you won’t be disappointed.