Last week I hopped into my local gaming cafe’s weekly soccer game tournament, and half the new players were asking the same question: is pes now efootball? If you’ve been away from Konami’s soccer franchise for a few years, you’re not alone in being confused by the name swap, feature shifts, and whole new identity the series has taken on as of 2026. I’ve been playing these games since the Pro Evolution Soccer 6 days, so I’ve watched every step of the rebrand, and I’m breaking down everything you need to know to avoid confusion when picking up a copy or joining an online match this year.
Is PES Now eFootball Full Time in 2026?
Konami first announced the rebrand away from the PES name back in 2021, but many fans still clung to the old title through the slow transition period. By 2026, though, the switch is 100% complete, with zero official PES branding left on any new content, tournaments, or official Konami channels. If you’ve seen people using the two names interchangeably online in 2026, that’s why, even though the official answer to is pes now efootball is a definitive yes. I still catch myself calling it PES when I’m yelling at my controller after a bad penalty shootout, so don’t feel silly if you do the same.
There are no official new PES titles released after 2021, so any 2026 "PES" copy you see for sale is either a fake or a resold old version. You won’t find PES listed on console storefronts anymore, either—all Konami soccer game content falls under the eFootball name as of 2026. Konami did release a limited run of retro PES re-releases for the series’ 30th anniversary in 2025, but those are all labeled as legacy PES content separate from the new eFootball franchise.
Key Differences Between Old PES Titles and 2026 eFootball
The rebrand is far more than just a name change, too. Konami rebuilt the entire game from the ground up after 2021, so 2026 eFootball feels very different from the last PES titles most long-time fans remember. Some changes are for the better, while others have been divisive among the community, but all of them shape the experience you’ll have playing the game today. The biggest differences you’ll notice right away include:
That doesn’t mean all changes are popular, of course. Many long-time PES fans have complained that the new free-to-play model leads to more pay-to-win pressure in competitive online modes, especially for high-rank play. Konami did adjust the reward system earlier in 2026 to give free players more ways to earn top-tier players without spending money, so that complaint has died down a bit over the past few months. If you’re still referring to the game as PES in 2026 online forums, you might get some confused looks from newer players who never heard the old name, even though everyone familiar with the franchise knows exactly what you mean when you ask is pes now efootball.
What 2026 eFootball Changes Mean for Returning PES Players
If you last played PES in 2021 or earlier, you’ll notice a lot of small gameplay tweaks that add up to a very different feel. First, the ball physics are far more realistic now, so sloppy passes will bounce off defenders’ legs or roll out of bounds far more often than they did in old PES titles. You don’t need to throw out all your old PES muscle memory, but you will want to spend 2-3 hours in practice mode to get used to the new passing and shooting mechanics before jumping into ranked matches. I skipped that step when I first downloaded the 2026 update, and I lost my first five ranked matches in a row because I kept overshooting passes I could nail blindfolded in old PES games.
If you have old save files from PES 2021, Konami rolled out a one-time bonus in 2026 for players who link their old Konami IDs to their new eFootball accounts, including a free legendary player of your choice and 10,000 in-game coins. Many returning players skip that step and miss out on those free rewards, so make sure you check Konami’s official account page to claim that bonus before it expires at the end of 2026. The old PES League tournament circuit is now fully rebranded to the eFootball World Series, with 2026’s prize pool hitting $2.5 million, which is three times the highest prize pool from the old PES League days. If you ever competed in old PES amateur tournaments, you’ll be happy to hear that regional qualifiers are now open to all players for free, no entry fee required.
Common Misconceptions About the PES to eFootball Rebrand
There’s a lot of false information floating around online about the rebrand, so I’m clearing up the most common ones I’ve seen in 2026 gaming groups. First, a lot of people claim that eFootball is just a reskinned version of PES 2021 with no new features, which is completely untrue. The 2026 version uses the Unreal Engine 5, which is a full upgrade from the old Fox Engine that PES used for over a decade, leading to far better graphics and more realistic player movements. Player animations now react to in-game context too, so a winger who just ran 60 yards down the pitch will have a slower, less accurate shot than a player who’s rested in the penalty area, which never happened in old PES titles.
Another common misconception is that you have to spend money to enjoy the game. I’ve been playing 2026 eFootball for four months without spending a single dollar, and I’ve built a competitive team that’s ranked in the top 10% of North American players. You just have to be consistent with completing weekly challenges to earn coins and player packs. The last big misconception is that Konami has abandoned the old PES fanbase to cater to casual mobile players. That’s not true either: The 2026 update added a "Classic Controls" option that mimics the old PES control scheme perfectly, so you don’t have to learn the new touch or simplified controller controls if you don’t want to. You can even turn off all new gameplay assists to get the same raw, competitive feel that made old PES tournaments so fun.
At the end of the day, if you’ve been asking is pes now efootball, the short answer is yes. The PES name is officially retired as of 2026, but the core fun, competitive soccer gameplay that made the series famous is still very much alive in eFootball. Whether you’re a long-time PES fan coming back after a break, or a new player who’s never touched a Konami soccer game before, the 2026 version of eFootball has more modes, better graphics, and more accessible entry points than any old PES title ever did. Next time you’re looking for a new soccer game to play with friends, give it a shot — you might be surprised how much it feels like the old PES you loved, with a bunch of useful new upgrades.