It's official. PES 2021 will be a 'Season Update' rather than a brand-new title, as confirmed by Konami on Wednesday. It will be released on September 15th and fronted by the man himself, Lionel Messi.
That announcement came alongside a juicy new trailer, which has teased us on the capabilities that Next-Gen will bring to the franchise, improvements that we are likely to see next year, in PES 2022.
But fear not, as there are still plenty of reasons to get your hands on PES 2021. Here are eight reasons why we think you should get stuck into the Konami title.
Price
The main bonus from the fact that PES 2021 is going to be a season update rather than a brand-new title is that it will come in significantly cheaper than it's main rival, FIFA 21.
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With it being the 25th anniversary of the Konami title, it has been announced that the game will come at a "special anniversary price" in order to accommodate for that fact that it isn't a brand new game per ce.
Now, this price hasn't been confirmed but with PES 2020 retailing at $54.99 / £44.99 on all major platforms, we can safely presume it will be significantly cheaper than this. We imagine around the $29.99 / £24.99 price range sounds about right.
Juventus
2021 will see Komani enter the second year of their three year exclusive deal with the Italian giants, that means that yet again The Old Lady will appear exclusively in PES.
THE OLD LADY! Konami have an exclusive deal with Ronaldo & co
Coupling this with the ability to use an option file - which we will come onto later - means that you are able to have every licensed team in PES 2021.
It'll be another two years of Piemonte Calcio in FIFA...
Euro 2020
Now Coronavirus may have put a stop to the 2020 Euros, but PES' exclusive partnership deal with UEFA will carry over onto the 2021 title.
The in-game update was initially meant to feature on the 2020 title but the delay to the tournament meant that it wouldn't be relevant to include it on this years title.
EURO 2021! There's a twelve month delay, but the Euro mode remains with PES.
That just means we have another 12 months of excitement before the international mode is released. Disappointing for now, but another reason to play the 2021 edition.
Exclusive Stadiums
Juventus aren't the only exclusive that will feature on PES 2021. Konami have also struck a deal with a number of different stadiums that will appear exclusively on their title.
This includes the likes of Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena and Barcelona's Camp Nou. You can read the full list here.
If you're wanting a hyper realistic game then we are sure you will want to be playing in those real life stadiums. PES is the place to be if that's what you're after!
Master League
Master League - PES' take on FIFA's Career Mode - was a huge hit in PES 2020, and we expect those high standards to remain in PES 2021.
There has been plenty of talk within the PES Reddit feed about what fans of the franchise would like to see in the new update, with youth development one of the main things on that wishlist.
MASTER LEAGUE! PES' Career Mode feature has gone down well on the 2020 title.
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It's something that we could definitely see implemented in the new update, and should it feature, it will take that Master League to the next level. Exciting times ahead for those who prefer the offline options to online.
Option File
The final reason why we think you should play PES 2021 is the fact that there really isn't an issue when it comes to the lack of licensed teams, as that can be counteracted simply with an Option File.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about PES 2021
The lack of a USB drive on the Xbox One means that you are unable to use this if you play on the Microsoft console but for those on PS4 and PC - and even potentially Next-Gen - you can quickly turn your game into a fully fledged licensed game seamlessly.
Yes it's a tad annoying they aren't in the game from the get go, but don't let that be the reason you miss out on the new title.
PES 2022 bonus?
Now this pure speculation, but it wouldn't surprise us if Konami rewarded those who bought PES 2021 with some exclusive content heading into what is set to be a groundbreaking 2022 title.
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