FIFA 19 vs PES 2019: which is the best football game?

FIFA 19 vs PES 2019: whether you’re after the best licences, modes, or gameplay, here’s who wins between the best football games

FIFA 19 vs PES 2019: Platforms, price and availability

FIFA 19 is available for PS4, Xbox One and PC and costs £49.99 in the UK and $59.99 in the US.

There’s also a Nintendo Switch version, but it’s not the full-fat one due to the Switch’s hardware constraints.

PES 2019 has an RRP of £54.99/$59.99 but it’s available for less on Amazon UK. You can get it for PS4 or Xbox One. Amazon US also stocks it her

FIFA 19 vs PES 2019: Licensing

While they are similarly priced, FIFA 19 and PES 2019 are very different when it comes to licensing. Basically, FIFA wins this comparison.

EA Sports and FIFA have rights to practically every league in world football – this means team names, kits, stadia and player likenesses are all on FIFA 19. It’s branded well, just like the football you see on TV and at the matches.

Konami has less luck. It means that, for example you can’t play as Manchester United. On PES 2019, it’s Man Red. And you won’t have the official kits.

PES has Barcelona, Liverpool, Inter Milan and a few other teams licensed, but mostly it has to settle for unofficial kits and team names. Want to play an El Clasico? That’ll be Barcelona vs MD White. Yuck.

While you might not care, there’s no doubt that is more fun to have the real names, kits and players represented on FIFA 19.

This year PES has even lost its exclusive Champions League and Europa League branding rights. That’s a FIFA 19 exclusive now.

The battle of PES 2019 vs. FIFA 19 takes those differences to new extremes, especially as Konami has now lost the UEFA Champions League licence to FIFA – ouch. To combat this, Konami has doubled down on what has set PES apart from FIFA over the past few years, which is the fidelity of its gameplay.

While both games are great in their own ways, and diehard fans of either game will be hard to sway, most of us only have the time and money to spare for one new football game every year. So, of course, the question is FIFA 19 or PES 2019.

To help make up your mind we’ll compare this year’s new entries across a few key categories – authenticity and presentation, gameplay, and modes – to see which title emerges victorious. Here’s how FIFA 19 compares to PES 2019.

AUTHENTICITY AND PRESENTATION

One of the main reasons so many people pick FIFA over PES every year is because it offers official licences for the biggest clubs and leagues in the world, particularly the Premier League. This year, EA has bolstered its offerings with the UEFA Champions League, which is arguably the most sought after piece of silverware in football.

Basically, if you want to play as your favourite club in career mode, or play out iconic derby days like El Clásico or Manchester United against City, then FIFA 19 has the lot – including kits, stats, relevant commentary, and stadiums to really sell the occasion. Want to take Pompey to the Premier League? You can do that in FIFA 19. Want to win the treble with Chelsea? You can do that too.

By contrast, a Manchester derby in PES 2019 will feature Man Red and Man Blue, while a Madrid derby will be a clash between MD White and KB Red White. There are a few officially partnered clubs from each of the big leagues that help tie PES 2019 to real-world football: FC Barcelona, Liverpool FC, Arsenal FC, FC Schalke 04, AC Milan, Inter, AS Monaco, Celtic, and Rangers are among the some of big clubs available in PES 2019.

PES 2019 looks great (when it has the license to use real stadia like the Camp Nou)

FIFA 19 vs PES 2019: Gameplay

Licensing aside, there’s a fiercer debate to be had about which game has the better gameplay. This is of course subjective, and different people will go for different things. But this is what we think.

FIFA 19 is the more streamlined, accessible football game. It’s not easier per se, but it’s easier to get into and feel like you are improving, with a gentler learning curve.

There are intricate controls in there, but you don’t need to master them all in order to win difficult matches. FIFA 19 rewards silky stepovers and tactical flourishes, but it doesn’t demand you know them all during the first match.

By comparison PES 2019’s gameplay is truer to life – i.e., it’s a bit harder to master. The attention to detail is greater too, with passes in particular very polished. A player will play a different style of pass depending on the set up of the surrounding players and adds a surprising feeling of variety and lifelike feel to gameplay.

This isn’t to say FIFA 19 is unrealistic, it’s just a bit more box office. Players will often try to score overhead kicks from corners even when it’s not the best move. PES 2019 is a bit more grounded in realism.

FIFA 19 has improved passing too, though. Ground passes in particular are zippier, making the game feel faster than before. It’s a bit easier to dribble and make passes on FIFA, and with a bit of practice all players are actually quite good, no matter their player ratings.

FIFA 19

On PES the gap between player ability is a bit greater and there’s also a more realistic feel to the ball. It doesn’t always do what you want depending on the player ability and weather, and adds a bit of realistic variety to the game.

But where PES is great on the pitch, presentation suffers. It’s not everything, but it makes a difference. Crowds are pretty bland and lifeless, and the commentary is terrible.

FIFA’s crowds are far more advanced rather than being a block of identical people in the same shirt. This added to the real-life stadia are a better illusion of a real match.

The Master League in PES 2019 is decent, but it’s a bit too easy sometimes to get world class players for quite little money. It goes against PES’s usual default of being harder than FIFA.

And while PES 2019’s online modes are as good as ever, FIFA 19’s online community is larger and has broader appeal. FIFA’s live player updates mean you can play online with the real-life current first team of any team in the world. For many fans of the modern game, it’s a no brainer against the unlicensed realm of PES 2019 – even if the gameplay is less realistic.

FIFA 19 has added some great multiplayer options for offline play too. Modes like survival (lose a player every time you score) and house rules (no fouls, no offsides) inject a fresh feel into multiplayer where often it’s more boring than going online

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PES 2019

FIFA Ultimate Team is also not for everyone, but those who want to invest time (and money) into building a fantasy team and taking on the best in the world online have the option.

Finally, it might not be everyone’s cup of tea but FIFA 19 has The Journey for the third year in a row, it’s single player story mode. You flit between Alex Hunter, Kim Hunter and Danny Williams as you progress through careers, training sessions and important matches, complete with cut scenes. No such mode exits on PES 2019.

Verdict

Unfortunately, PES 2019 can’t hide behind the few teams it has licensed and put on the box and throughout its menus – FIFA 19 is simply a more rounded experience.

PES 2019 offers more intricate and in some way more rewarding gameplay but FIFA 19 gives you a better representation of the modern game with all the glitz, glamour, kits and team names. This is often the main reason people buy FIFA, and it now even has Champions League rights.

FIFA 19 also has a bigger online community and better one player options, plus some excellent new offline multiplayer modes. PES 2019 is fun, and a great game, but if you have £50/$50 to spend on a football game, we recommend FIFA 19.

Graphic Comparism

Both FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer look absolutely stunning. The beauty of these games is most apparent when they get a chance to cut to broadcast-style shots of players, coaches, and referees throughout the match.

FIFA will get the edge when it comes to things like broadcast graphics and commentary. Having the rock-solid commentary team of Derek Rae and Lee Dixon going as the FIFA and UEFA banners transition in and out of the frame is a game changer. Having a brand new version of the Champions League's iconic theme song as you look to fight for the great prize in Europe is a game changer.

Both Konami and EA will take advantage of the PS4 Pro (or Xbox One X for our Microsoft-owning friends) to offer up their idea of the perfect afternoon at the pitch in glorious 4K + HDR.