With Euro 2020 matches fully underway, you may be wondering how to play the tournament in the latest crop of football simulator games, including FIFA 21 and PES 2021 (or eFootball PES 2021 Season Update, to give Konami's game its full clunky title).
Of course, whenever a major football tournament is taking place in real life, the temptation to boot up a game and see if you can outperform the real-world players on your team of choice is always present. (It's usually not difficult to outperform the actual England squad.)
Therefore, if you're in the mood to enjoy some Euro 2020 action at home on your PC or gaming console of choice, should you boot up FIFA or PES? Continue reading for all the pertinent details on that front!
Is it possible to play Euro 2020 in FIFA 21?
Due to the fact that EA Sports does not own the rights to UEFA's Euro 2020 event, there is no official method to play through the Euros in FIFA 21. Simply put, the Euros are not included in FIFA 21.
Even if you manage an international team on the European continent during your first season of FIFA 21 Career Mode, the Euros will simply not happen in the summer. We discovered this the hard way, having been overjoyed to land the England post only to discover later that the Euros do not exist in this distorted reality.
If you're desperate to satisfy your Euros itch in FIFA 21, the closest thing you can do is enter Tournament mode and build a bespoke international tournament. You cannot recreate the exact Euros — EA does not allow for tournaments with 24 teams – but you may recreate something similar with 16 or 32 teams.
Is it possible to play Euro 2020 in PES 2021?
Yes, PES 2021 will allow you to play through the Euro 2020 competition, as Konami has acquired the official rights to depict the Euros in video games. To put it simply, the Euros are included in PES 2021.
If you haven't already purchased PES 2021, the full title of the game you'll need is eFootball PES 2021 Season Update. The full version of the game is available for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. However, it is not available on Nintendo Switch or Google Stadia.
Additionally, you may play the game on the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S via backwards compatibility. The whole game is presently accessible on Xbox Game Pass, so it's essentially a free download if you're already a subscriber.
Is Euro 2020 available for PES Mobile?
PES 2021 is also available for free on mobile platforms (iOS and Android), although the Euro 2020 content is handled differently.
It's worth mentioning that the mobile edition of PES 2021 is distinct from the console and PC versions, with the mobile game centered entirely on your mission to establish a successful club squad (like FIFA Ultimate Team). As a result, you cannot play through the Euros in the usual sense on PES mobile.
However, there is a special event taking place in the mobile game's 'Matchday' mode, which allows players to compete online in a variety of international team outfits. You will, however, continue to play with your regular team of players regardless of their nationality.
On both the console and PC versions of PES, you may play through the Euros in single-player mode, selecting a nation and attempting to steer it to glory.
How to update PES 2021's international squads for Euro 2020
We recently tested the Euros mode in the Xbox Series X version, and it appears to run flawlessly, complete with special animations and even the proper match ball.
The only item that seemed out of place were the international squads, which appeared to be out of date, with big-name players such as Phil Foden missing from the England squad.
Konami is claimed to be changing the squads throughout the tournament, with another change scheduled for when the real-world tournament reaches the knockout stages. This will alter the default international squads, ensuring they have the appropriate players.