Every aspect of the game has benefited from refinement and enhancement, following feedback from PES 2015. On the pitch, the physicality of top-level matches is stressed via a significantly improved collision system that calculates how players interact and creating a unique outcome depending on the type of impact. Aerial battles are also a completely unique experience this year as the left stick is used to unsettle a larger, more powerful player or find the best position to make the header/volley. Other on-field advances include one-on-one control adding a wider range of movements within the existing control structure. Response times have been improved, allowing players to maneuver in tight situations and benefits the upgraded feint moves that allow sudden directional change.

The individuality of players is also further demonstrated via the ongoing Player ID and Team ID projects. This ensures players in PES 2016 not only resemble, but have all the playing traits, of their real-life counterparts. Defenses will automatically be set up to play to a team’s strengths, while the special skillsets of players will be used intelligently within the game’s extensive tactical options. The ID system has also been extended to goalkeepers, in a bid to improve quality and add unique individuality in performance. New goal keeper parameters have been added spanning Catching, Clearance, Collapsing and Deflecting. This adds definition to ‘keepers’, who you can count on catching the ball rather than punching, or are better at stopping close range shots. 

PES 2016 has also received an aesthetic overhaul. The new game boasts 3x the number of animations of last year’s iteration. Goalkeepers have an abundance of save animations added, while outfield players shoot, pass, dribble and tackle with incredible variety depending on the situation. Players complain when a foul isn't given, or berate a teammate when a pass isn't made, while tricky players can wrong-foot their opponents with shimmies and feints that can result in causing the opposing player to lose his balance and fall in the wrong direction!

The advancements of Konami’s Fox Engine also benefit the game visually in other ways. Surface water during rainy match days will splash as players slide in to win possession, or the turf will kick up as you strike the ball into the top corner. New night-time lighting and real turf textures are among some of the many improvements as well. Crucially, and for the first time in the PES series, dynamic weather has been introduced. Rain can start during a match and the ever more realistic ball physics will accommodate the change in circumstances. Rain changes how the game can be played with passes speeding up, less skilled players are likely to struggle with trapping and players are more likely to slip and fall due to incorrect studs or blades. The variety in playing conditions also demonstrates PES 2016’s incredible ball physics, wherein every spin, bobble or ricochet, has been calculated using real ball physics data, helping keep every moment in every game unique and unpredictable.

​Those who haven’t experienced PES 2016 ​can now download a free, entry level version of the game​,​ which boasts an Exhibition Mode complete with the choice of seven teams including Bayern Munich, Juventus, AS Roma, Brazil and France. Also included is a full training section and the hugely popular myClub feature. The free-to-play game also allows users to experience PES 2016’s online play, offline play and unlimited access to the myClub mode wherein players can use accrued in-game currency and micro-transactions to build a title-winning team.

myClub offers an incredible level of depth to PES 2016 and allows players to build a team of world stars. The myClub option has been massively improved since its launch, with player level systems and key players exclusive to the mode. Players can use points acquired through success in matches or with myClub coins to experience realistic club management to develop a squad. The myClub rosters and stats are also updated on a weekly basis. More competitions, events and campaigns are constantly added with players choosing their manager, recruiting coaches, developing playing styles and building a long-term strategy based on their specific aims.

The free-to-play edition offers a perfect overview of the game’s stunning levels of control and realistic interpretations of both teams and players via the Player ID and Team ID systems that ensure both play like their real-life counterparts. The free-to-play edition will also be compatible with all future gameplay and content updates throughout the entire PES 2016 season, updating automatically, ensuring rosters are up to date and that PES 2016’s many stars are aligned to the form of their real-life counterparts.