Every aspect of the game has benefitted 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.Aerialbattles 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. 

EURO 2016 will see 24 teams gather in France for initial group matches before progressing to knock-out stages. Qualified teams from all over Europe will compete for the famed Henry Delauney Cup, with the first game played on June 10, and the final taking place in France’s stunning Stade de France a month later on July 10. During this time, 50 matches will be played, showcasing Europe’s greatest soccer talent.

Konami will also be proudly displaying the Henry Delauney Cup at this year’s gamescom – Europe’s largest consumer gaming event – in Cologne, from Aug. 5-9.

“We are extremely proud to be working with UEFA regarding EURO 2016,” stated Erik Bladinieres, European Brand Director of Football for Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. “The PES series is famed for showing football at its very best and is created by a team that truly loves and understands it. We are committed to representing EURO 2016 moving forward in a way that truly reflects the status of this epic tournament. EURO 2016 is a stunning gathering of European talent and we are committed to producing the definitive representation of top-level football.”

Guy-Laurent Epstein, Marketing Director at UEFA Events S.A. added: “We are very happy to expand our successful collaboration with Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. to our national team competitions. Konami are a great licensing partner and have provided top quality video games for our club competitions since many years. We look forward to their newest extension of the PES series, created specifically for UEFA EURO 2016, further engaging with football fans in Europe and around the world.”

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.

Edit mode has seen some important improvements for PS4 users, which allows the ability to import images to be used to customise squad kits, which extends to team emblems and manager pictures.