PES 2021 Is Online Again.
PES 2021 Is Online Again.
After almost six years without the PES experience we loved, two months of relentless development, and countless sleepless nights, the online mode of eFootball PES 2021 is alive again.
Official project website: pes2021.pesbul.eu
Six Years Later
Almost six years ago, Konami took PES away from us.
Not only the name, but the football series as we knew and loved it.
For almost six years, players who wanted the traditional PES experience were left without a real alternative. We watched the series move further away from its roots while microtransactions became more important, classic modes disappeared, and the community that had supported PES for decades was gradually left behind.
During those years, I tried many different ideas, approaches, tools, and possible solutions. Most of them led nowhere.
Some gave me small clues, but never enough to build something that actually worked. There were many moments when restoring the PES 2021 online experience seemed completely impossible.
Then, around two months ago, we had our first real breakthrough.
From that moment, the project became countless sleepless nights, long days, failed experiments, new discoveries, and hundreds of very small steps forward.
Sometimes one missing value took several days to understand. Sometimes one correctly implemented command unlocked an entire section of the game. Progress was slow, but every small success brought us closer to something that had seemed impossible only weeks earlier.
This is not the end of the project. It is the moment when the project finally leaves a small circle of controlled private tests and reaches the community it was created for.
We are now ready for the most important test so far: opening PES 2021 online to the public.
This Is a Public Beta, Not a Finished Service
I want to be completely honest about what this public test means.
This entire project is new territory for me. I am learning while building it, analysing how the original game behaves, reconstructing the missing online services, and solving each problem as it appears.
The public beta will give us something that private testing cannot provide: real data from different players, countries, internet providers, routers, network conditions, and PC configurations.
We need to learn how the system behaves when more people use it at the same time. We need to discover the problems that cannot be reproduced with only two test computers. We need real matches, real connections, and real feedback.
Important Information About Connection Quality and Lag
Matches in PES 2021 use a peer-to-peer connection.
This means that the actual gameplay traffic is exchanged directly between the two players. It does not pass through the main PESBUL server.
If a match is lagging, the cause will usually be related to the connection between the players rather than the central server.
- Large geographical distance between the players.
- Wi-Fi instability or poor wireless signal.
- Network congestion or packet loss.
- Background downloads, streaming, or cloud synchronisation.
- Router or NAT configuration.
- Internet provider routing.
- An unstable connection from one of the players.
Please do not immediately assume that every lagging match is caused by PESBUL.
How to Enable the PES 2021 Online Mode
- Open pes2021.pesbul.eu and click the Connect Now button available on the website.
- A file in .BAT format will be downloaded. Some browsers or security programs may display a warning because BAT files are executable scripts. Download and use the installer only from the official PESBUL website.
- Right-click the downloaded file and select Run as administrator.
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In the installer, choose:
- 1 — install and activate the PESBUL online server;
- 2 — remove the PESBUL configuration and restore the original setup.
- Start eFootball PES 2021. The online mode should now be available.
What Is the PESBUL 2021 Hub?
The website is still in a very early stage.
Its immediate purpose is to provide access to the restored PES 2021 online services, but the long-term plan is much larger.
The website will gradually become a complete PES 2021 community hub, including:
- ELO seasons and rankings.
- Traditional leagues and championships.
- Cups and tournaments.
- Public player profiles.
- Match history and detailed statistics.
- Achievements and permanent competitive records.
- Competitions organised through Friendly Match Lobby.
- Future Team Play 11 vs 11 events.
Once the core online services are stable, Team Play will become the primary development focus.
The current Friendly Match Lobby work is not the final destination. It is the foundation that makes the return of 11 vs 11 possible.
Linking Your Website Account With Your PES 2021 Profile
You do not need to verify your website account simply to play PES 2021 online.
Profile verification is optional. It provides additional features for players who want to participate in PESBUL competitions and use the full PESBUL 2021 Hub.
A verified profile will eventually allow you to:
- Join ELO seasons.
- Participate in leagues, cups, and tournaments.
- Have a public player profile.
- Store match results and statistics.
- Unlock achievements.
- Build a permanent competitive history.
How to Verify Your Profile
- Sign in to your account on the PESBUL 2021 website.
- Open your user dashboard and click the profile verification button.
- The website will generate a unique verification code.
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Open PES 2021 and go to:
Settings → Online Settings → Edit Profile → Favorite Team - Enter the generated verification code in the Favorite Team field and save the changes.
- Return to your website dashboard and click the verification button again.
If everything is correct, your game profile and website account will be linked.
A public player profile will then become available. This profile will gradually store your statistics, results, achievements, competitive history, and participation in PESBUL events.
Community Rules
This project is completely free, and the rules are intentionally simple.
- Play Fair!!!.
- Treat other players with basic respect.
- Do not exploit known bugs to disrupt other users.
- Do not harass players or create unnecessary conflicts.
- Report technical problems with useful and accurate information.
I will not act as a referee for every personal argument between players.
I will not manually investigate every disputed result, and I will not change match results simply because someone demands it.
I do not have the time or resources to moderate endless personal disputes. Players who repeatedly create problems, abuse the service, harass others, exploit the testing environment, or deliberately damage the experience will simply lose access.
Known Issues
The following problems are already known. You do not need to report them repeatedly unless you have new and useful information.
- Avatars are currently not working correctly.
- If a player disconnects during a match or during team selection, the other player may be returned to a room that no longer exists. You can still leave that room normally.
- Room status does not yet update correctly in every situation.
- The Other Results section is not working yet.
- Team Play Lobby and CO-OP Clans are accessible and already significantly advanced. They include menus, rooms, clan creation, membership functions, and other working elements. However, these modes are not yet ready for normal use. If you explore too deeply, you may reach an unfinished screen or a dead end.
Have You Found a New Problem?
If the issue is not already included in the known-issues list, please publish it in the dedicated Discord forum channel.
A useful report should include:
- What exactly you did.
- What you expected to happen.
- What actually happened.
- The exact screen or stage where the problem appeared.
- A screenshot or video whenever possible.
- Your country and connection type for network or lag-related problems.
Access to this project is free and will remain free.
However, servers, infrastructure, development tools, AI subscriptions, testing, storage, and all the other costs behind the project are real.
If you enjoy the project and want to help us continue the work, move toward more reliable infrastructure, and reach the 11 vs 11 goal faster, you can support PESBUL by buying me a coffee.
Support is completely optional. Playing, testing, reporting useful problems, and sharing the project also help enormously.
Konami may have shut down the servers.But the community is not finished with PES.
Thank you to everyone who tests, reports problems, shares the project, supports the development, or simply plays one match.
What comes next, we will build together.
PESBUL is an independent community project and is not officially affiliated with or endorsed by Konami. Players must use their own legal copy of eFootball PES 2021.
