PES 2013 Patch 2017
In the huge and always-changing world of football games, some games become legendary, even after they come out. Long-time fans talk about them with respect, and they become benchmarks and cultural touchstones. One of these games is Pro Evolution Soccer 2013. Many people think it is the best game in the series, with smooth gameplay, deep tactics, and an unmatched “feel.” It came out in 2012. But what happens when the official support for a game you love ends and the football world moves on? The answer for PES 2013 was simple: its fans wouldn’t let it go. This is the story of how a four-year-old game felt more up-to-date than ever in 2017, thanks to the hard work of modders and the “2017 patch.”
The Enduring Magic of a Classic
To get why someone would bother patching a game from 2013 in 2017, you need to know what made PES 2013 so great. It was the last game before Konami switched to the Fox Engine, which had great graphics but had trouble recreating the gameplay that fans loved in the previous game. The three main parts of PES 2013 were Full Control, Player ID, and ProActive AI.
- Full Control: Players had more control over every pass, shot, and first touch than ever before with this system. It was easy to understand but had a lot of depth, which let players play in a creative and unpredictable way that felt like it was really driven by them.
- Player ID: Konami carefully copied the unique moves, styles of play, and mannerisms of the top 50 players in the world. Ronaldo moved and shot like Ronaldo, and Iniesta dribbled and passed like Iniesta. This made the stars on screen feel more real, like the real-life people they were based on.
- ProActive AI: The AI was smarter and more even than it had ever been. Goalkeepers got better, and defenders stayed in their spots smartly, making the game hard and fun, and it still is today. This combination created a game that was simply fun. The ball physics felt weighty and authentic, the player movements were responsive, and every goal felt earned. It was this core gameplay that players were desperate to preserve, even as the official game became outdated.
The Community Becomes the Developer
When the 2016-2017 football season kicked off, the world of football had changed dramatically. Leicester City were the reigning Premier League champions, Paul Pogba had made a world-record return to Manchester United, Gonzalo Higuaín had controversially moved to Juventus, and Zlatan Ibrahimović was ready to take England by storm. The official PES 2017 reflected these changes, but many players found its gameplay a step back from the 2013 masterpiece.
This is where the modding community stepped in. Teams of dedicated fans and amateur developers from around the globe, like the legendary teams behind PTE Patch, Smoke Patch, and others, took on the monumental task of dragging PES 2013 into the modern era. A “2017 patch” wasn’t just a minor update; it was a total conversion, a labor of love that completely overhauled the game from the ground up.
A typical PES 2013 patch for the 2017 season would include an astonishing amount of new content:
- Complete Roster Updates: Every major league was updated with the latest transfers. Pogba was at Manchester United, N’Golo Kanté was patrolling Chelsea’s midfield, and all the promoted and relegated teams were corrected. Player stats were often re-evaluated to reflect their current form.
- Authentic Kits: Every team, from Real Madrid to the newly promoted Burnley, received their official 2016-2017 season kits—home, away, and third strips included.
- Visual Enhancements: The patches brought a visual refresh that was night and day compared to the vanilla game. This included thousands of new and updated player faces, new boots from Nike, Adidas, and Puma, and the official match balls for leagues like La Liga and the Premier League.
- Broadcast Realism: To complete the immersion, modders would create new scoreboards and replay wipes that mimicked the TV broadcast styles of Sky Sports, beIN Sports, and others. Stadium adboards were updated to reflect the 2017 sponsors, making the entire experience feel incredibly current.
- New Teams and Leagues: A lot of patches went above and beyond by adding whole new leagues, like the German Bundesliga, which wasn’t in the original game because of licensing problems.
Why Not Just Play the New Game?
For outsiders, the question was obvious: “Why go through all this trouble? Why not just buy PES 2017?” The answer lies in a combination of preference, accessibility, and nostalgia.
The first thing was the gameplay. A lot of players thought that the Fox Engine made the gameplay in PES 2017 slower and less responsive. They missed the smoothness and creative freedom of PES 2013, which was like an arcade game. The patches were the best compromise: they gave the best gameplay engine with the newest modern look.
The second thing was how easy it was to get to. PES 2013 needed a lot less from the computer, so it could run well on older PCs and laptops that would have trouble with the newer, more demanding games. This kept the game going for a lot of people around the world who didn’t have high-end gaming hardware.
In the end, it was all about love and community. In 2017, it felt like being in a secret club to play a patched PES 2013. It showed how strong a dedicated fanbase can be when they won’t let a game they loved die. The forums and websites where these patches were shared were very busy. Everyone was doing their part to keep the dream alive.
The Enduring Legacy
The phenomenon of the PES 2013 patch was not a one-off for the 2017 season. It continued for years, and astoundingly, you can still find patches today that update the game to the current 2024 or 2025 seasons. It proves that a strong gameplay foundation is timeless.
The PES 2013 patch for 2017 is more than just a mod. It shows how a video game can become a living platform, not because of its creators, but because of the players’ will. It brings back memories of a time when gameplay was everything, and it reminds us that a community’s love for a game will never die.