Why Does My PES 2017 Display Russian?

Before diving into solutions, it’s important to understand why this happens. Konami (the developer) often released region-specific versions of PES 2017:

Russian/CIS Edition: Includes Russian text, Russian commentary (by Yuri Rozanov), and sometimes English as a secondary or locked option.

EU/US Edition: Includes English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese.

If you bought a digital key from third-party sellers or received a physical disc from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, or Kazakhstan, your game is hard-locked or defaulted to Russian.

Method 4: The "Steam Launch Option" Trick (Steam Version Only)

If you own PES 2017 on Steam and the game launches in Russian despite English being available, use Steam's launch commands.

Open Steam and go to your Library.

Right-click on Pro Evolution Soccer 2017.

Select Properties.

Under the General tab, find LAUNCH OPTIONS.

Type the following exactly: -language="english"

Close the properties window and launch the game.

This overrides the region detection for most versions.

Phase I: Configuration Modification (The locale.ini Method)

This phase instructs the game engine to override the default language setting.

Step 1: Locating the Game Directory Navigate to the installation folder of PES 2017.

Default Steam Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Pro Evolution Soccer 2017

Step 2: Accessing the Settings Folder Within the root directory, locate and open the folder labeled DATA.

Step 3: Editing the locale.ini File

Inside the DATA folder, locate the file named locale.ini.

Right-click the file and select Open with > Notepad.

The file typically contains code similar to the following (for a Russian-locked version):

[language]
russian = 1
english = 0

Note: In some versions, the file may simply list the active language under a parameter like language = "russian".

Modification: Alter the values to enable English and disable Russian. It is recommended to change the configuration to:

[language]
russian = 0
english = 1

Alternatively, if the file uses a different format, change the primary language definition to:

default_language = "english"

Saving: Save the file (File > Save) and close the text editor.

Pes 2017 Language Change Russian To English Work -

Title: Linguistic Localization Protocol: Converting Russian to English in Pro Evolution Soccer 2017

Abstract

Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 (PES 2017) remains a culturally significant entry in the football simulation genre. However, specific regional releases, particularly those distributed within the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) region, are often locked to the Russian language to combat parallel imports and adhere to regional licensing agreements. This technical paper outlines the methodology for modifying the game’s file architecture to enable the English language pack. The paper explores the file structure, the necessity of locale.ini modification, and the application of downloadable content (DLC) to restore full English audio and text functionality.

3. Methodology

The process is divided into three distinct phases: File Acquisition, Configuration Editing, and Asset Integration.

For PlayStation 4 (System Language):

Go to PS4 Settings (Toolbox icon).
Select Language → System Language.
Change to English (United States) or English (United Kingdom).
Restart PES 2017.

Method 5: The Nuclear Option – Patching & File Swapping (For Locked Versions)

If none of the above works, you have a Russian-locked executable. The Russian language files are present, but English files are missing. You have two choices: