FIFA 21 Controls: Attacking, Defending & Goalkeeping on PlayStation, Xbox & PC

Anyone who has played a FIFA game in recent years probably has gotten to grips with the basic controls by now, but even long-term fans of the game might not know every single move in FIFA 21.

Additionally, new controls such as Player Lock and improved off-the-ball movement have been added to FIFA 21, giving you greater control over your players.

People who move over to FIFA 21 from Pro Evolution Soccer might also take a while to get to grips with the controls, but you can change the button assignments from “Classic” to “Alternate” in the settings to make the shoot button the same on both games.

If you have a PlayStation or Xbox controller, you can use this to play FIFA 21 on PC and the controls will be the same as on the console.

To use your PlayStation controller on PC, you will need to install a small program called DS4Windows, while all you need to do to use your Xbox controller is to plug it into your PC USB port and it will install automatically.

FIFA 21: Movement Controls

FIFA 21 uses the same movement controls as previous versions but has added Agile Dribbling as one of the main gameplay improvements from last season.

Command	PlayStation	Xbox
Move Player	L	L
Sprint	Hold R2	Hold RT
Shield / Jockey	Hold L2	Hold LT
First Touch / Knock-On	R2 + R	RT + R
Stop and Face Goal	Let go of L, L1	Let go of L, LB
Face Up Dribbling	L2 + R2	LT + RT
Strafe Dribble	L1+ L	LB+ L
Stop Ball	Let go of L, R2	Let go of L, RT
Jostle (Ball In Air)	L2	LT

FIFA 21: Attacking Controls

Player Lock and new player run options have been added in FIFA 21, giving you greater control over your team-mates when in possession.

Command	PlayStation	Xbox
Ground Pass / Header	X	A
Lob Pass / Cross / Header	Square	X
Through Pass	Triangle	Y
Shoot / Volley / Header	Circle	B
Timed Finishing	Circle, Circle	B, B
Chip Shot	L1 + Circle	LB + B
Finesse Shot	R1 + Circle	RB + B
Low Shot / Downward Header	L1 + R1 + Circle	LB + RB + B
Fake Shot	Circle then X + Direction	B then A + Direction
Fake Pass	Square then X + Direction	X then A + Direction
Threaded Through Pass	R1 + Triangle	RB + Y
Protect Ball	L2	LT
Driven Ground Pass	R1 + X	RB + A
Lofted Ground Pass	X + X	A + A
Lofted Through Pass	Triangle, Triangle	Y, Y
Lobbed Through Pass	L1 + Triangle	LB + Y
Driven Lobbed Through Pass	L1 + R1 + Triangle	LB + RB + Y
Driven Lob Pass/ Driven Cross	R1 + Square	RB + X
High Lob / High Cross	L1 + Square	LB + X
Ground Cross	Square, Square	X, X
Whipped Cross	L1 + R1 + Square	LB + RB + X
Driven Ground Cross	R1 + Square, Square	RB + X, X
Trigger Run	L1	LB
Call for Support	R1	RB
Dummy	Hold R1	Hold RB
Cancel	L2 + R2	LT + RT
Flair Pass	L2 + X	LT + A
Flair Shot	L2 + Circle	LT + B
Flair Lob	L2 + Square	LT + X
Flick Up For Volley	R3	R3
Pass and Go	L1 + X	LB + A
Directional Runs	L1 + Flick R	LB + Flick R
Player Lock	L3 + R3	L3 + R3
Player Lock Switching	Flick L	Fllick L
Super Cancel	L1 + R1 + L2 + R2	LB + RB + LT + RT
Cancel Advantage	L2 + R2	LT + RT

FIFA 21: Defending Controls

Defending has not really changed in FIFA 21, but the new Natural Collisions improvements mean that defensive controls are more responsive this year, with a well-timed standing tackle more effective in this year’s game.

Command	PlayStation	Xbox
Switch Player	L1	LB
Manual Switch Player	Flick R	Flick R
Tackle	Circle	B
Instant Hard Tackle	R1 + Circle	RB + B
Sliding Tackle	Square	X
Clearance	Circle	B
Shoulder Challenge/Sealout	L2	L2
Jockey/Grab & hold	Hold L2	Hold L2
Contain	Hold X	Hold A
Teammate Contain	Hold R1	Hold RB
Running Jockey	L2 + R2	LT & RT
Pull and Hold (when chasing)	Hold Circle	Hold B
Get up after sliding tackle	Square	X
Goalkeeper charge	Hold Triangle	Hold Y

FIFA 21: Goalkeeping Controls

Most people use automatic goalkeeping and let the AI control the goalkeeper, but you can switch to the goalkeeper using the touchpad to allow you to pull off saves and charge at the ball.

Command	PlayStation	Xbox
Drop Kick	Circle or X	B or X
Throw/Pass	X	A
Drop Ball	Triangle	Y
Pick Up Ball	R1	RB
Driven Throw	R1 + X	RB + A
Driven Kick	R1 + Square	RB + X
Move Goalkeeper	Hold R3, R	Hold R3, R
Switch to GK	Press Touchpad	Press Touchpad