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 |