FIFA 21: NXT LVL Edition for Microsoft Xbox Series X

Feel Next Level in FIFA 21 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S with new features that take The World’s Game from visual to visceral.

Gameplay

FIFA 21 rewards you for your creativity and control all over the pitch

Create more scoring opportunities with all-new dynamic attacking systems in the most intelligent FIFA gameplay to date.

More ways to get creative on and off the ball

Agile Dribbling

A new Agile Dribbling system gives you the means to unleash your creativity in 1-on-1 situations. Use fast footwork, more responsive close control, and new skill moves like the ball roll fake to explode past defenders.

Agile Dribbling is a brand-new way to keep close control of the ball in FIFA 21. Inspired by some of the best dribblers in real life, Agile Dribbling is intended to give you the ability to quickly move the ball from side to side to help dribblers get away from defenders, and to use fast footwork to help you create space by tricking defenders into over-committing to tackles.

One of the biggest goal of FIFA 21 is to make dribbling a balanced match-up for the Jockey mechanic. The intention is to design a dribbling system that’s more explosive, agile, and fluid, while still ensuring it remains similar to what is seen on the real-life pitch.

To perform Agile Dribbling, hold R1/RB while moving the Left Stick, and you will notice the dribbler moving the ball with rapid and precise touches. Every player in the game can Agile Dribble, however, the higher a player’s Dribbling, Agility, Reactions, and Ball Control attributes, the quicker, more precise, and better they will be at keeping the ball at their feet.

FIFA 21 also introducing Contextual Agile Dribbling. This mechanic is optional, but it is enabled by default. When enabled, it will make your players automatically perform Agile Dribbles in certain situations, for example when in a 1v1 situation against an opponent. This mechanic can be turned off in the Controller Settings screen.

To achieve a more dynamic dribble, regardless of the technique you are using, FIFA 21 has also improved player agility and animation transitions when performing Left Stick dribbling and Strafe Dribbling (using L1/LB, as introduced last year).

Positioning personality

In FIFA 21, increased positional awareness elevates footballers’ in-game intelligence to put them in the right place at the right time. See world-class forwards hold their runs in line with the last defender, creative playmakers find space to play through balls, and midfielders shut off passing lanes as players better live up to their real-world understanding of space and time on the pitch.

FIFA 21 focuses on adding deeper AI Player Personality in positioning, both offensively and defensively, to ensure that the ability of football’s greatest players on the virtual pitch matches up to their real world counterparts.

FIFA 21 allows players who are tactically aware to have a bigger impact, by being in the right place at the right time to shoot, pass, or block the ball.

While FIFA 21 made a lot of improvements throughout multiple areas of the AI positioning system. Two main attributes dictate how good players will be at these behaviours; Positioning for Attacking Personality, and Defensive Awareness for Defensive Personality.

The details that follow only apply to players that are being controlled by the AI as AI Teammates.

Attacking – Positioning Attribute Impact

The Positioning attribute can impact many elements of Attacking Personality, and the specific behaviours below scale according to the player’s attribute. This means that an attribute of 85 might feel good and have a pronounced effect, but 90 is significantly better, and 99 is exponentially superior.

• Onside and Offside Runs – Awareness to know when to slow down and time the run to perfectly stay onside. This behaviour will be overridden when using Fast Build Up tactics and/or Get In Behind Player Instructions as the intent of those is to focus more on using speed to break down the defence.
• “Passer Readiness” Runs – Understanding of when the ball possessor is ready to make a pass so the player can time their run perfectly. High attribute players will show intelligent timing and movement, based on where the passer is facing and moving. This behaviour will be overridden when using Fast Build Up tactics and/or Get In Behind Player Instructions for the same reasons as detailed above.
• Decision Making Time and Intelligence – The ability to make faster and accurate decisions on where and when to move. Higher Positioning Attribute players will decide where to move quicker and smarter.
• Passing Lane Analysis – Understanding of spaces to determine where the next best move to receive a pass is, providing more options for passers and teammates.

Behaviours that will only happen when a player has a very high Positioning Attribute:

• Open Up Space – Ability to create separation between attackers and defenders when the defence is tight or to provide more passing options. Happens mostly with diagonal runs when there are available spaces.
• Ideal Crossing Positioning – Understanding of the best open space in the box to beat defenders during dangerous in-play crossing situations. This does not apply to set piece plays.
• Fake Runs in the Box – Creating forward fake runs and then pulling back to be available for cut back pass options or changing run direction from near post to far post.
• Chance Creation Support – AI forwards are more aware of the lack of passing options and will drop back to the midfield to support teammates in order to help in build-up play.

Defending – Defensive Awareness Attribute Impact

The Defensive Awareness attribute can impact many elements of Defending Personality, and the specific behaviours below scale according to the player’s attribute – exactly as mentioned in the Attacking session above.

• Run Tracking – Ability to track a run and anticipate one before it happens, with highly aware defenders doing a much better job at staying with their runners.
• 2-Man Marking to Prevent Counter Attacks – Ability for two high attribute defenders to mark a striker so they have limited space to avoid a counterattack. Requires 2 AI Teammate players, each with very high Defensive Awareness attributes.
• Defensive Midfielder Diligent Tracking – The ability to intelligently mark and track runs by attackers without giving up or leaving them open. They will track dangerous attacking opponents even if they are already marked by a teammate, due to the scale of the threat.
• Defensive Midfielder Cutting Passing Lanes – Awareness to position themselves better in order to cut off passing lanes and limit the opponent’s options. Requires an AI Teammate in a defensive midfielder capacity with very high Defensive Awareness.
• Active vs Passive winger behaviours – Determines how active wingers can get when having to perform defensive duties such as marking, defensive positioning, and tracking runs.
• Full back Cooperation – Better awareness of the teammate full back’s positioning, allowing them to better work together when marking. When one full back pushes up, the other will cover and become more aware to mark and track attackers. Full backs with a high Defensive Awareness attribute are more effective defending runs on the far side of the pitch than players with a lower one.

Creative runs

Get more control over your attackers’ movement with more ways to break down the defence in build-up play:

• Directed Runs: Flick the right stick after triggering a run to take full control over the direction of the runs your teammates make
• Directed Pass and Go: Flick the right stick to decide where your teammate makes their run after a pass
• Player Lock: Press in both sticks to lock to your current player when on the attack

Natural Collision System

A re-imagined collision system creates smoother player interactions all over the pitch. Key footballing moments like goalmouth scrambles and battles for possession in the midfield will resolve more naturally, resulting in fewer free for all and less falling over each other when players fight to be the first to the ball.

Fundamentals of Football

Updates to the fundamentals of football raise the game all over the pitch.

• Passing – A more perceptive understanding of space and opposition positioning allows players to play a more intelligent passing game in FIFA 21
• Blocking – A new blocking system creates more balanced outcomes when defenders block shots and crosses
• Responsiveness – Faster reaction times unlock more responsive players, enabling them to better escape from tight situations when under pressure from opponents
• Manual Headers – Take full control over headed shots and passes with manual headers that send the ball exactly where you aim

Please note, an internet connection and Xbox Live Gold may be required to play this game. In addition, you may need to update your hardware via the internet before you can play the game.