FC 27 The Grounds - Controls

The FC 27 The Grounds controls will feel familiar if you already play EA Sports FC, but the way you use them changes dramatically once you leave traditional 11v11 football behind. The Grounds mixes Street Football with activities such as Team Keep Away, Bucketball, The Big Race and Goal Control, so knowing the normal buttons is only half the job.

This guide covers the essential PlayStation and Xbox controls for playing football inside The Grounds, plus the special rules that change how those controls behave in different activities. The inputs below assume the standard Classic controller configuration.

FC 27 The Grounds Basic Controls

These are the controls you will rely on most during Street Football and football based activities. Individual Kickabouts can restrict certain actions or give familiar buttons a different purpose.

Defending Controls in The Grounds

Space disappears quickly on the smaller pitches, so good defending is more about positioning than constantly pressing tackle. Jockeying is particularly useful when you need to block a passing lane without diving into a challenge.

How Controls Work in Street Football

The Grounds includes competitive 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and Rush football. The small sided 1v1, 2v2 and 3v3 matches last three minutes, so there is very little time to settle into a game.

The most important control difference is shooting. Street Football uses manual shooting assistance, while passing assistance is set to Full. That means the direction you aim matters considerably more when finishing. Do not expect the game to correct a poorly aimed shot just because you have created a good chance.

In 1v1, each side has a CPU goalkeeper alongside its user controlled outfield Pro. The 2v2 and 3v3 versions use smaller goals without goalkeeper Pros.

Free Kick Controls Work Differently

Fouls are active in Street Football, but free kicks have special rules. If you are fouled outside the penalty area, the fouled Pro takes the resulting attempt from that location. A foul inside the area produces a penalty attempt.

You must shoot from a free kick. Passing and dribbling are temporarily disabled, so there is no advantage in trying to play a clever short routine. Other players are held behind the taker until the restart has developed.

Team Keep Away Controls

Team Keep Away is a 3v3 possession game, and the standard passing controls become much more valuable than shooting. Your team earns points while keeping the ball, while successful passes increase the rate at which you can score.

Use X on PlayStation or A on Xbox for simple possession passes and resist the temptation to force a difficult ball. Consecutive passing builds a multiplier, while a foul costs your team points. First time passes are also particularly valuable.

The Big Race Controls

The Big Race strips football down to movement and dribbling. Four players take their own ball through an obstacle course filled with gates, hazards and defensive zones.

Passing and shooting are not the goal here. Concentrate on the Left Stick, controlled sprint and normal sprint. Full sprint is useful on an open straight, but controlled movement gives you much more authority over the ball when the course becomes tight.

Bucketball Controls

Bucketball changes the target from a football goal to a raised basket. Precision lobbed actions and aerial finishes become particularly useful because you need to send the ball through the opposing hoop.

Close attempts are worth two points, while successful attempts from beyond the three point line are worth three. The mode also allows higher jumps when using the shooting input, opening opportunities for aerial spikes and defensive plays.

Goal Control Controls

Goal Control is a 1v1 activity built around several goals rather than a single target. Scoring in one claims that goal for you, but your opponent can take it back by scoring there themselves.

This makes passing, dribbling and quick changes of direction more important than repeatedly attacking the nearest target. Watch which goals you already control and use the normal movement and shooting controls to attack the space your opponent is leaving exposed.

Scenario Controls

Scenarios give you a changing objective instead of simply asking for any goal. You might need a first time finish, a particular passing sequence, an aerial goal or another specified action.

Read the instruction at the top of the screen before touching the ball. A perfectly good finish can be worthless if it does not satisfy the current scenario.

How to Join an Activity in The Grounds

Open the World Map to locate Street Football pitches and Kickabouts, then travel to the activity or make your way there through the world. Each gameplay area has an information board explaining its rules and win conditions.

Walk into the queue area and choose Play to join. If you are playing with friends, you can queue with your party where supported. While waiting, you can watch matches taking place on the visible pitch.

Check the Information Board Before Playing

This may be the most useful control tip in the entire mode. The Grounds contains activities that reuse familiar FC buttons for completely different objectives. A shooting input may be about hitting a target in one game, putting the ball through a basket in another and completing a specific scenario somewhere else.

Spend a few seconds reading the board beside a pitch before entering its queue. Once you know what actually earns points, the standard FC 27 controls become much easier to apply.