EA FC 27 Skill Moves: Complete Controls Guide

What are skill moves in EA FC 27, and how do they work?

Skill moves in EA Sports FC 27 are special dribbling animations triggered primarily through the Right Stick. Every player carries a Skill Moves rating between 1 and 5 stars, and that rating determines exactly which techniques they can perform during a match. A 3-star player can execute everything in the 1, 2, and 3-star pools, while 5-star players unlock the complete set. The most important thing to remember before learning any input: Right Stick directions are always relative to the direction your player is facing, not the camera. Get that wrong and you will keep performing the wrong animation at the worst possible moment.

FC 27 adds 13 new entries to the main Skill Moves control list, ranging from the 1-star Giant Fake Shot all the way up to 5-star moves like First Time Spin and Running Fake Drag. Several additional skill-related animations also arrive this year, including Ball Roll Spin, Fake Turn, Stepover Combo, Kneel Header, and an updated La Croqueta animation. Most existing FC 26 controls carry over unchanged, so returning players do not need to relearn the entire system.

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All EA FC 27 skill move controls by star rating

1-star skill moves

Every outfield player can perform 1-star moves, making them useful regardless of squad quality. The major new addition at this tier is the Giant Fake Shot.

2-star skill moves

This is where the list starts earning its keep in actual matches. Ball Roll, Stepover, and Drag Back are all here, and two new additions join them.

3-star skill moves

Three-star players get noticeably more options for changing direction and escaping pressure. This tier is particularly valuable in Ultimate Team because a large proportion of usable cards fall into the 3-star range.

4-star skill moves

FC 27 adds several new techniques at this tier, making 4-star arguably the most important level to master for the new dribbling system.

5-star skill moves

The full 5-star pool requires elite technical players, but the new additions at this tier are genuinely useful rather than just cosmetic.

What are the best new skill moves in FC 27?

Not every new addition is worth your practice time. After testing all 13 new moves across different match situations, a clear hierarchy emerges.

Stop and Go is the easiest to recommend first. It only needs 2-star skills, the purpose is immediately obvious (make a defender react to a change of pace), and the input is simple enough to execute consistently under pressure.

Lateral Heel to Heel is the standout move for wingers. Attack the full-back, wait for them to start jockeying, then use the lateral movement to cut inside and create a shooting angle. Unlike the traditional Heel to Heel, this variation moves the ball sideways rather than pushing it straight ahead, which is exactly what inside forwards need.

Ball Roll Spin builds directly on the Ball Roll that experienced players already use constantly. The familiar lateral movement feeds into a spinning exit, giving you a second direction to attack without requiring a completely new muscle memory.

First Time Spin is the most interesting 5-star addition. Instead of controlling the ball and then turning, you spin away from pressure the moment the pass arrives. Strikers and CAMs receiving with a defender directly behind them will find this changes those situations completely.

Foot to Foot earns its place near the penalty area specifically. Most large skill animations carry the ball too far in a crowded box, but Foot to Foot keeps the movement compact, which is exactly what you need when space is measured in centimetres.

What are the best skill moves to learn first?

The full move list runs to dozens of entries, but most match situations can be handled by six reliable techniques.

Ball Roll (2-star) remains the single most useful skill in the game. Hold the Right Stick left or right relative to your player and the ball shifts sideways without locking you into a long animation. Use it to roll around a rushing goalkeeper, open a passing lane, or move the ball onto your stronger foot before shooting. The exit is fast, which is why it tops every best-of list.

Stepover (2-star) produces a meaningful acceleration burst after the feint. One well-timed Stepover creates enough separation from a defender to open a diagonal run. It works on the wing, through the middle, and during counterattacks.

Roulette (3-star) places your body between the defender and the ball, making it the best option when pressure arrives from the side. The weakness is a second covering defender on your exit route, so always check what is behind you before committing.

Heel Flick (3-star) pushes the ball past a defender and carries momentum through the challenge. The caveat is that it only works when there is visible space behind the defender. Against someone running backward, the ball lands straight at their feet.

Lane Change (4-star) moves the attacker laterally while keeping them facing forward. Hold L1/LB and hold the Right Stick left or right. The sideways step near the penalty area regularly opens finesse-shot angles that did not exist a second earlier.

Elastico (5-star) cuts sharply across a defender's body and remains one of the most effective 1v1 moves in the game. The downside is that it only works in isolated situations. Against two defenders, the animation leaves you exposed.

Best skill move combinations to use in matches

Long chains look impressive but give defenses time to recover. Two-move combinations that flow directly into a pass or shot are more effective in competitive play.

• Ball Roll into Finesse Shot: Roll the ball onto the stronger foot near the box, then shoot as the goalkeeper shifts toward the original angle.
• Stepover into Sprint: One Stepover followed by a diagonal acceleration burst. Works from the wing, through the middle, and on counters.
• Lateral Heel to Heel into Shot: Cut inside from the wing and shoot before the full-back can recover position.
• Roulette into Short Pass: Spin away from midfield pressure, then recycle possession immediately.
• Stop and Go into Sprint: The change of pace baits the defender into a standing tackle, then you accelerate through the gap.
• Ball Roll into Through Ball: Pull the ball away from a midfielder, then play the through ball before the defense can shift.

Player attributes and PlayStyles that matter for skill moves

The Skill Moves star rating is the entry requirement, but it is not the only thing that determines how effective a move is in practice. FC 27 specifically connects Dribbling, Agility, and Balance with off-balance dribbling situations, meaning a player with high technical attributes maintains better control during physical challenges after a skill move.

Explosiveness matters too. Creating space with Ball Roll Spin means nothing if the player lacks the acceleration to exploit it before the defender recovers.

The Trickster PlayStyle unlocks the Kneel Header and the Trickster Fake Shot, the latter of which stops the shooting motion before rolling the ball in any direction. In 1v1 situations against the goalkeeper, a well-timed Trickster Fake Shot either guarantees an open net or draws a penalty.

For 5-star skillers worth building around, the sources confirm players including Rayan Cherki, Martin Ødegaard, Paulo Dybala, Lauren James, Rafael Leão, João Félix, and Kingsley Coman all carry 5-star Skill Move ratings. That said, a complete 4-star attacker with the right PlayStyles and strong weak foot will outperform a limited 5-star card in most squads. Pair your skill move choices with the best formations and tactics to make sure your dribblers are in positions where those moves can actually create chances.

Practice Arena skill training

Common mistakes that make skill moves stop working

Learning the inputs is only half the problem. Most skill move failures in matches come from execution errors that have nothing to do with the button combination.

Triggering too close to the defender is the most common one. The animation needs space to complete. If the defender is already in tackling range when you start the move, the skill gets interrupted before it does anything useful.

Wrong stick direction is the second most frequent issue. Right Stick inputs are relative to your player's facing direction, not the camera. When your player turns, the same input produces a completely different result. This is why moves that worked perfectly in the Practice Arena suddenly fail during matches.

Using high-star moves with low-star players seems obvious but still catches people out. Always check the player's Skill Moves rating before building a game plan around a specific technique.

Repeating the same move trains opponents to wait for it. If every attack ends with a Lateral Heel to Heel cut inside, a good opponent will simply stop following the initial run and wait on the inside lane instead.

How to practice skill moves in FC 27

The Practice Arena is the best starting point. Pick one move, repeat the input while facing different directions, and keep going until the timing becomes automatic. Then add a defender and practice the same move against actual pressure.

Skill Games help with general Right Stick comfort and ball control before you move to more complex inputs.

Once the controls feel natural, take two or three moves into Squad Battles or Rivals rather than jumping straight into Champions. Squad Battles gives you enough pressure to test timing without the full consequences of a competitive match.

FC 27 also includes Simplified Skill Moves, an optional setting that lets the game select a contextually appropriate move when you push the Right Stick in one of four main directions. It is a reasonable way to understand when turns and rolls work before committing inputs to memory, but manual controls offer noticeably more precision once those decisions start feeling natural.

For everything else you need to build a competitive squad around your new dribbling skills, check out the full EA Sports FC 27 strategy guides covering formations, coin earning, SBCs, and more.