There is a lot of discussion surrounding the EA FC 26 meta, and unfortunately, much of it is negative. You have constant debates around goalkeeper movement, the spinning meta, and defensive flaws. There’s also the issue that games largely just focus on the player you have selected at the moment, leaving off-the-ball movement reliant on AI. But if you know how to use player lock in FC 26 effectively, you can become a dominant force.
More high-level players use this feature so that they can move players off the ball into positions of play. The feature delivers the most immersive and authentic feeling of tactical control yet. Player Lock really transforms the match from just single-player dribbling into something much more methodical. Here’s a look at how it works and how you can use it properly.
What Is Player Lock?
Player Lock is an advanced control mechanic in EA FC 26 that gives you manual control over a player who is off the ball, while the game’s AI takes control of the player who has the ball. This is different than your standard AI controlling players off the ball, which often makes inaccurate runs.
What this feature allows you to do is direct the movement of a teammate off the ball to create space, make more deliberate runs, and dictate the flow of your attack with greater precision. The primary use is to make a specific player run into a perfect attacking position, such as a player running in behind a defender on the wings. The feature even allows you to create space as you can use a player to intentionally drag a defender out of position. On top of that, it allows for precision passion as well.
How To Activate Player Lock
Player Lock should be on by default, but you can check in the settings to make sure. Go to the settings in FC 26 and select the Game Settings. From there, go to the gameplay section and scroll down to find the player lock feature and turn it on.
The control scheme is similar across all platforms, whether you’re on PC, Xbox, or PlayStation. You just click in the left and right sticks at the same time, then use your right stick to flick towards the player you want to switch to. As soon as you press the left and right sticks, the player indicator on the ball carrier will change to a diamond symbol on the player you want to lock to.
You can practice how to player lock in the training arena by choosing two players of the same team and doing the player lock until you master it. Here are some tips for using the feature:
- Create space by using player lock to move into an open area or create a decoy to pull defenders out of positions.
- Don’t flick immediately to the player you want to activate the lock on. Locking immediately will mess things up, and you might end up selecting the wrong player.
- Use it while counter-attacking to move a player upfield and into dangerous positions.
- Running with the ball carrier while the player lock is active can be dangerous. So make sure you do so only when you’re confident and have the timing down.
It’s a technique that’s easy on the surface, but incredibly hard to master. I’ve faced a couple of people who used this technique in previous entries, and the chances they create with Player Lock can be hard to defend against.
