The soccer series is known for its glitches, but the latest widespread glitch in FIFA 21 that launches players into the air is taking things to a whole new level of ridiculousness. Released earlier this month, FIFA 21 is the latest entry in one of the most popular sports franchises in all of gaming. Players can enjoy the game on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, as well as a carbon-copied "Legacy Edition" on Nintendo Switch. Players who grab a next-gen console next month will be able to play an upgraded version sometime in 2021, and the same goes for anyone hoping to purchase the game on Google Stadia.

This isn't the first time that FIFA 21 has made headlines for unintended consequences, although it's certainly the funniest. Before the game came out, those who were interested in sampling the game early via EA Play's 10-hour full game trials found that their sheer numbers were bringing down the entire service. Beyond that, many now playing the full game have found the ranking system to be lacking, and skilled players are throwing matches in order to stay in lower tiers and reap what they feel are more valuable rewards. This doesn't even go into the aforementioned "Legacy Edition" of the game on Switch, which presents the same gameplay as last year's release (as well as the year's entry before) with nothing new beyond an updated UI and roster.

Related: FIFA 21: How To Get A Free Next-Gen Upgrade

The latest issue with the game isn't stopping anyone from completing matches or crashing online servers, but it is causing a hilarious reaction. As reported by Eurogamer and others, players across the Internet are discovering unknown circumstances that make their soccer stars leap skyward for unknown reasons. The players will often jump straight up instead of at an angle, so there's no strategy to take advantage of, it just looks as if they were detached from the Earth's gravitational pull for a brief moment.

The glitch has been occurring since launch, so there's no doubt that the developers at EA Vancouver will want to fix this reality-warping occurrence sooner rather than later. Still, compared to some of the other issues the game has at the moment and some of the issues EA games sometimes have in general, the occasional bouncing soccer player is not the worst-case scenario. Perhaps it's not preferred during a clutch Ultimate Team matchup, but the games where it occurs generally continue after the brief dip into Wackyland.

Perhaps if EA were to embrace the change to FIFA 21, they could attract a whole new audience to the sports game. Sales are already down as many players await the next-gen release, so maybe patching in the voice of Tim Kritzrow to narrate the athlete's superhuman feats would make the game more fun. Developers could also lean into it by adding more superfluous features, like players being set on fire when they perform well or bonus targets to hit outside of the goal. Would that be a completely separate game, perhaps by the name of FIFA Jam? Yes. Would that be such a bad thing? Maybe for the fans they currently have, which is the reason that arcade sports games that would allow such sick jumping are few and far between.

Next: Fastest Players (& Strikers) in FIFA 21

FIFA 21 is available now for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, and it will launch on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Google Stadia in 20221. 

Source: Eurogamer, SSJeffo, Out Of Context Football, TwoSyncOfficial, Nick28T