MLB The Show 26 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & Switch)

I still can’t bring myself to ignore a new annual release. Every year, I think to myself that it just might finally be the point at which the idea behind paying full price for a new game changes. That the improvements actually justify shelving a previous game in favor of a new iteration. 

But MLB The Show 26, unfortunately, continues the disappointing trend of minor improvements. Still noteworthy on a decent level. But I’m uncertain whether it’ll be enough to convince MLB The Show 25 owners to move on to the new version. 

Granted, all of the minor improvements, combined, do make for an overall better experience than the series has ever delivered. I guess it all comes down to your personal expectations and how motivated you are to play the best version possible, full price be damned. 

Here’s our deep-dive review of all you can expect from the latest MLB The Show 26.

What You Ordered

Like always, you play through three main game modes: Diamond Dynasty, Road to the Show, and Franchise. You’ve seen versions of these game modes in other sports sims. Diamond Dynasty, for instance, is your card game, where you unlock and upgrade player cards, focusing on building the strongest squad of MLB superstars. 

Road to the Show is your career mode, where you first customize a baseball player, and then take them from rookie status to the MLB Hall of Fame. Meanwhile, Franchise is the managerial section of MLB The Show 26. Here’s where you become a team manager, overseeing scouts, drafting, trades, negotiations, and roster management across several MLB seasons.

At their core, the game modes remain the same as in MLB The Show 25 and previous versions. Veterans should quickly jump into a new game, customizing their player, choosing their preferred team, and diving straight into a match. By this point, San Diego Studio has mastered baseball simulation, providing the smoothest, most realistic experience there is in the market right now. 

You won’t find a baseball sim with handling and physics as authentic and realistic as MLB The Show 26. And it’s always been an uphill climb to ensure players feel like they’re in real-world stadiums, controlling players with lifelike animations, and enjoying the consequent ecstatic feeling of a home run. 

What You Got

Starting with the presentation. It might seem like MLB The Show 26 makes giant leaps in graphical innovation, with its crisp and clean visuals. Players truly look detailed, with lifelike animations. This year, San Diego Studio has gone further with realism, even ensuring that the jerseys sway in the wind naturally and dynamically alongside player movement. 

Stadiums, too, are detailed in focus, and when pulled back, still have impressive shadows and lighting. Although some stadiums can look muddy from a distance, with the fans also not quite as detailed as you might hope, it’s still immersive, and most importantly, it hits the spot atmospherically.

Most of the atmosphere is achieved by the fans’ excitement during matches. Their cheers rise and fall, depending on your plays, roaring across the field, and cementing you right in the momentum of high-stakes matches. Sound is really good, even when the ball makes contact with the bat, a cracking sound permeates through the speakers.

Commentaries, as well, have received much appreciated dedicated effort to make them more contextualized and fitting current plays. Though it still can be more interesting to listen to, with surprising hot takes and one-liners that don’t become repetitive over time. 

But all of these will be old news to MLB The Show long-time fans. Place MLB The Show 26 side-by-side with MLB The Show 25, and you’ll be disappointed to learn that, in fact, much of the stadiums and character models remain the same. 

A giant leap in graphics is something that not only affects MLB The Show, but other annual franchises, too. And I guess we’ll just have to remain content with what we have for now.

On-Field Changes

While the game modes themselves remain the same, in terms of structure and matches, the most significant changes have been implemented during actual on-field gameplay. Well, two major changes,  to be specific: Big Zone Hitting and Bear Down Pitching. Now, they might sound like game-changing updates, but the truth is, they barely overhaul what’s already the foundation of MLB The Show.

Big Zone Hitting

Big Zone Hitting, essentially, provides you with a larger Plate Coverage Indicator (PCI). This makes it easier for beginners to make an easier contact with the ball. However, it does come with the caveat of lesser power output. It makes all the difference in adjusting your placement during pitches, rather than gunning for a perfect PCI placement. But even when it helps with entry-level accessibility, it doesn’t completely take away skill. You still need to master swing control; it’ll just be more forgiving.

Bear Down Pitching

Bear Down Pitching, meanwhile, is a limited resource that allows you to boost your pitch velocity and control. This adds an extra layer of depth and strategy, where you have to be smart about when to activate Bear Down Pitching. During high-stakes moments, perhaps, that lets you enjoy the benefit of a smaller Perfect Accuracy Region. How do you fill up your Bear Down Pitching meter, you ask? Through throwing strikes and strikeouts. But you can also drain the meter when you make wild pitches and sloppy innings. 

There’s a sweet element of control, enjoying better swings with Big Zone Hitting, and managing your pitches with Bear Down Pitching for your benefit. Timing matters, given the meter restrictions that limit the number of enhanced pitches per game. It raises the tension during pitches, where every pitch counts. And when that tension is highest, you can squeeze out your reward for pitching strikes and strikeouts, keeping in mind that you still have to be on your A game and make the perfect pitch to seal a victory.

The full impact of Big Zone Hitting and Bear Down Pitching will be felt when players have the chance to experiment with the new mechanics. Perhaps they will raise the stakes during matches, perhaps they won’t make a dent in the overall experience. We’ll have to wait and see.

Diamond Dynasty 

In MLB The Show 26, the World Baseball Classic offers over 130 themed cards. Quite the staggering number of options there that provide an incentive to work your way up the progression ladder. These offer international teams, stadiums, and players that will surely motivate your early grind to building a strong team.

You have flexible, specialized mini seasons to choose from, including three or nine-inning games, and seven and 28-game season lengths. Also, notably, is the addition of a New Red Diamond rarity card. These are 95 to 99-rated cards, which will further incentivize that head rush to collect as many rare gems as you can.

Road to the Show

For Road to the Show, it’s not entirely new for the career mode to begin its run in the college scene. But, in MLB The Show 26, the amateur run is further expanded, including starting from high school through to college, competing in the College World Series, getting drafted into an MLB team, the minor leagues, and major leagues on the way to the MLB Hall of Fame. 

While the amateur runs tell a relatively engaging story, trying to get the attention of scouts and colleges, the momentum slows down in the MLB Draft and leagues. It’s great, though, how your performance impacts your draft position, connecting your journey and career. 

Franchise Mode

And lastly, the revamped Trade Hub in Franchise mode is a new change to rave about. This time, you’ll enjoy a centralized, cleaner UI, where you view trade rumors and manage trades. It’s a streamlined experience that comes with, apparently, a smarter AI trade logic system, which, at times, doesn’t make sense why trades are accepted or rejected.

Verdict 

The point is that MLB The Show 26 does add new changes. But they are focused on refining the core experience you’ve played through in previous games. And so, veterans may find very little is different from the experience they’ve grown used to. Very little is different in the graphics or core gameplay. 

Examine the on-field moment-to-moment gameplay experience more closely, though, and you’ll realize the additional control and strategy that the new Big Zone Hitting and Bear Down Pitching mechanic adds to MLB The Show 26. It may not be too significant a change to justify paying full price for the new game. But it’s certainly noteworthy on the road to making the annual series the best baseball sim.

There are other minor changes in the game modes, including a new rarity card in Diamond Dynasty, an expanded amateur scene in Road to the Show, and a more seamless, centralized Trade Hub in Franchise mode. Though these changes aren’t game-changing, they certainly combine to make MLB The Show 26 the best version yet.