MLB The Show 21

 PlayStation 5
User Score
4.2

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 163 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 58 out of 163
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 163
  3. Negative: 95 out of 163

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  1. BadFlounder
    Apr 23, 2021
    1
    Thanks for ruining RTTS mode. Whose idea was it to force me to use ONE CHARACTER and FORCE ME TO PLAY DIAMIOND DYNASTY. Thanks for ruining a game I have bought every year since PS2 gen. Total disgrace, Sony San Diego.
  2. Gusbus02
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    They ruined Road To The Show. Forced integration with Diamond Dynasty. Can only make one character model so you would have to change it every time you want to switch careers. The progression for "programs" is broken and doesn't register forcing you to play DD to upgrade your RTTS players. The perk system is terrible. What is so bad about just getting your attributes up by playing the game?They ruined Road To The Show. Forced integration with Diamond Dynasty. Can only make one character model so you would have to change it every time you want to switch careers. The progression for "programs" is broken and doesn't register forcing you to play DD to upgrade your RTTS players. The perk system is terrible. What is so bad about just getting your attributes up by playing the game? Can only max the attributes out at 50 without spending money currently. The equipment glitches and switches every time you check your " loadout " to see the progress you aren't making on it making you have to re edit your player every time. Forced to be a Two- Way player at the start. Why can't I just pick my position from the start? No " Show Case" it just randomly starts with the MLB Draft and puts you on a random team. ( You do have the choice to pick a team but whats the point in that why not have a combine/showcase ) The podcasts are fine but ehhh don't really add much. The skin tone editor is terrible for the player creation. Absolutely awful they ruined it. Also can't play the mode offline because it requires you to be online to earn progress for the "programs" so when the servers shut off you won't be able to play the mode. No year to year saves anymore so even if you had fun playing with your player this year you won't be able to take him to next years game because of the DD integration they would be worried that the player would be too good for DD at the start of next years game which is why they should have never combined the 2. Terrible decisions all around skip this game if you play this mode. 0 out of 10… Expand
  3. Edgy89
    Apr 23, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hate this **** game, taking out online franchise, ruining Franchise to promote its ****tt diamond dynasty always promoting to buy packs !!!! I’m tired of it and tired of the **** RTTS!!!!! I wish I could get my ps5 refund but I can’t!!! **** this pos game!!!!! Servers are always down, can’t even play cross play (the only reason I bought it) I wish I could get a refund!!!!!!! **** stole my money can’t have a good sports game for **** now a days!!!… Expand
  4. nickclark
    Apr 21, 2021
    0
    They butchered rtts to force people to play diamond dynasty. I feel absolutely robbed of my money. I hate these slimy business tactics.
  5. colt45z
    Apr 23, 2021
    2
    BUGGY! Dont buy the game until they patch it. Extremely frustrating. Can't add equipment or perks to RTTS player. Internet connection/Server issues errors constantly. Waste of $70 for an unfinished piece of trash. This is why Gamestop wont die. Done buying new games, this was the last straw for me. I'll wait months and buy a cheap used copy at my local Gamestop. I suggest you do the same.
  6. AlvarodS87
    Apr 21, 2021
    0
    There's not much I could say other reviewers have already explained in great detail. RTTS is a mess, the servers stink on ice and the game is a dumpster fire... No reason to buy it if you have MLB The Show 20 to play RTTS. If you're not an online player, even Super Mega Baseball 3 it's more enjoyable, at least for now.
  7. KnownAdversary
    Apr 22, 2021
    1
    Bought the Deluxe Edition... Can’t play 3/4 of the time because of the servers. When I can play, I complete a task that took between 30min and 2hrs only for it to be completely nullified by a disconnect AFTER I complete said task. Maybe test the server load before you launch the game with free to play for Xbox folks. Complete cash grab... Been playing The Show for a decade, last time I buyBought the Deluxe Edition... Can’t play 3/4 of the time because of the servers. When I can play, I complete a task that took between 30min and 2hrs only for it to be completely nullified by a disconnect AFTER I complete said task. Maybe test the server load before you launch the game with free to play for Xbox folks. Complete cash grab... Been playing The Show for a decade, last time I buy it. Lost a legit loyal customer....… Expand
  8. Dandandogg69
    Apr 23, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. DO NOT BUY THIS GAME. All I'll say is Cyberpunk had a better launch than this. The servers are in shambles. By that I mean you will get in but you'll get booted after a few minutes. You'll spend most of your time trying to connect. Franchise is untouched. And they made RTTS unplayable. STAY AWAY. They claim they're working on the servers but... SPOILER ALERT, they don't know how to fix it. By far the worst launch and worst week of ANY sports title, ever.… Expand
  9. CagedSerinity
    Apr 20, 2021
    1
    Gameplay is fine. But RTTS Is completely broken. It’s the only reason I play the show. The progression, the equipment, the loadouts it’s all broken. I gained to attribute points in Half a season batting .320. I’ll change my score when they fix it.
  10. rhysta
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    Game is awful. almost unplayable, constant lag no matter what you try to do. Don’t get me started on “Road To The Show” upgrading your player is locked behind a paywall forcing you to buy stubs if you want a chance to increase your overall. The other option is having to buy off the in game market where players sell everything overpriced.
  11. loungefly85
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    This has become a glorified card collecting/microtransaction game now. RTTS was completely fine as it was. Now, however, SDS has decided to tie in DD and severely cripple the mode with "ballplayer" with the ridiculous new "loadouts" system. Where before we could build up our skills by playing in games and performing well, now it's all about loadouts and slow as hell progression unlessThis has become a glorified card collecting/microtransaction game now. RTTS was completely fine as it was. Now, however, SDS has decided to tie in DD and severely cripple the mode with "ballplayer" with the ridiculous new "loadouts" system. Where before we could build up our skills by playing in games and performing well, now it's all about loadouts and slow as hell progression unless doing things like challenges or spending money on their little card packs. Also, forget about having multiple players in RTTS, now its only one, your "ballplayer". And since, of course, it's tied to online DD, many last names are deemed unacceptable through a faulty name filter even though it's, at its heart, supposedly an offline mode.

    Do people not just enjoy playing MLB games anymore? Is it really all about virtual card packs and creating fake teams and playing them online? I just want to roll up a SS or RF, get drafted, and work my way up to the majors and hopefully win a World Series or two. But now it seems I'll be forced to do their little online challenges and collect card packs. It's too late to get refunded, so I definitely feel like a sucker for pre-ordering. Never again. I'll eat the cost, uninstall 21, and re-install 20 just to play an offline mode that is truly offline and not infected with online DD BS.

    And don't even get me started with franchise. That would be a whole other review.

    I read SDS put out a statement where they "appreciate the feedback" and other corporate speak that insist they are working on fixing the issues. Let's see if that really happens or if it's just lip service.

    I'd really love to re-install 21. The bit that I played really does play well. It's a good baseball game. Let's just hope they focus on baseball and not all on card collecting and online play and all the various ways to shift everybody to that mode.    … Expand
  12. MyStupidName22
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    This is an IN DEPTH review of the game to explain why so many people are giving the game zeros.

    Don't believe all the positive scores. I suspect review fixing because there is no way that this game deserves even close to a ten for anyone that played the game previously. Anyone saying it's "perfect" and a "masterpiece" or similar is CLEARLY lying considering they've done just about    This is an IN DEPTH review of the game to explain why so many people are giving the game zeros.

    Don't believe all the positive scores. I suspect review fixing because there is no way that this game deserves even close to a ten for anyone that played the game previously. Anyone saying it's "perfect" and a "masterpiece" or similar is CLEARLY lying considering they've done just about nothing to fix the games previous problems, and added a MULTITUDE of more bugs and glitches. No fair minded person can say this is better than last year.

    The zero reviews are earned and people are telling you why. Here is why I, like others, are rating it a zero. After asking for many years to add to the most popular modes, RTTS and Franchise, they either did very little (franchise) or gutted it entirely (RTTS). Last year is about the same as the previous three or four years for both modes. This year include a majority of the same glitches that we've all seen that they can't bother to fix. If you want this game, buy 20 and save money with all the same features in RTTS and Franchise.

    There are four basic modes people play. RTTS (which is the largest), franchise, March to October and diamond dynasty. As I said, most people buy this game for RTTS, the career mode. I don't know how popular DD is, but maybe 1 out or 10 topics I read about involve it. It's the main money maker for this developer like MUT on Madden. RTTS has been gutted in this game, and linked with ballplayer which requires you to grind Diamond Dynasty if you want to succeed at any speed. After four days of playing the game (early access), the majority of people aren't close to the majors. The mode also has numerous glitches which prevent you from progressing. The developer acknowledged the bugs but said it might be the distant future until they are fixed. Unlike years past, can only have ONE character but with multiple saves. No more having a series is characters you play because it's all linked to ballplayer. The story mode is exactly the same with all the same interactions that have been there for five plus years. As I said, there are bugs which most people (not rare, but the norm) have encountered that prevent your player from progressing. Franchise is nearly exactly the same, with very few differences. The stadium creator is pretty lackluster and prevents you from playing games at night due to lighting issues.

    Also, there is NO VAULT in stadium creator. This means if you'd like to find the perfect stadium, or a replica historical stadium, you have to SCROLL through thousands of pages. There are about seven stadiums on each page with most of them being terrible or one of the 30 added stadiums with something altered. At last check, there were over 2200 PAGES with seven stadiums a piece with NO way to sort or search. And, honestly, the stadiums look like they are from PS3 or before.

    They say they've added trade logic and salary logic which might be true, but I haven't seen in making trades. The AI still accepts everything it used to, and the trade system is still minimal and exactly the same. There are a few additions to franchise which include a better depth chart which is nice. If all you care about is DD, then you're someone who doesn't care about quality anyway and would buy a polished turd and brag the corn has been removed, so clearly you're not the person I'm trying to educate.

    Don't believe the people saying "Load times are fast," because they're not. Having played 20, this game loads about the same into game. HOWEVER, it takes up to FIVE minutes coming out of games if you ever touched the sliders, even if you put them back to default. The reason? Apparently the game has to confirm with the servers that you're not allowed to earn points. This causes an "unhandled" server error. Once the game FINALLY reaches the menu after a game, you'll get a repeating "unhandled" server error which, most of the time, clears up after about five to ten times of pressing "OK."    … Expand
  13. TheGamerWes
    Apr 19, 2021
    4
    RTTS is the worst it has ever been, progression is heavily dependent on upgrading your archetype but the progression is completely broken and won't track 9/10 games. I played 2 full seasons in Double-A working on getting promoted and never even upgraded my archetype to silver despite the requirement being plate appearances. I re-signed before my 3rd season as a Triple-A starter and neverRTTS is the worst it has ever been, progression is heavily dependent on upgrading your archetype but the progression is completely broken and won't track 9/10 games. I played 2 full seasons in Double-A working on getting promoted and never even upgraded my archetype to silver despite the requirement being plate appearances. I re-signed before my 3rd season as a Triple-A starter and never saw a Triple-A game the entire following season. I had to force simulate multiple seasons to get my base overall high enough to be promoted due to this issue. The game in it's current state is completely built around DD and SDS' attempt to force micro-transactions. If you don't want to play RTTS then by all means get the game. If you wanted to play offline and enjoy working your way up to the majors DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, it needs major improvements and if it doesn't receive them this game will be no better than the copy paste sports games by EA. This game was a huge downgrade from MLB20 and a huge disappointment and waste of money for early access to what feels like a beta game. The gameplay is fun when it's working as intended, but in it's current state it's just an annoying pointless grind to nothingness, I'm not a fan of DD and I don't plan to play it, it being forced on me to try and progress my character in what should be an offline mode is just a blatant laugh in the face of all MLB fans looking to have a good time solo. DD is the only mode which is working mostly fine and tracking stats. Servers have been abysmal but I'll give it a pass since this is the first year of this series being on multiple consoles and seeing an increased amount of server stress.… Expand
  14. Blakemaher
    Apr 19, 2021
    4
    Really disappointed about this game. Tons of bugs in RTTS including player development and the player buildout thing. Trying to have a pitcher and hitter as the same player is a nightmare, cool idea but execution sucks. The create a stadium is the dumbest thing I’ve seen in a while. The features they say makes the new game cool make the game suck. Wait and get it for cheap or wait tillReally disappointed about this game. Tons of bugs in RTTS including player development and the player buildout thing. Trying to have a pitcher and hitter as the same player is a nightmare, cool idea but execution sucks. The create a stadium is the dumbest thing I’ve seen in a while. The features they say makes the new game cool make the game suck. Wait and get it for cheap or wait till next year or who knows maybe they will actually work hard and put out an update that makes the new features work well and make the game kinda cool.… Expand
  15. Vincilenti9
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    They gutted road to the show and what's worse is there's a serious issue right now where progressing your player doesn't work. Still no proper online franchise, and the crappy custom league mode wasn't improved at all, very clearly their harshest push to get players to spend money and get everyone to diamond dynasty exclusively. Graphics are only okay especially compared to true ps5 games.
  16. BigLo51192
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    The new Ballplayer/Road to the show design is absolutely terrible. An obvious cash grab to push offline player to their casino style card collecting mode. The Ballplayer mode is also completely broken none of your stats are tracked so basically you will play for hours/days without you player improving at all. This is the biggest issue with the mode but there are tons of others. The worstThe new Ballplayer/Road to the show design is absolutely terrible. An obvious cash grab to push offline player to their casino style card collecting mode. The Ballplayer mode is also completely broken none of your stats are tracked so basically you will play for hours/days without you player improving at all. This is the biggest issue with the mode but there are tons of others. The worst part is the company will not even acknowledge this at all hoping to get more people to buy this broken game. Really disappointed in SDS for putting out a broken product and hiding the broken elements from potential buyers.… Expand
  17. RTTSisbroken
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    The career mode, Road to the Show, has been butchered for The Show 21. The new Ballplayer mechanic they've added to integrate the mode with the online card collecting one is terribly executed and the progression system and badge loadouts are currently bugged and broken.

    You can no longer have multiple unique characters to play through their professional careers. You are forced into a    The career mode, Road to the Show, has been butchered for The Show 21. The new Ballplayer mechanic they've added to integrate the mode with the online card collecting one is terribly executed and the progression system and badge loadouts are currently bugged and broken.

    You can no longer have multiple unique characters to play through their professional careers. You are forced into a contrived narrative where you are a two-way prospect even though such players at a high level are absurdly rare. You will have to pitch and play a fielding position before you are actually allowed to choose the role you want. You get to choose your starting three pitches only once and then you're stuck with them, across all saves, until you get to a training session. And there is no feasible way to have a junkball pitcher and a flamethrower with vastly different repertoires going at the same time. The only way you can select different pitches is one at a time through training. And talking about pitch selections, knuckleballs have been completely ripped out of the game. They don't play nice online, so offline modes get to suffer and be limited by that.

    The two-way player mechanic is poorly shoved into the same old mode with no thought to revamp it or balance player progression. It is very easy to be so low in attributes and overall that your team will move you to a different position and then not know what to do with you. Then every game you attempt to play will have your character subbed out in the very first inning without playing anything and then you have to start all over again. The different loadouts you have so "your ballplayer can do it all!" is also horrifically bugged so that if you are trying to be a two-way player the game can't properly switch between them.

    I'm not opposed to the new progression system. I'm not up in arms about the fairly blatant attempt to get more microtransactions. But the stripping of popular, common-sense features in RTTS that limits player creativity and enjoyment is not good. And there was very little to no transparency on a lot of it in the pre-release materials.    … Expand
  18. Souissi
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    Now for some reason i had to buy the game for 70 bucks, because i want my library to be complete on both ps5 and series x, but the game won't even play for 10 min before it crashes Maybe because my ssd is almost full should i delete somethings to keep it working properly ?
  19. Shaz1987
    Apr 21, 2021
    1
    Game is completely trash. RTTS is gutted and broken. May as well call it road to diamond dynasty now. Going back to 20.
  20. KorruptedBoss
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    This is actually a pretty good game. But this game deserves nothing more then a zero because after all the money they make off this franchise they invest nothing into their servers. The lag in multiplayer year after year is inexcusable. The servers disconnect you 25 times a day even if you’re just in diamond dynasty menus. The game releases on gamepass tomorrow can you imagine how bad theThis is actually a pretty good game. But this game deserves nothing more then a zero because after all the money they make off this franchise they invest nothing into their servers. The lag in multiplayer year after year is inexcusable. The servers disconnect you 25 times a day even if you’re just in diamond dynasty menus. The game releases on gamepass tomorrow can you imagine how bad the servers will be then after full release. There is no excuse for the absolutely terrible servers they released this game on. Don’t recommend paying for this game.… Expand
  21. Nym732
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    STOP PAYING FULL PRICE FOR THESE GAMES. I have bought every single year of this game since 2006 and I'm officially done. Same game every year!!! Little to no support after the game comes out and constant pushing of DD cards is obvious cash grab. Legitimate baseball fans laugh at this games' AI and horrible logic. Not bad if you've never played before but you won't need a new one for 4 years or so.
  22. amandax90
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    Yet another half baked game that has broken features. Same hitting engine from last year, same pitching BS. Sliders and curveballs magically hang in the strike zone and the developers really don't know what a sinker is. Copy and pasted from last year, except this time they went out of their way to make the menus ugly and hard to navigate. Road to the show is completely broken to theYet another half baked game that has broken features. Same hitting engine from last year, same pitching BS. Sliders and curveballs magically hang in the strike zone and the developers really don't know what a sinker is. Copy and pasted from last year, except this time they went out of their way to make the menus ugly and hard to navigate. Road to the show is completely broken to the point where you cannot progress your player and intended. Don't waste your money on this half ass attempt at SDS making a baseball game.… Expand
  23. rosenberg
    Apr 19, 2021
    0
    Copy and paste of last years game that wasn't very good. It seems like the game was rushed out the door. Just stick with MLB 20
  24. Olabi5
    Apr 19, 2021
    10
    Buen juego, entretenido, aunque los gráficos no son la gran cosa, estamos en nueva generación deben de dar el mejor potencial de este juego, pero... no importa, lo importante es jugar :)
  25. nkp20mufc
    Apr 22, 2021
    10
    So much better than the XBSX version. Buy your games. XBOTS are damaging the industry expecting everything being handed to them, they have already stopped being baseball fans.
  26. DSAxMAVERICK
    Apr 20, 2021
    10
    Este juego está muy bien concebido, va muy bien en xbox series X/S y creo que luce mejor que las versiones de otras consolas. muy suave y la jugabilidad está muy bien.
  27. Freebird1984
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    Been playing MLB THE SHOW every year since ps2 online. Last year I was a top 200 player. I've was number 2 for an extended period of time in 08. The change to pitching is unacceptable, I'm selling mine on Ebay right now. So sad, my favorite game was destroyed. The new Pitching is like masturbation but much more frustrating because you don't get a finish. Gone are the days of relaxing andBeen playing MLB THE SHOW every year since ps2 online. Last year I was a top 200 player. I've was number 2 for an extended period of time in 08. The change to pitching is unacceptable, I'm selling mine on Ebay right now. So sad, my favorite game was destroyed. The new Pitching is like masturbation but much more frustrating because you don't get a finish. Gone are the days of relaxing and playing the show all summer. Maybe next year they will wise up.… Expand
  28. Ricardocks
    Apr 20, 2021
    10
    Some people are too attached to their favorite brand console, just play it ;)
    nothing's gonna change in your lives if Gears 5 or Ori make it to the Ps5, I hope you can experience Ori, because is a masterpiece of art and playability.
    What's really nice ?it's I've never played MLB, this will be my 1st time because of Xbox Game Pass :)
  29. Spoon6ix
    Apr 20, 2021
    10
    Great game just like the other years i can forsee review bombing tho due to it being on xbox too this year
  30. xboxgameass
    Apr 20, 2021
    0
    STOP PLAYING THIS GAME. I have bought every single year of this game since 2006 and I'm officially done. Same game every year!!! Little to no support after the game comes out and constant pushing of DD cards is obvious cash grab. Legitimate baseball fans laugh at this games' AI and horrible logic. Not bad if you've never played before but you won't need a new one for 4 years or so. #XBOXgameASS
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Awards & Rankings

49
#49 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2021
31
#31 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Worth Playing
    May 20, 2021
    88
    The Show has been one of the more consistently excellent and complete sports series for years, and MLB The Show 21 maintains that excellence as it steps into the next-gen batter's box. The cover athlete choice of the aforementioned Fernando Tatis, Jr., is no coincidence, as the young star is being seen as one of baseball's next big things, ushering in a possible new era of personality and Q-rating power that the game could sorely use. He can also do everything, and everything is what this series has offered to fans for years at a high level. Time will tell if there is yet another level to reach.
    Read full review
  2. ComicBook
    May 11, 2021
    70
    It really all comes down to your love of baseball. Even as a fan who watches the game regularly, I've had a hard time finding my footing in The Show 21. It's a hard game and that's OK. Challenges should always be welcomed. But there needs to be a way to bridge the gap, especially with The Show 21 now being made available to a much wider audience. If it can happen with other sports games, it's time it happens for baseball's biggest title.
    Read full review
  3. Meristation
    May 10, 2021
    78
    Sony San Diego develops a conservative delivery, with hardly any improvements in gameplay and content. Being intergenerational, in addition, the technical leap is invaluable, but nevertheless, it is still a very solid baseball game.
    Read full review
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