MLB The Show 26

Stunning but "dated": World Series-caliber gameplay in a graphics engine that feels outdated. That’s the paradox: it drives you wild… and then, in the blink of an eye, it reminds you why you just can’t put it down.

If you played MLB The Show 25, you can probably skip MLB The Show 26, but if you are someone that didn't check out last year's version, the new game will likely provide more value. MLB The Show 26 is iterative, not essential, and while it delivers fantastic core gameplay and enough content to keep hardcore baseball fans busy for hours on end, the franchise could definitely benefit from a more significant and daring upgrade soon.

MLB The Show 26 feels lazy. San Diego Studio knows it has no competition and has decided to coast on its previous successes. The on-field action is addictive, but everything else almost feels like a slap in the face at this point. They desperately need to update the visuals, fix the bugs, and put some actual effort into the presentation and career modes. Until then, The Show will remain spinning its wheels in the dirt, hoping the fans won’t notice that the engine is starting to smoke.

MLB The Show 26 provides a decent baseball experience, but it’s not easy to learn compared to previous entries. It also doesn’t feel like much has changed since the previous release, giving you an almost identical experience. That makes it harder to recommend since you could just play previous entries and have more fun. Instead, you get a more gruelling and difficult experience that does resemble baseball but isn’t enjoyable to play through.

MLB The Show 26 is a competent, iterative update to a series that has been making competent, iterative updates for the better part of a decade. The Trade Hub is a genuine improvement, Road to the Show's amateur phase is the most fleshed-out it's ever been, and Diamond Dynasty launches with more to do than any previous entry. But the visuals haven't evolved, the story in Road to the Show is still absent, cross-play has rough edges, and the undisclosed 20-card ownership cap feels like a step backward for the game's most dedicated no-money-spent community. If you skipped the last two or three entries, there's enough here to justify coming back. If you bought The Show 25, you already own most of this game.

MLB The Show 26 retains the series reputation as a fun game of baseball. If you've never played a baseball game before, you won't be disappointed. If you have, it's hard to ignore the shortcomings. The visuals are dated and need an overhaul, which hopefully will come in the next generation of consoles. The hitting with the Big Zone Hitting and adjustable zone speed is some of the best in the history of the series. The Bare Down Pitches don't really serve a purpose other than implementing the Depth of Field addition to the game. This also looks strange when hitting, but can help identify the ball off of the pitcher's hand. RTTS is a slight improvement thanks to its early game updates, while Franchise gets a slight boost with the new Trade Hub and logic updates to help keep players engaged. No longer is there a March for October mode, and Diamond Dynasty only ends up getting World Baseball Classic players and gear. MLB The Show has transitioned more towards a closed sandbox of a baseball game offering players a few of the same options each year to play, but won't expand beyond this.

MLB The Show 26 only improves on a few fronts, while most of the experience remains largely unchanged from last year. The aging visuals are starting to show, though the gameplay still feels great and the soundtrack once again hits the right notes. Veterans may find little reason to return, but newcomers will still discover a solid baseball sim.

Like every year, it delivers a very solid on-field experience, with plenty of options for how deep you want to get into managing a team. But I don’t think I’ve ever played a version of MLB The Show that felt this generic, and it’s clearly, undeniably time for someone to start thinking about making the overall package more compelling.