Game review: MLB The Show 26 (PS5)

MLB The Show has been an annual franchise since 1996, meaning the series is now 30 years old. It has spanned all PlayStation generations and consoles, and it shows no signs of slowing down. 

However, the one thing that plagues all sports games is franchise fatigue. Unlike Grand Theft Auto games, which feel like a big event when a new one arrives, almost nobody gets excited for a sports game every year.

That's not to say some new things have not been added to the MLB The Show series over the years. San Diego Studio made female characters playable for the first time a few years ago, and the developer added the Negro Leagues storylines, too. 

Despite some new features in recent games, MLB The Show 26 sadly feels like a retread of MLB The Show 25. Fans have been disappointed by the series' stagnation, and it feels like the franchise needs a new graphics engine to keep the magic alive. 

When I first reviewed MLB The Show 21, I said the game looked nice, but it still resembled the PS4 version. I was hoping that in a few years' time, the game would look more photorealistic, like other PS5 games. 

Alas, we are here in 2026, and the graphics in MLB The Show 26 have not had a dramatic change at all. The game does not run badly on PS5, but the graphics don't look as good as they could be. Even if you are playing on PS5 Pro, the game lacks the realism that other games have.

Not to mention, the Road to the Show mode still has no voice-overs whatsoever. The cutscenes look and feel so lifeless without any audio during the dialogue scenes. The NBA 2K and WWE 2K video games have voiceovers in their storyline modes, so it's odd they have never been included in MLB The Show. 

Another thing I found annoying is that the World Baseball Classic (WBC) has been relegated to the Moments section of the game. While it's nice to play through iconic moments from this historic tournament, there are no documentary-style videos or archival footage telling me why these moments in the game are important. 

In my opinion, the WBC should have replaced The Negro Leagues this year so someone like me can be educated on some of the best moments of this tournament. Instead, you only play a moment and get no background detail about it.

Speaking of the WBC, some parts of this have been integrated into this year's Diamond Dynasty mode. Players like me are frustrated that the WBC isn't its own separate mode, and you cannot even play WBC teams in Exhibition mode either!

It's kind of stupid how I cannot play as an entire nation's baseball team in this game because I have to collect player cards via Diamond Dynasty instead. Not to mention, you will get players from other nations, so it's hard to collect players from one country, like Japan, for example. 

Some fans will also be disappointed that the popular March to October mode has been removed in this year's game. Instead, the developers have somewhat integrated this mode into Franchise mode this year. 

The reason people are annoyed about this change is that March to October had its own unique mechanics and game modes that the Franchise mode hasn't replaced. Sure, you can still play through an entire season as your favourite team, but the feeling isn't the same. Many people still want to see March to October return next year. 

The only thing that MLB The Show 26 does right is the core gameplay and presentation. The gameplay is still fun as ever, and it's arguably the best baseball simulation you will ever experience in 2026. 

Road to the Show was quite fun because I could play as both a batter and a pitcher. You are also free to play for your favourite MLB team, and both male and female players are available for you to create. 

I'm also glad the annual Homerun Derby has been untouched and is still its own separate game mode. I'm still disappointed the Slam Dunk contest in NBA 2K isn't its own game mode anymore; as I have to always simulate an NBA season just to play through it. 

That being said, MLB The Show 26 excels in gameplay and presentation, but the series' stagnation is starting to wane. The graphics appear the same as ever, and the removal of March to October will frustrate many. Not to mention, San Diego Studio poorly integrated the WBC content this year. The WBC should have been its own game mode for offline players to enjoy. 

Verdict: 6.5/10