MLB The Show 26 Review | Solid Grind But Glitches and One-Sided Challenges Hurt

It’s time for another season of swinging for the fences - though if you are like me and striving for success in Road to the Show, you’ll likely be grinding for the fences long before hitting one out of the park.

This year’s MLB The Show 26 is exactly what you would expect, though with a few minor improvements or changes, depending on how you feel. This year’s title is another example of the lack of competition for San Diego Studios. Don’t get me wrong - MLB The Show 26 is yet another good baseball simulation - but there is a lack of competition or revival for the game, like you can find with the Subway Series rivalry between the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. There just isn’t another studio to face off against like there was in the past… years ago!

I often find myself chasing one mode each season. Do I feel like grinding my character for a shot at the big leagues with Road to the Show, or do I want to chase the top spot by building the ultimate team in Diamond Dynasty? This year has surprised me with a bit of both. There are always plenty of things to do for what is essentially just a game of baseball, but San Diego Studios brings a lot of opportunities for variety that will keep baseball fans going - or should I say “grinding” - for hours on end.

The usual modes return, including Diamond Dynasty and Road to the Show. The Negro League also makes another return, allowing players to learn more about Black history in the game, along with many other modes such as Moments, which help you tackle mini‑challenges to earn reward bonuses, new gear, and upgrades for your characters or teams.

One of the changes coming to the game - and the sport itself - is the ability to challenge a call. Unfortunately, this feature feels very one‑sided, favoring the NPCs. If you don’t like a call, you are able to challenge it, but no more than three times per game. As a batter, I challenged a called strike only to have my challenge denied. However, when the NPCs challenged calls, they were ruled in their favor every time. This quickly became completely one‑sided. I eventually stopped challenging calls altogether because I knew I was setting myself up for failure. When NPCs challenged calls, it felt automatic that the ruling would once again go in their favor.

I also experienced a glitch I had never encountered in the series before. While batting, I hit two home runs in a single game. That sounds fine, doesn’t it? However, both hits were recorded as foul balls beside the first baseman. I was stunned - I had never experienced anything like this before. Two home runs, both landing in the stands next to the dugout, yet ruled foul.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t my only complaint with this year’s title. The music selection in MLB The Show 26 nearly put me to sleep. Baseball should bring energy, and that simply wasn’t the case this year. For the first time, I actually turned the music off. Once again, I was stunned by the audio score choice and the lack of energetic force that helps bring the game to life.

My focus this year was mostly geared toward Road to the Show, and there is one request that continues to go unmet with each new iteration of the game: personality. Our player goes through the motions without any real sense of life. Phone calls with your agent or coaches feel meaningless, and once again there is no voice‑over work that could truly elevate the mode’s vision. Despite this lack of personality, I continue to grind my player toward the big leagues.

Starting with a few quick games in high school, I eventually found myself being scouted by the majors and was given a choice: continue my schooling and head to college or try my luck at being drafted straight into the big leagues. I chose the majors, and I could immediately feel the tougher challenge compared to my high school outings. Heading straight to the big leagues is clearly a longer grind than staying in college, but it also feels more rewarding.

Though there are a few setbacks in MLB The Show 26 that were unexpected compared to previous years, San Diego Studios once again delivers a solid game for fans of the baseball simulation genre.