MLB: The Show is a series of American baseball video games created by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series has been praised by critics and has sold well. Since 2014, it has been the only Major League Baseball simulation game available for consoles.
The series first began in 2006 with the game MLB 06: The Show, which was released for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. It followed the MLB series from 989 Sports. A new game in the series has been released every year since 2006.
From 2006 to 2011, the series was available on the PlayStation 2, and from MLB 07: The Show to MLB The Show 16, it was also available on the PlayStation 3. Portable versions for the PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita were included with every game from MLB 06: The Show through MLB 15: The Show. The series began being released on the PlayStation 4 with MLB 14: The Show.
After more than 20 years of being only available on PlayStation consoles, MLB: The Show started being released on other consoles by MLB Advanced Media. However, the version of the game at that time—MLB The Show 20—was still only available on PlayStation 4. MLB The Show 21 was the first game in the series to be released on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. MLB The Show 22 was the first game in the series to be released on a Nintendo console, the Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
The game replicates professional baseball, allowing the player to control an entire team, a team's manager, or a specific player. Players can choose from 30 Major League Baseball teams in any game mode or select one of six special teams, including NL and AL All-Star teams (excluding Road to the Show), and use that team during gameplay. The game offers different modes where players can manage a team for one game, one season, or a franchise covering multiple seasons.
In the online mode called Diamond Dynasty, players create teams by collecting cards of current athletes and famous MLB players. They then compete in online matches to earn rewards that help improve their team.
The offline mode, Road to the Show, lets players control their own player as they progress through high school, college, the minor leagues, and into the MLB. During this journey, players earn tokens and equipment sets to enhance their character's abilities.