MLB The Show 26

Credit: Sony San Diego

Highlights

• Sony San Diego Studios outlines key focus areas for MLB The Show 26 including advanced gameplay metrics and refined ratings systems
• Diamond Dynasty expands with new content options while Now & Later Packs bridge the gap between MLB The Show 25 and 26
• Franchise Mode promises deeper front office systems while Road to the Show adds more colleges and mid-to-late career features

MLB The Show 26 is coming, presumably in March as expected, but Sony San Diego Studios took the first official step toward turning the page to the next version of the series on Thursday.

Without giving a ton of specifics, SSDS gave its fans a few pieces of information about each of its flagship features. Because of the insane number of hours I’ve spent playing this game over the past few years, my wants are very specific. I’ll break down what we learned today and offer my two cents.

For MLB The Show 26, the studio is focusing on several key areas.

Gameplay

On the field, the gameplay experience is set to get deeper with advanced logic, new data metrics, and refined ratings that are designed to make the on-field experience more authentic. Here’s to hoping they commit to the 20-80 ratings scale that the majors observe.

Diamond Dynasty

MLB’s collector mode and most popular feature is expanding beyond Now & Later Packs with new ways to play and use your squads—they’re promising more engaging content for living out your MLB fantasy. I stopped playing Diamond Dynasty earlier this year than I ever have in the past. Unless there is a 9-inning PvP mode that governs lineups similar to the way Battle Royale does, I’ll probably use MLB 26 as a purely franchise mode and Road to the Show year.

Each year we get to a point where everyone’s lineup consists of all 99-overall-rated cards, and that just doesn’t feel like baseball to me. If there’s no competitive salary cap mode or something very similar, I don’t think I’ll ride the DD train this year.

Road To The Show

MLB’s career mode is going bigger, adding more colleges and focusing on mid-to-late career development after introducing high school and college journeys in ’25. I love the sound of this concept. We need more things to care about in RTTS as your career progresses.

Individual chases that unlock moments based on who you are, the team you play for, how your career has gone, etc.

Franchise Mode

The OG of the series continues evolving based on community feedback, promising deeper front office systems that are more immersive and challenging. To put it plainly, carryover saves, realignment and expansion are the three features that would have the biggest impact on the franchise mode experience.

Storylines: The Negro Leagues

The feature returns for Season 4, continuing the award-winning mode that celebrates baseball’s often-overlooked legends. I love the inclusion of the Negro League players, but I believe it is time for SSDS to find a more innovative way to incorporate them into more parts of the game.

After the first two years, it feels like the concept has lost some momentum.

The Now & Later Packs are the immediate hook—sign up for The Scouting Report by November 14 for 5 free packs, then earn more through Diamond Dynasty content starting November 21. Each pack you earn in ’25 converts to a The Show Pack when you log into ’26.

San Diego Studio is clearly trying to maintain momentum from a strong 2025, and they’re doing it by keeping the community in the loop earlier than usual. Whether these improvements translate to meaningful gameplay upgrades remains to be seen when MLB The Show 26 drops.

I have confidence in the development team. They have consistently produced a strong title even though some nagging points still remain.