Baseball is back and MLB The Show 21 is finally here, giving the series not only its PlayStation 5 debut, but also it’s first-ever appearance on Xbox consoles. It’s the start of a new era for a franchise that’s over 16 years old, but it’s far more of a base hit than a home run in terms of its new advancements. MLB The Show 21 is a good baseball game, but it’s not as tremendous of a leap forward as some may have hoped.

The game is still the well-refined, satisfying baseball experience that fans want, but it may be more appreciated by first-time MLB The Show fans on Xbox rather than long-time PlayStation players. Things like Stadium Creator and 4K/60 FPS are great features to have, but it’s not particularly impressive as far as features go for those playing on the new consoles. Visuals in MLB The Show 21 look mostly the same as its most recent predecessors, lacking any new visual flair and failing to fully take advantage of current-gen capabilities when experienced on PS5.

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That’s not to say those who do have access to the exclusive features for Xbox Series X or PS5 will be let down. MLB The Show 21’s Stadium Creator is incredibly fun to use, whether it’s for creating a tribute to the Field of Dreams or creating something whacky like a park filled with T-Rexes for an audience. It’s not a mode that seems like it should be restricted to the current-gen consoles, but it’s still a welcomed new addition with many layers of customization.

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Beyond that, the game still ensures the kind of “build the best team in MLB The Show” details that have made fans of the sport happy with many of its yearly iterations. Gameplay remains tight yet fluid, and even allows for more control across the board. Fielding feels less stiff thanks to new animations, giving plenty of life and authenticity to the experience. There’s also a new pitching mechanic called Pinpoint Pitching which requires the pitcher to input particular motions for specific pitches quickly, yet accurately. It’s incredibly challenging given the precision that’s required and likely won’t be used by most players regularly, but it’s an interesting new addition that deepens the otherwise sometimes by-the-numbers routine of pitching.

The great gameplay is also complemented by fleshed-out modes in MLB The Show 21 to give every kind of player something to sink their teeth into. With tried-and-true modes like Road to the Show getting customizable player loadouts, podcast segments from real MLB commentators, and more, an effort has been made to expand fan-favorite modes. That said, some others like Franchise Mode could use a bit more of an aggressive evolution, rather than slowly building them out each year to ensure the next game has a new bullet point to list among its upgrades.

The only truly significant downside of MLB The Show 21 is that the online play is very finicky at time of writing. Any time a ball is released during a pitch or the bat is swung, there’s a noteworthy lag spike that can really throw players off. This is triggered both when in games with users on the same console family and in cross-play. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s worth bringing up, as timing and precision are two essential elements of baseball.

Nonetheless, MLB The Show 21 is yet another solid entry in Sony’s now multi-platform sports franchise. The consistent tweaks to how the game functions and its quality-of-life improvements each year have helped create a balanced, solid foundation for each iteration to improve on. Even though MLB The Show 21 lacks in delivering a truly engrossing current-gen experience on the new consoles in some ways and has a few typical sports franchise pitfalls, it’s still an enjoyable game that has a high degree of craftsmanship.

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MLB The Show 21 is out now for early access players and will be available April 20 for everyone else on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Screen Rant was provided with a PlayStation 5 code for the purposes of this review.

Our Rating:

3.5 out of 5 (Very Good)
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About The Author


Cade Onder
(926 Articles Published)

Cade Onder is a 20-year old video game, movie, and chicken tender enthusiast. He has been writing about games since he was 14 and is always trying to learn more about the gaming industry. You can follow him on Twitter @Cade_Onder for bad jokes, bad takes, and pictures of chicken tenders.

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