MLB The Show 25 Review: The Pinnacle Of The Series

While I elected to go with a pretty simplistic image as the lede for my review, MLB The Show 25 is anything but basic. To put it plainly, the newest version of the greatest video game baseball series ever is as layered and sensible as it’s ever been.

Having already played hours of online and offline games, I’m ready to give you the lowdown on MLB The Show 25. Let’s start with the most important piece.

MLB The Show 25 – Gameplay

Year after year, Sony San Diego does a good job introducing new gameplay features to its audience without forcing them on you. This year’s game is no exception. There’s a “Here’s What’s New” introduction at the beginning. You can try it, or if you’re like me and perfectly fine with the way you’ve been playing the series for more than a decade, you can choose your tried-and-true settings.

Usually, I wind up using mostly old settings with a sprinkle of the newest features. This year, the new gameplay feature I’m trying—and likely to stay with—is Ambush Hitting. In short, it’s a more realistic take on Guess Pitch.

As the hitter, you’re looking inside or outside. Once you make the commitment to a side of the plate—if you’re using Zone hitting—the size of the Plate Coverage Indicator increases on the side you’re expecting the pitch. You will also get a boost in the timing metric if the ball goes where you expected.

In turn, the PCI shrinks, and you take a hit on swing timing if it’s on the opposite side. It’s simple, and it makes sense. Ambush Hitting is an excellent way to gamify the cat-and-mouse game hitters and pitchers play.

In addition to Ambush Hitting, the other notable improvements to gameplay come in additional animations. I’ve loved The Show’s gameplay for a while, but one thing that has always driven me crazy is the lack of urgency infielders show when transitioning the ball from their glove to throw to first base. These unpredictable animations cost me at least ten games every year.

I’m pleased to report the urgency of infielders has seen a massive improvement. This issue appears to be resolved, as I haven’t been pushed to rage about that issue yet. In short, excellent gameplay has gotten even better.

MLB The Show 25 – Visuals

If there is an area where The Show 25 is still lagging behind, it’s in the area of visuals. The game still doesn’t look the way you’d expect the premier baseball simulation in 2025 to look.

The player models and environments need to be upgraded to meet the standards of the gameplay and the outstanding feature set that I’ll get to shortly.

MLB The Show 25 suffers from an odd overall color scheme that is a bit muted and lacks pizazz. I’m not sure why the color direction leaned into a base pastel with very few pops of color.

The game is by no means an eyesore. You’ll still enjoy playing the game, and there are some aspects of the visuals that’ll still make you smile. However, it’s time for Sony San Diego to wow us in this area, and that hasn’t happened.

MLB The Show 25 – Audio

I usually love MLB The Show’s commentary, but this year’s game still has some noticeable bugs. I won’t penalize the game too much for this because I feel confident a fix is coming shortly.

However, Jon Sciambi is calling screaming line drives “a groundball base hit” too many times for me to completely ignore. Aside from that, I like the mode-specific commentary. That’s especially the case in franchise mode. More on that later.

MLB The Show 25 – Road to the Show

I reported early that Road to the Show was going to get a massive upgrade, and that proved to be true. This year’s version introduces high school and college baseball (with 8 licensed programs).

Sony San Diego didn’t simply mail in the presentation in this area, as the action features aluminum bats for authenticity. The overall Road to 99 feels a lot like NBA 2K’s MyCareer, and that’s a good thing.

You’re not pigeon-holed to unnecessary positional restrictions. You’re able to produce your own builds, and that freedom is refreshing.

There’s also a new first-person camera for gameplay in the field. I’m not going to use it, but I can see how it can add a different layer of excitement to the defensive aspects of RTTS.

The challenges and in-game presentation for RTTS are excellent. Finally, the single-player career experience has taken a massive leap forward.

MLB The Show 25 – Storylines

This year’s Storylines addition is the lightest it’s ever been—at least at launch. James “Cool Papa” Bell is the highlight addition of the beautifully presented Negro Leagues Moments series.

He is joined by Wilber “Bullet Joe” Rogan and Norman “Turkey” Stearnes. These additions are primarily content with no new features. As has been the case the past two years, the Negro League legends are a strong addition to the game.

However, I’m wondering if we’re at the end of the program, and if not, who else might be coming post-launch or for MLB The Show 26?

Furthermore, I’d like to see Sony San Diego add another layer to the experience that goes beyond new players. That’s much easier requested than produced, but it would be a nice surprise.

MLB The Show 25 – Franchise Mode and March to October

MLB The Show 25’s franchise mode experience has gotten deeper. With significant improvements under the hood that affect trade logic and free agency, we’ve landed in the best place the series has ever seen with the beloved feature.

The level of customization as it pertains to the way you navigate through a 162-game season is remarkable. Users can customize the kind of situation they want to participate in over the course of their season down to various minute details.

It’s hard to imagine anyone could lodge a logical complaint about the way this has been executed. You’re still able to rebrand the entire Major Leagues with new names, uniforms, and create ballparks with even more new elements. Speaking of creation, the Create-A-Player suite is still one of the best in-class, and The Show community fills in any gap created by pesky licensing issues.

March to October still offers an even more focused and pointed season-over-season experience. There are only three things missing from the franchise experience, and that’s expansion, carryover saves, and online franchise.

Both of those features have been highly requested for years. Will we ever see them return? I don’t know. But short of those complicated features (two of which used to be a part of the game), virtual baseball general managers have just about everything they need.

MLB The Show 25 Diamond Dynasty

I intentionally saved the best for last. Fans complained and it didn’t take Sony San Diego several years to listen. It literally changed the game. Diamond Dynasty released with a bustling array of content, a new mode called Diamond Quest, that I’ve already gushed over in a separate article.

If you haven’t tried DQ, you owe it to yourself to hop in. Again, the visuals in the virtual board game aren’t all that attractive. I know the objective was to go retro with the look of DQ, but the setting is just not attractive currently. Thankfully, the new feature is just so well constructed and fun that it’s easy to look past. Add DQ to Conquest, Battle Royal, Ranked Seasons, the upcoming Weekend Leagues, Play Vs. CPU, Co-Op and the ever-present collector draw, and the amount of content is head-spinning.

No other sports video game collector mode boasts as many single and multi-player options as Diamond Dynasty. You can play Diamond Dynasty with a no-money-spent approach and enjoy yourself, or you can spend a few bucks to get stubs to buy packs or specific cards you want. Or, you can be a whale and spend more than $100 a month to make sure you have every elite card.

You can choose how to play, and gaming is like life, it’s always better when you have options. The one slight criticism I have for Diamond Dynasty relates to the legends. While it’s great seeing Roger Clemens, Ted Williams and Manny Ramirez finally added to the game.

I think I speak for everyone when I say, can we please get Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Jose Fernandez, Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden added?

MLB The Show 25 – The Bottom Line

MLB The Show 25 is REALLY good. It is stacked with options and well-fleshed-out game modes that will keep users’ attention for months individually and all year as a total package. While there are still a few elements that I’d like to see added, I feel comfortable saying this isn’t just the best version in the series—MLB The Show 25 is the best baseball video game ever made.

SCORE: 9 out of 10

• Preview Code provided by Sony San Diego Studios
• Reviewed: PS5 version