MLB The Show 26 is back on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. San Diego Studios has once again opted to not bring a native Switch 2 version of the game to the platform, but that doesn’t mean all is lost. The Show 26 does bring a few new additions to gameplay on top of the already solid modes that many fans love. But is this Nintendo Switch version of the game something you should seriously consider picking up? Let’s get into it.
Note
Before we get started, and just to be clear, there is NO native version of MLB The Show 26 for the Nintendo Switch 2. The majority of this review will focus on elements that apply to the game running on both platforms, however, I will get into visuals and performance and talk about the differences.
Gameplay
A few optional tweaks have been made to the gameplay this year, but players are free to tackle things how they like. I usually opt for timing based batting, but a few new options are here for those wanting to shake things up. Big Zone Hitting is one of the new additions. This has players choose from one of nine quadrants in the strike zone with the joystick to guess pitch location. This can be chosen before the pitch but also be altered as the ball is coming in. It's a little bit complex, and to be honest, I did not find this very fun. If you’re looking for something a little bit more challenging than the hit cursor or button presses, it’s at least worth trying out. Pitching also has a new optional feature called Bear Down Pitching. This is kind of like a limited stat boost that gives you better control and velocity on your pitches as well as make it easier to get a more accurate pitch once activated. Since I usually play a lot of modes not focusing on pitching, this is something I didn’t try out, but hey, if you’re wanting something different, this is here.
An option to use the PitchCom is available this year. It was a little bit weird at first (it was on by default when I first booted up the game), but this is a helpful feature if you want a little bit of advice on where to place your next pitch. Suggestions come in as audio and visual cues, and can be adjusted in the options. For example, if you just want the audio, you can have that. Do you just want the visual cue? You can do that, too. Of course, turning this off completely is also an option.
In addition to this, ABS (Automatic Ball-Strike System) /the challenge system is also here. Basically, if you think that the umpire did a bad job at calling a ball or strike, you can challenge it with the press of the d-pad. This can be done by either the pitcher or batter (CPU or player) up to two times per game. If you get it right, you keep your challenge. Get it wrong, you get one taken away. It’s not perfect, but it’s a cool option to have in the game.
Modes
All of the modes that you have found in The Show are back once again this year. Diamond Dynasty this year has a special WBC mode, special WBC cards and a few other additions. Franchise also got a bit of a facelift with the enhanced trade options. Just as in previous years, cross progression and cross platform play are also available. I’m not a huge fan of either Diamond Dynasty or Franchise, so I won’t be going into them in depth here. However, I did want to touch on a few of the other modes.
Road to the Show
Road to the Show this year again takes players through high school and college on their way to the Bigs. The high school level offers more or less the same kind of experience found in The Show 25, allowing you to play some games leading up to the state championship (if you can make it that far). For college, there are now 19 teams to choose from in addition to opting to go straight to the MLB draft. The college level is where it gets interesting because not only are there new schools, but the game also features the College World Series licensing. This really helps to offer more of a sense of realism. You can play up to two years at that level if you choose. This can be advantageous to help build up your player before going to the Majors or to try to do better in the tournament if you couldn’t take home the championship.
There are no real-life players from any of the college teams available. There is also only one stadium available to use in this mode - Charles Schwab Field in Omaha which hosts the final rounds of the NCAA Division I championship. This section of the mode also features official logos and a new commentator, Jessica Mendoza. It would have been nice to see this expanded even further, but when it boils down to it, it makes sense that San Diego Studios didn’t go too much deeper. After all, the main goal in the mode is to make your way to the Majors, but these are fun stops along the way.
World Baseball Classic & Tokyo Dome
The World Baseball Classic is featured in The Show this year, mostly in Diamond Dynasty. However, there are some Moments featuring the tournaments as well. These give players a handful of missions to tackle various points from select games across all of the pools and teams. They don’t offer any rewards for completing them, but I found some of these to be fun. I just wish that there were a few more available. Obviously, there are a lot of teams, players and key moments to go through to set up the mode, so I understand the limitations.
One thing I was excited about was the inclusion of the Tokyo Dome. I’ve been there a handful of times and have seen it countless times on TV while watching Japanese baseball. I think San Diego Studios did the best they could do, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bit underwhelmed with their recreation. Textures are flat, signage is weird, the coloring on the WBC logo are wrong…I could go on and on. Part of this could be chalked to up to the underpowered hardware, but that didn’t stop Konami from crafting the Tokyo Dome (and all of the other ballparks in Japan) on the Switch back in 2021 with Pro Baseball Spirits 2021 (you can read our review here). If you don’t mind a little bit of Japanese, I would highly suggest trying to track this one down on the Switch, or alternatively, eBaseball Pro Spirit (our review here) on PS5 and Steam for free, or any other games in the series for that matter.
 |
| The Tokyo Dome as seen in Pro Baseball Spirits 2021, with bonus Munetaka Murakami |
Storylines - The Negro Leagues Season 4
Storylines is back for Season 4 of The Negro Leagues. At launch, the mode features four athletes - Roy Campanella, George “Mule” Suttles, Pop Llyod and Mamie “Peanut” Johnson. Just as with past entries, this mode give you a look at some potentially forgotten stars that gained notoriety in the Negro Leagues. Gameplay varies here, even with the initial offering, offering challenges with batting, fielding, catching and pitching. It’s a pretty good mix. Not only that, but just as with last year, more are going to be added throughout the season, starting in April. A total of ten will be available when it’s all said and done.
I’m happy that Storylines has been continuing with The Negro Leagues for as long as it has. At the same time, I’m wondering when we’ll see other storylines from other eras or players or even a continuation of the Jeter Storyline from The Show 24. I would love to see something kind of crazy, like the back and forth home run record chase from 1998 with Sosa and McGwire (that doesn’t seem likely), a look at the career of Tony Gwynn, or something else (I’m sure you probably have some more exciting ideas than I have). There really are a ton of possibilities given the rich history of the sport. The Jeter stuff was great, but I want more!
Visuals, Audio & Performance
Huge differences in visuals and performance set apart The Show 26 on the Switch and Switch 2. While the game runs pretty smoothly on Nintendo’s newest hardware, it still has many of the same issues that have hampered the game since it came to the Switch in 2022. Inconsistent framerates, blurry textures and bad looking environments are just a few of the visuals problems that you will find on the Switch 1. Even though the Switch 2 runs significantly smoother than the aging hardware, it essentially the same game just running at a higher framerate. I could go on and on, but just know that if you’re coming from another platform to play the game on Switch or Switch 2, it’s quite the downgrade.
Handheld mode doesn’t fare much better, either, with similar issues including text that is much harder to read due to the upscale and general size. However, if you utilize what’s called the Handheld Boost Mode in the settings, things do look noticeably better. Sure, it’s not perfect, but things will be easier to read and perform a little bit better than without it. This is available via the Switch 2 firmware version 22.0.0 and later and can be turned on in the “System” settings of the system. I spent most of my time playing without this up to now (it just came out on the day I’m finishing up this review), but I’m looking forward to digging into the game in handheld mode a bit more.
With that out of the way, sound is still solid here, with the majority of commentary being handled by Boog Sciambi and Chris Singleton once again. Like I mentioned previously, a new voice with Jessica Mendoza also joins in specifically for the college games, and Robert Flores handles Diamond Dynasty. Some people might be getting a little bit tired of the main crew, but I think they’re fine.
Conclusion
The Show 26 offers the same modes and gameplay that fans expect with the series. This is not a bad thing. The game plays very well, the modes are fun and there are just a lot of things to do. Despite this, the visuals have barely changed since the title appeared on the Switch 1 back in 2022. Sure, playing on the Switch 2 will give you a smoother looking experience, but a proper version for Nintendo’s new console is something that San Diego Studios should have brought out this year. If you really want to play with updated rosters or experience the new Negro League Storylines, The Show 26 is worth picking up, possibly on a sale if you can hold out. For those looking for an evolution of the series, things aren’t there yet.
But let’s turn things over to you. Are you considering picking up The Show 26 on the Switch / Switch 2? How long have you been playing the series? Sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear form you.
Final Score: 6.5
by Danny Bivens
originally posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 9:56 a.m. (JST)
No comments:
Post a Comment