| MLB: The Show | |
| Developer: | San Diego Studio |
| Platforms: | PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
| First Release Version: | PlayStation 2 |
| First Release Date: | February 28, 2006 |
| Latest Release Version: | MLB The Show 24 |
| Latest Release Date: | March 19, 2024 |
| Genre: | Sports |
MLB: The Show is a baseball video game series created and developed by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series has received critical and commercial acclaim,[1] [2] [3] [4] and since 2014 has been the sole Major League Baseball simulation video game on the market for consoles.[5]
The series debuted in 2006 with for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, following the MLB series from 989 Sports. There has been a new release in the series every year since 2006.
The series was released on PlayStation 2 from 2006's MLB 06: The Show through 2011's and was available on the PlayStation 3 from through MLB The Show 16. Portable versions of the series for either the PlayStation Portable or PlayStation Vita accompanied every entry from MLB 06: The Show through . The series started releasing on the PlayStation 4 with .
After over two decades of exclusivity with PlayStation consoles, MLB: The Show ceased to be released only on PlayStation, and started to be released on other consoles by MLB Advanced Media, though the edition of the game at the time—MLB The Show 20—was a PlayStation 4 exclusive. MLB The Show 21 is the first title in the series to feature on the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S; MLB The Show 22 is the first game of the series to be on a Nintendo console, released on the Nintendo Switch.[6]
Gameplay simulates a game of professional baseball, with the player controlling an entire team, a team's manager, or a select player. The player may take control of one of 30 Major League Baseball teams in any game mode and also is able to chose from 6 special team including NL and AL all star teams. (excluding Road to the Show) and use that team in gameplay. The Series has variable game modes in which a player takes control of a team for a single game, one season, or a franchise (multiple seasons). [7]
See main article: 989 Sports Major League Baseball series.
| Game | Release date | Cover Athlete | Platforms | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star | Team | ||||
| MLB '98 | July 1, 1997 | Bernie Williams | New York Yankees | PlayStation | |
| MLB '99 | March 31, 1998 | Baltimore Orioles | |||
| MLB 2000 | February 28, 1999 | Mo Vaughn | Anaheim Angels | ||
| MLB 2001 | February 29, 2000 | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves | ||
| MLB 2002 | May 7, 2001 | Andruw Jones | |||
| MLB 2003 | June 17, 2002 | Barry Bonds | San Francisco Giants | ||
| MLB 2004 | April 30, 2003 | Shawn Green | Los Angeles Dodgers | PlayStation, PlayStation 2 | |
| MLB 2005 | March 4, 2004 | Eric Chavez | Oakland Athletics | ||
| MLB 2006 | March 8, 2005 | Vladimir Guerrero | Los Angeles Angels | PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable | |
| Game | Star | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLB The Show 21 | Jackie Robinson | Brooklyn Dodgers | |
| MLB The Show 22 | Shohei Ohtani | Los Angeles Angels | |
| MLB The Show 23 | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees |
| José Bautista | Toronto Blue Jays | |
| Brett Lawrie | ||
| Russell Martin | ||
| MLB The Show 16 | Josh Donaldson | |
| MLB The Show 17 | Aaron Sanchez | |
| MLB The Show 18 | Marcus Stroman |
| Chan Ho Park | San Diego Padres | ||
| Shin-Soo Choo | Texas Rangers | ||
| MLB The Show 16 | Jung-ho Kang | Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB The Show 17 | Hyun-soo Kim | Baltimore Orioles |
| Wei-Yin Chen | Baltimore Orioles | |
| MLB The Show 16 | Miami Marlins | |
| MLB The Show 17 | ||
| Commentator | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Total appearances |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Vasgersian | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dave Campbell | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Rex Hudler | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Eric Karros | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Steve Lyons | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Harold Reynolds | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Dan Plesac | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Mark DeRosa | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Heidi Watney | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Jon Sciambi | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chris Singleton | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Year | Game | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | MLB '98 | |
| 1998 | MLB '99 | 2.52 million |
| 1999 | MLB 2000 | |
| 2000 | MLB 2001 | |
| 2001 | MLB 2002 | |
| 2002 | MLB 2003 | |
| 2003 | MLB 2004 | 660,000 |
| 2004 | MLB 2005 | 900,000 |
| 2005 | MLB 2006 | 400,000 |
| 2006 | 940,000 (PS2), 350,000 (PSP) | |
| 2007 | 930,000 (PS2), 280,000 (PS3), 280,000 (PSP) | |
| 2008 | 420,000 (PS2), 700,000 (PS3), 330,000 (PSP) | |
| 2009 | 330,000 (PS2), 720,000 (PS3), 270,000 (PSP) | |
| 2010 | 410,000 (PS2), 730,000 (PS3), 210,000 (PSP) | |
| 2011 | 130,000 (PS2), 590,000 (PS3), 180,000 (PSP) | |
| 2012 | 930,000 (PS3), 200,000 (PSV) | |
| 2013 | 840,000 (PS3), 150,000 (PSV) | |
| 2014 | 430,000 (PS3), 730,000 (PS4), 120,000 (PSV) | |
| 2015 | 400,000 (PS3), 1.01 million (PS4), 40,000 (PSV) | |
| 2016 | MLB The Show 16 | 380,000 (PS3), 960,000 (PS4) |
| 2017 | MLB The Show 17 | 1.16 million |
| 2018 | MLB The Show 18 | 1.06 million |
| 2019 | MLB The Show 19 | |
| 2020 | MLB The Show 20 | |
| 2021 | MLB The Show 21 | 2 million[8] |
| 2022 | MLB The Show 22 | |
| 2023 | MLB The Show 23 | |
| 2024 | MLB The Show 24 | |