The first impressions from players of MLB The Show 26 are decent, but as more people are getting their hands on the game, we’re starting to notice recurring issues more often. Annual sports game launches are always full of frustration from a longtime player base, but the people who paid for early access to MLB The Show 26 already have some major, justified gripes. We’re seeing buggy behavior, annoyingly difficult fastballs from the AI, and progression hurdles.
Gameplay Glitches
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The most significant outcry we’ve seen for MLB The Show 26 comes from the Diamond Dynasty and competitive online players. Technical performance is paramount in these situations, and glitches ruin the experience. According to some players on Reddit, CPU pitches already feel faster than previous games, and “teleporting fastballs” due to syncing issues don’t help either. High-velocity pitchers are difficult to track, and right now, some bugs and glitches turn otherwise successful hits into weak whiffs.
Beyond the lag and glitches, the core mechanics of fielding are also a point of contention. Longtime players report issues with fielding reliability, where routine pop flies drop and ground balls fly past infielders regardless of defensive ratings. Another bug in Ranked play freezes the player’s record at 0-0 — effectively negative hours of competitive progress. All of this, while likely to be fixed with a patch soon, is shameful.
March To October Is Gone
During one of the many feature reveal live streams for the build-up to The Show 26, SDS confirmed that March to October is getting the axe. Now, this wasn’t a particularly popular mode, focusing on a faster-paced, condensed season experience. However, some folks did enjoy this as a bit of a chill alternative to the high-stress environment of Ranked play. It was also a good option for those who don’t have the time to play the full franchise mode.
Again, this is a bit of a niche complaint. But as I said, the community tends to be more vocal during launch week, so this was a surprisingly common complaint. The revamped Franchise mode does incorporate critical situations and some of the Momentum systems for faster, high-leverage gameplay. However, it still lacks narrative urgency and simplified front office management.
UI Woes And Recycled Presentation
Based on feedback from early players of MLB The Show 26, the UI isn’t getting an Anity. Many describe it as slow, clunky, and unintuitive, and glitches further hamper the experience. Players’ names sometimes get cut off by scroll bars, and the navigation system requires mashing buttons at times to back out of a player card in Franchise mode.
Many people are also complaining about the commentary, something that is always a target of criticism. People feel it’s particularly stale this year, with claims that the vast majority of lines are recycled from the last couple of titles. Some appreciate minor details like more realistic ball physics on turf, but these small victories are overshadowed by a lack of graphical evolution.
Published: Mar 16, 2026 02:02 pm