MLB The Show 22

What to Know

Critics Recommend

Average Score

Total Reviews: 44

Days

Hours

Minutes

Play It

MLB The Show 22 continues to improve, but only incrementally. This is one of the most conservative annual sports titles on the market, made acceptable only because its core gameplay and gorgeous visuals are so compelling.

Play It

Critics Recommend

Critic Reviews: 44

Critics Consensus

# Reviews: 44

Where to Play

** VSG may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more.

Rate and Review

What did you think of MLB The Show 22?

Player Reviews1 Vote

Critic Reviews for MLB The Show 22

Critic Reviews

Distribution

44

Reviews

High Score - 90/100

90%

Average Score - 77/100

77%

Low Score - 60/100

60%

4/5 stars

Matt Paprocki (GamesRadar+)

Still surprisingly swing-and-miss online, but for long-lasting and moreish solo play, NBA 2K22 is its only competitor in a two-horse championship duel.

April 5, 2022 |

Full Review

MLB The Show 22 stills plays a phenomenal game of baseball, but incremental updates reveal a series that’s lacking in ambition.

April 6, 2022 |

Full Review

7/10

Richard Wakeling (GameSpot)

4.5/5 stars

Shaun Cichacki (AOTF)

From the gorgeous visuals that transport you directly to the field, to the stellar controls, you won’t find another sports game out there that will captivate you quite like this one. Feeling the roar of the crowd swelling up as you continue to rack up points, to the way that your players will express their emotions on the field, this is a sports title that other developers of the genre should take notes from.

April 5, 2022 |

Full Review

Matt Paprocki (GamesRadar+)

4/5 stars - (Read Review)

Still surprisingly swing-and-miss online, but for long-lasting and moreish solo play, NBA 2K22 is its only competitor in a two-horse championship duel.

Richard Wakeling (GameSpot)

7/10 - (Read Review)

MLB The Show 22 stills plays a phenomenal game of baseball, but incremental updates reveal a series that’s lacking in ambition.

Shaun Cichacki (AOTF)

4.5/5 stars - (Read Review)

**Read all 44 critic reviews on the desktop version of VSG.

Read the Reviews (44 total)

Outlet	Author	Score	Date	Quote	Read
Atomix	Rodolfo León	82 / 100	04-08-2022	At the end of the day, MLB The Show 22 doesn´t bring much to the table in terms of innovation, but when it comes to gameplay and game modes, that's where it really shines. Fans of the franchise will find a lot to love over here, and newcomers won't have too much trouble learning the game thanks to all the amazing accesibility options. The newest entry in the beloved baseball franchise is basically more of the same, but better.	Read review
Attack of the Fanboy	Shaun Cichacki	4.5 / 5 stars	04-05-2022	From the gorgeous visuals that transport you directly to the field, to the stellar controls, you won't find another sports game out there that will captivate you quite like this one. Feeling the roar of the crowd swelling up as you continue to rack up points, to the way that your players will express their emotions on the field, this is a sports title that other developers of the genre should take notes from.	Read review
But Why Tho?	Jason Flatt	7 / 10	04-08-2022	MLB The Show 22 is a finely-tuned baseball simulator that offers a nice range of options depending on your patience but is possessed of a nearly insurmountable difficulty curve for beginning players, especially those who are either uninvested in the sport, more accustomed to simpler arcade-style baseball games, or even fans of other popular sports simulators that require less pinpoint accuracy to succeed in. Fortunately, if you’re determined enough to learn to play the game, there are endless pitches to swing at and new games to start over as you fine-tune your button-pressing timing.	Read review
CGMagazine	David Walters	8 / 10	04-04-2022	MLB The Show 22 is a great entry to the yearly sports franchise, easily the best one yet. It's enough to keep returning players interested, and new players will have a great time learning the ins and outs of the diamond.	Read review
COGconnected	Rhett Waselenchuk	80 / 100	04-17-2022	I’m between a rock and a hard place with MLB The Show 22. On the one hand, I still think Sony San Diego delivers the best simulation sports game on the market today. On the other hand, if it weren’t for the new commentary team, I’d feel like I’m playing last year’s game. If you were expecting 22 to be a big year for baseball, you might need to adjust your expectations. Only when the developers choose to genuinely flesh out their most popular modes (and redesign that damn locker room!) will this series get back to where it belongs.	Read review
Cultured Vultures	William Quant	7 / 10	04-06-2022	The lockout may be over, but MLB The Show 22 might need to ride the bench this year in comparison to the efforts of the past. Still fun to be had, though.	Read review
Forbes	Brian Mazique	7.5 / 10	04-06-2022	MLB The Show 22 plays too strong of a game on the field and offers too much with Diamond Dynasty, March to October, franchise mode and a general cohesiveness to be a bad sports game. However, some of the missteps are impossible to ignore because of what other sports games offer, and because of what the Show series has offered in the past.	Read review
Game Informer	Andrew Reiner	8.5 / 10	04-13-2022	MLB The Show 22 doesn't put up an all-star performance this year, but continues to be consistent in all avenues of play and finds new ways to make you want to spend time at the ballpark. Playing with friends in cooperative play is the standout feature if you can use it, but the on-the-field play and March to October also impress.	Read review
Gamerheadquarters	Jason Stettner	7.8 / 10	04-15-2022	MLB The Show 22 is another entry in the series, expanding the platforms further while also providing a similar experience to the previous year.	Read review
GameSkinny	Joseph Rowe	8 / 10	04-19-2022	MLB The Show 22 is a solid entry in the series, but it's largely the same game as last year, for better or worse.	Read review
GameSpew	Richard Seagrave	8 / 10	04-08-2022	If you’re a huge baseball fan and you want the latest and greatest game that most accurately captures the spirit of the sport, buying MLB The Show 22 is perhaps a no-brainer. But if you’re a casual fan or money is tight, then last year’s MLB The Show 21 offers an experience that’s not all that dissimilar. This may be the best baseball game available right now, but when it’s only incrementally better than least year’s effort, you might not feel like it’s worth the cost.	Read review
GameSpot	Richard Wakeling	7 / 10	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 stills plays a phenomenal game of baseball, but incremental updates reveal a series that's lacking in ambition.	Read review
GamesRadar+	Matt Paprocki	4 / 5 stars	04-05-2022	Still surprisingly swing-and-miss online, but for long-lasting and moreish solo play, NBA 2K22 is its only competitor in a two-horse championship duel.	Read review
GamingBolt	John Cantees	8 / 10	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 still has room to improve for the future, but makes more than enough changes to remain a great baseball experience at the end of the day.	Read review
GamingTrend	Rob Berg	70 / 100	04-18-2022	Spending time playing the different modes, and just getting a general feel for MLB The Show 22, I found myself enjoying more of the game than I thought I would. Homerun Derby among the other game modes really helped to engulf and immerse myself in the game. Between stats and rosters it is always fun to mess around with major league rosters the way you would want real teams to manage their rosters. With what should be a lasting impression MLB The Show 22 leaves little to the imagination from its predecessor. What should be a definitive installment with the addition of online co-op, winds up being more of the same formula that needs some updates and changes if it is to have a lasting legacy.	Read review
Generación Xbox	Noob Chief Fabian	7.9 / 10	04-12-2022	MLB The Show 22 is the perfect annual continuation to remain the best of its genere	Read review
Hardcore Gamer	Cory Wells	4 / 5 stars	04-08-2022	MLB The Show 22 continues the tradition of being an excellent emulation of the sport of baseball, but this is another year without major changes.	Read review
Hey Poor Player	Andrew Thornton	3.5 / 5 stars	04-14-2022	MLB The Show 22 continues to offer a solid baseball game that is a lot of fun to play. San Diego Studio has the basics down, and while they iterate on them each year, they don’t break what’s working. When so much around the core gameplay has grown stagnant, though, and players are being pushed to spend so much ongoing money to have the best experience, it becomes a lot harder to recommend to all but the die-hards.	Read review
Hobby Consolas	Alberto Lloret	80 / 100	04-04-2022	‎Like other great sports simulators, MLB The Show 22 offers a forceful proposal, rich in game modes and options so that anyone can enjoy an experience tailored to their ability and skill, although the "pay to win" component and the abusive prices of the cards disfigure the final result.‎	Read review
IGN	Justin Koreis	7 / 10	04-08-2022	MLB The Show 22 is mostly a retread of an already great game, but more bugs than usual and the not quite ready for primetime co-op mode are signs this series may be losing some velocity.	Read review
Impulsegamer	Paul Stuart	4.2 / 5 stars	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 again raises the bar in its visual and audio representation, with subtle realism upgrades that improve an already strong title. There's not a lot that's new here versus MLB 21, but it's sure to please Diamond Dynasty players also those wanting to see the art of the possible in 4K.	Read review
Nintendo Life	Thomas Whitehead	6 / 10	04-05-2022	The ultimate question is whether you should play MLB The Show 22 on Switch. Well, it depends. If it's your main or only platform and you're happy playing CPU and offline games, then yes, it's not bad and holds things together just enough for gameplay to be enjoyable. If you want an 'on-the-go' version to accompany a more powerful home console version, perhaps on Game Pass, then it's another yes. If you want to mainly play online in Diamond Dynasty? No, this isn't the way to go. MLB The Show 22 is admirably packed with content and features, but it's not entirely comfortably packed into the diminutive Switch. It lacks the fluidity and crispness found elsewhere, which is perhaps expected but doesn't change the fact. If you're happy with the compromises, though, then step up to the plate.	Read review
NintendoWorldReport	Neal Ronaghan	9 / 10	04-14-2022	It has all of the modes of the 4K versions, including the wonderful March to October, Road to the Show, and Diamond Dynasty offerings. While the online and visual aspects falter at times, the good far outweighs the bad here, as MLB The Show 22 is one of the best sports games of its kind and the Switch version is an excellent way to play it portably and an acceptable way to play it on a television. Here's hoping The Show is a perennial All-Star on Switch because I could get used to having an assortment of killer baseball games on Nintendo systems again.	Read review
NoobFeed	Azfar Rayan	85 / 100	04-10-2022	MLB The Show 22 is probably the best release of this series. MLB: The Show, in terms of yearly sporting games, sticks to being a comprehensive simulator with a wide range of features to attract a wider range of players. Even with a few new features like online co-op and commentary, I can't deny that this is largely the same game as last year.	Read review
Operation Sports	Robert Kollars	Recommended	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 is the best looking and sounding baseball game I've ever played. There are still improvements that I want to see in the future, as many of us do, but that doesn't mean I can't separate what I hope to see in the future from what is so good about this year's game. At the end of the day, MLB The Show 22 is a damn good baseball game.	Read review
PlayStation LifeStyle	Blake Grundman	7 / 10	04-19-2022	Why would you want to buy MLB The Show 22? If I’m being completely honest, it’s really hard to justify taking the plunge this year, especially if you owned 2021’s installment. This release feels devoid of any marque justification for purchase, aside from continued refinement on existing mechanics. It’s really hard to shake the feeling that this was supposed to be a grand slam and ended up being a dribbler off the end of the bat.	Read review
PlayStation Universe	Mark Kriska	8 / 10	04-20-2022	MLB The Show 22 stumbles for the first time in recent memory. This is understandable with San Diego Studios' ambitious goal of releasing the game on five platforms if we count the last generation consoles. Nevertheless, The Show 22 is still the best baseball sim you can buy and one I can't put down. From the attention to detail to the number of different game modes you can play through, The Show 22 continues to improve on last year's game, even though it's not to the degree we are used to. If you're a baseball fan, I cannot recommend MLB The Show 22 more.	Read review
Polygon	Owen Good	Recommended	04-07-2022	Like the sport it portrays, MLB The Show 22 will take a very long season to show me its real virtues. But the short-term successes I’ve already had make it enticing to see that season through to the end. I am sure that repeated commentary, rote animations, and inexplicable simulation results will nag at me come September. I’m also sure that I will still be playing this game in October.	Read review
PSX Brasil	Thiago de Alencar Moura	80 / 100	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 is much more a series of adjustments and small evolutions compared to its predecessor than a completely new title, which, despite looking like a mere roster update, allows it to keep delivering one of the best sports simulators on the market .	Read review
Push Square	Sammy Barker	Recommended	04-07-2022	It'd probably be reductive to describe many of MLB The Show 22's improvements as the kind of thing you'd expect to find in patch notes, but it's still somewhat true. The gameplay feels better than ever, and we really like the additions to March to October as well as the Mini Seasons mode in Diamond Dynasty. But while this is undoubtedly a streamlined, enhanced version of the already excellent MLB The Show 21, casual players will struggle to spot the difference – and, frankly, some aspects of the series are really beginning to tire.	Read review
Screen Rant	Rob Gordon	4 / 5 stars	04-10-2022	Even so, MLB The Show 22 is a very impressive baseball game. Although it doesn't reinvent the wheel with this year's entry, the game is extremely enjoyable and the wider accessibility of platforms will no doubt mean that MLB The Show 22 will reach plenty of baseball fans.	Read review
SECTOR.sk	Matúš Štrba	8 / 10	04-13-2022	MLB The Show 22 is another great offering in the series, but you can also feel stagnation in some areas of the game and its content. Gameplay is as fun as ever, however, co-op is underdeveloped and some glitches are annoying.	Read review
Shacknews	Chris Jarrard	7 / 10	04-13-2022	Last season, I was disappointed with the PS5/Series X versions of The Show as I was hoping for a step into the next console generation of visuals, animations, and physics. Expansion into the Xbox ecosystem and logistical issues due to COVID-19 necessitated a shorter and likely less-involved upgrade to the game. To get nearly the same experience for the second-straight year is a legit bummer. This is still the best professional sports sim you can get on any hardware and if you are a baseball fan that hasn’t played The Show in recent years, this is an experience to look out for. For others who have been waiting years for something new, this one sadly isn’t it.	Read review
Sirus Gaming	Adrian Morales	7.5 / 10	04-19-2022	MLB The Show 22 is one of the best baseball games on the market, if not the only one players should consider. However, as the MLB The Show series has cracked the code for crafting a baseball game that looks authentic and plays fantastically, development studio Sony San Diego may have painted themselves into a corner. Progress made since MLB The Show 21 is minuscule, and this year’s entry is mostly a rehash of the previous game, begging players to ask if this year’s entry is worth full price. That isn’t to say that MLB The Show 22 isn’t worth the time investment from its fans, because it is quite an excellent sports game, but it might be time to start thinking outside of the box about how the franchise can begin to iterate.	Read review
SpazioGames	Nicolò Bicego	7 / 10	04-15-2022	MLB The Show 22 is a well crafted video game for baseball fans, but it is more of the same in more ways than it should.	Read review
Sports Gamers Online	Brandon Satterwhite	7 / 10	04-05-2022	Gameplay is just as impressive and enjoyable as ever. That being said, there are still some problems that detract from the overall experience. Server and technical issues, as well as minimal new features to modes like Road to the Show and Franchise, could make some feel like this game is MLB The Show 21.5.	Read review
The Games Machine	Marco Ravetto	8 / 10	04-08-2022	MLB The Show 22 is a great game. It's fun, full of options and modular in structure to meet everyone's needs without distorting the essence of baseball.	Read review
Twinfinite	Omar Banat	3.5 / 5 stars	04-13-2022	Overall, MLB The Show 22 is a fantastic baseball simulator that fans of the sport will enjoy. Unfortunately, there aren’t enough notable changes to the game that make it a must-have. There are some little tweaks here and there that dedicated players will notice, but the total package isn’t too different. That said, it’s still worth picking up if baseball is your game.	Read review
Video Chums	A.J. Maciejewski	8.3 / 10	04-12-2022	I love a good baseball game so thankfully, MLB The Show 22 is a great one. From its wide range of options to its clever adaptive difficulty, it's easy to have the hours tick away as you hit dingers and climb the ranks.	Read review
Washington Post	Mike Hume	Recommended	04-07-2022	For the most part, though, newcomers will find plenty to embrace about the series and players of past iterations of “MLB The Show” will find a whole lot of what they know and love. The biggest problem, in fact, is they’ll likely find a little too much of it.	Read review
Wccftech	Nathan Birch	6.5 / 10	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 is one of the most conservative annual sports titles I've played in some time. Aside from a few minor mechanical tweaks and a handful of ancillary features like online co-op and new commentary, this is essentially the same game we got last year. It's a shame because the franchise's core gameplay remains rock-solid, but it's increasingly difficult to ignore its lack of ambition. Those new to the series can add at least a point to my score, but longtime fans aren't getting much to cheer for.	Read review
We Got This Covered	Jon Hueber	4 / 5 stars	04-13-2022	MLB The Show 22 remains the sport's one true constant, and some fresh tweaks to existing modes, along with a much-welcomed gameplay addition, prove the game can only get better year after year, even with some features being mysteriously omitted at launch.	Read review
Windows Central	Anthony J Nash	4 / 5 stars	04-05-2022	MLB The Show 22 continues to improve in small, key ways, and with major changes to some of the biggest modes in the game, it's another great entry in the series.	Read review
Worth Playing	Cody Medellin	8 / 10	05-30-2022	Your impressions of MLB The Show 22 are going to vary depending on the platform you're on. For Xbox players, this remains a solid baseball game that players of all skill levels can enjoy thanks to numerous options and modes. With it being available on the Xbox Game Pass on day one, it's an easy reason to try it out. Those who lived and breathed The Show 21 will find the improvements to be minimal. For Switch fans, there are some rough parts that dull the game's impressiveness, but the presence of a sports simulation on a system that's starving for them should catch players' attention. The Switch is going to be a boon for those who like to play on the go, especially since The Show 15 was the last time it went portable on the Vita. Now if only the series could make its way to the PC ….	Read review

** Learn more about how to become a MetaMeter-approved Critic.

Game Info

Game Description / Storyline:

Experience faster, deeper and more intense moment-to-moment match action on the field, with a variety of game modes for all you rookie players and returning seasoned vets. Every pitch. Every hit. Every win. Make your mark and Own The Show in MLB The Show 22.

RELEASE DATES:

DEVELOPER(S):

PUBLISHER(S):

GENRES:

SERIES/FRANCHISE:

GAME MODES:

GAME ENGINE:

DLC:

BUNDLED IN:

DIRECTOR(S):

PRODUCER(S):

DESIGNER(S):

PROGRAMMER(S):

ARTIST(S):

WRITER(S):

COMPOSER(S):

LINKS:

AGE RATING:

Detailed Information

GAME MODES:

GAME ENGINE:

DLC:

BUNDLED IN:

DIRECTOR(S):

PRODUCER(S):

DESIGNER(S):

PROGRAMMER(S):

ARTIST(S):

WRITER(S):

COMPOSER(S):

Developed by SIE San Diego Studio. All titles, content, brand names, trademarks, logos, artwork, and associated imagery are trademarks and/or copyright material of their respective owners. © All rights reserved.