MLB The Show 25 is the latest iteration of the popular baseball sim from San Diego Studio, complete with updated rosters and additions to gameplay ahead of the official start to the MLB's regular season. As expected (and d), there are plenty of changes and new gameplay mechanics to warrant a purchase. It's a nice - but not earth-shaterring - leap forward for the series, and MLB The Show 25 is the best iteration of the game to date.

MLB The Show 25 is by no means a massive change for the series, but it's enough. The Show 24 had even smaller changes, so what's new in MLB The Show 25 is clearly noticeable. Not everything new in The Show 25 lands, but the attention to detail and San Diego Studio's ostensible desire to keep the series fresh are irable. It's a game that longtime fans should still find refreshing (and there are plenty of helpful tutorials if this is your first entry).

MLB The Show 25 Is A Nice Update To The Usual Formula

No Matter The Mode, There's Something For Everyone

For March To October, I played through the season with the Seattle Mariners, the same as every year. Again, they're listed as a Contender, and I had the difficulty set to Dynamic as I typically do. If anything, Dynamic feels skewed a bit more on the challenging side this year (I went from Beginner to halfway to Minors in around a single game). I intentionally messed up to see how quickly the meter went down, and it definitely didn't drop that fast. I didn't mind, but it does feel like the game balance is designed to challenge you more this year.

For Diamond Dynasty, I quickly recruited some 85 OVR players into my squad and started taking on missions. On the surface, the mode may feel similar to those in previous games in the series, but the changes in Diamond Dynasty seem to work in the player's favor - missions and updated ratings that seemingly make it easier to obtain rewards and hit certain landmarks. Removing Sets and Seasons is another big win, and there are cheaper cards on the Marketplace (for now).

There are a few updates and changes to the usual The Show formula that stand out most. One of them - Ambush Hitting - lets you guess pitch locations for high-risk, high-reward situations, much like in real baseball. If you get it wrong, you'll have a harder time hitting the ball, but if you get it right, you increase your area of and can realistically hit home runs more effectively. It's easily one of the most rewarding additions to the game, even more than the new throw meter for fielders, which I also enjoyed using.

MLB The Show 25's New Additions Are Highlights

New Storylines, Modes, & Gameplay Changes

One of the biggest highlights of new content in MLB The Show 25 is that you can follow players from high school to college to the minors in Road To The Show. This got me a bit more invested than I typically do in RTTS - probably because you stick with the players and teams for so long. While the college teams are limited (there are only 8), I enjoyed getting to play around as the Vols. There's also a new first-person perspective option that is pretty great for immersion.

The new Diamond Quest I could take or leave, but it's there for the people who want it. The roguelike is an interesting addition, and it can be a nice way to earn rewards and shake up the typical baseball gameplay, but I found it tedious after a while. As a single-player mode, it's also a solid enough way to play in Diamond Dynasty and earn rewards without going online. It has a fun, retro board game feel that I enjoyed, but it just couldn't hold my attention when compared to everything else in MLB The Show 25.

There are, of course, some notable changes to Franchise mode: Free agency updates, the Big Board, and options to make the manager sim aspects more in-depth are all here. Those who love the manager sim parts of MLB The Show will be thrilled, but as someone who gets bored with that aspect of Franchise, I wasn't really sold on any of these changes to keep me playing in it. Really, it's just going to come down to personal preferences.

The new Negro League Storylines season offers challenges and rewards that are worth doing, all while getting to view some cool baseball history and play as various Legends. Since being introduced a couple of years ago, this has remained one of my favorite parts of MLB The Show to play through. I still enjoyed it in MLB The Show 25, and thought the missions were fairly balanced.

MLB The Show 25 Has A Few Flaws, But Nothing Major

RNG, Stubs, & Monetization Are Still Issues

My only real complaint with MLB The Show 25 is that, once again, getting stubs and packs relies heavily on monetization. There are enough in-game rewards that you can reasonably build a nice team in Diamond Dynasty without spending real money, but the temptation is certainly there. Those willing to spend real money will most certainly have the best teams - unless you're fabulously lucky. For those who play primarily online, this can be even more of an issue.

There's a lot of fun in chasing cards in MLB The Show 25, and I'm currently saving stubs for that Ohtani card (currently selling for over 300k stubs at the time of this review). It's certainly an enjoyable aspect of the game, but so much boils down to random chance that I'm sure some people will get frustrated. Overall, these are fairly minor issues that have persisted in The Show for quite some time, and the good changes made to Diamond Dynasty outweigh the bad.

MLB The Show 25: Well Worth Playing

A Must-Play For Baseball Fans

There's a certain element of fantasy that goes along with any The Show game, whether that's putting together the perfect squad in Diamond Dynasty or getting to see your favorite team go to the World Series in March To October. MLB The Show 25 leans into that even more by letting you follow players from high school in Road To The Show, playing with some of the greats in the new Negro Leagues storyline, and a host of specific settings to make the game as easy or as challenging as you want it to be.

MLB The Show 25 proves this series is the best baseball sim on the market - and arguably the best sports game out there.

If nothing else, MLB The Show 25 is great because of how well it lets us live out those big baseball dreams - with Legends who have ed, at Stadiums we may never get to visit, and with teams who may not win the World Series anytime soon. There aren't massive, major changes, but they're good ones. Because of San Diego Studio's willingness to change and adapt, MLB The Show 25 proves this series is the best baseball sim on the market - and arguably the best sports game out there.

A copy of MLB The Show 25 for PlayStation 5 was sent to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.