MLB The Show 24 review: A hard foul ball

Sony’s MLB The Show 24 continues to be a strong simulation on the field, but its errors everywhere else and lack of innovation from last year keeps this one in the infield. Here’s our MLB The Show 24 review.

If there’s one sports game that’s arguably received the most praise over the years, it’s MLB The Show. Despite a few follies here and there, the depth of the franchise’s gameplay and low barrier of entry — from few options for microtransactions and availability on Xbox Game Pass — has turned it into a juggernaut.

Sony released MLB The Show 24 for old and current-gen consoles in March 2024, a title that came with some new features, including an expansion of Storylines and an overhaul of Diamond Dynasty. But, did it build on what was a somewhat polarizing version last year.

Here’s a look at our MLB The Show 24 review.

MLB The Show 24 – Key Details

• Price: $59.99 (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch), $69.99 (PS5, Xbox Series X|S)
• Developer: Sony San Diego Studio
• Release Date: March 19, 2024
• Platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch

Gameplay is the highlight play

The highlight of every MLB The Show installment – and MLB The Show 24 is no different – is the gameplay. 

Sony San Diego has generally done a strong job of replicating the game of baseball in a virtual manner, from the movement of pitches like a sharp slider and a running changeup, to hitting balls deep in the zone and taking it the other way.

The MLB The Show team didn’t spend much time in the pre-release phases of the game talking about the gameplay, but did mention some new tweaks. Among those include bigger bases and a pitch clock to replicate the new MLB rules added in 2023, new fielding animations to reflect urgency of a play – which to be honest, are seen at some times but not often enough for those playing Diamond Dynasty due to the overalls – as well as changes to Pinpoint Pitching.

Pinpoint Pitching was introduced three years ago and became the meta for pitching. The mechanic relies on moving the right analog stick in a certain direction, with accuracy and speed of the movement affecting the location of the pitch. Pinpoint has received some tweaks here and there, but 24 introduced new motions to meta-centric pitches like sinkers, and handiness changes to make it harder to accurately throw balls.

As a whole, those changes have led to a system where hitting has dominated. Pitching has become harder, part of which is due to some oddities with throwing out of the stretch, and also because of the aforementioned changes.

That’s not to say it’s bad. But, low-scoring games – at least in my anecdotal experience – have happened fewer than ever before.

San Diego Studio

Road to the Show feels like a demotion

Sony San Diego spent significantly more time promoting Road to the Show and new improvements than in past years. However, it still misses the mark in my opinion.

This year, Sony San Diego touted many changes. Players now have the option to make a female avatar, new cutscenes and agent dialogue was added, and the addition of the MLB Draft Combine, which was added in the real world in 2022.

Now, a Draft Combine-like event is not new to the franchise, as showcase events were in older MLB The Show games. And while some of the new dialogue can be appreciated as a good effort, the reality is that Road to the Show still needs a significant overhaul.

For one, there’s no option to create a custom build of a player, much like NBA 2K with its MyPlayer builder. Rather, one must choose from a series of Archetypes –  like Contact or Power – and then grind and acquire perks and equipment to upgrade a player’s attributes.

This has been the same setup for Road to the Show for years and it made sense back when created players (CAP) could be used in Diamond Dynasty for balance purposes. But that’s not the case anymore, as CAPs aren’t eligible for the mode.

While there are power and contact-oriented hitters in real life, everyone is different. For example, there are superstar power hitters like Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson, but both have different tools. The same can be said for someone like Juan Soto, a power hitter and a better contact hitter than the two mentioned previously, but also someone with less power.

Another issue I have is there’s still no option to start either as a high school or college player. Ideally, I would love the idea of choosing between a raw, unproven high school talent or a more polished college athlete – because after all, there are high school and college players in the MLB Draft.

And, don’t even get me started on the fact there are no Single-A teams. Road to the Show, as a whole, simply feels too cookie-cutter.

San Diego Studio

Diamond Dynasty gets another overhaul

Every sports game nowadays has a CCG game mode, and MLB The Show 24 is now different. Diamond Dynasty, arguably the hallmark of the franchise for years, is back. This is where baseball fans can collect virtual trading cards of past and present players and build a dream team.

The mode is arguably the best when it comes to CCGs in sports games, as many of the best cards can be earned simply by grinding, as opposed to playing the proverbial lottery in packs. This remains largely the case, as Team Affinity is back and as of March 2024, many of those cards are very useful.

Now last year, Sony went for a different approach for Diamond Dynasty. Rather than a “power creep” model that saw overalls increase slightly throughout the year, Diamond Dynasty was littered with 97-99 OVR cards right off the bat. And thanks to Sets, cards would be phased out if not part of the active sets in the game.

This year, Sets return, but labeled as Seasons. However, a different approach has re-introduced power creep, as overalls will increase throughout a specific Season. Once the current season ends, all cards part of that season will not be eligible unless used as a Wild Card.

The strategy here is an interesting one. I think it’s fair to say that last year’s philosophy was off. Part of that was due to players getting multiple 99 OVRs, grinding for cards that would be rendered useless in a matter of weeks, and lackluster post-launch content that saw low 90s cards being the big draws in programs. 

That’s not to say it’s bad, as a refresh can be good, so long as content releases don’t get too repetitive.

There are, however, flaws with Diamond Dynasty.

Much like past years, featured program bosses are back for MLB The Show 24 and can be earned by grinding XP. However, there’s an XP cap that limits how much experience can earned. It’s a small one too, meaning that players will need to consistently grind as opposed to taking a day or two a week – like the weekend, for instance – in order to have a chance at the big boys.

Then, there’s the lack of attention to detail. No, I’m not just talking about wrong team logos showing up on the scoreboard or MLB The Show advertising an MLB Network show like The Rundown that hasn’t aired since 2021. 

The two-way player glitch, which allows two-way players to come out of the bullpen without a stamina penalty, is back after it was patched out of the game in the summer of 2023. 

Storylines got deeper, but does it make it better?

MLB The Show 23 introduced Storylines, a 2K Showcase-like mode which focused on historical moments in baseball history. Last year’s Storylines focused exclusively on the Negro Leagues, and included narrated mini-documentaries and Moments to replicate. This is back for MLB The Show 24.

This year, Sony San Diego spent a plurality of time promoting Storylines. There are two separate ones, one for more Negro Leagues players and another one that focuses on the career of Derek Jeter. Much like in 23, this year’s set of Storylines features narration and highlight videos and culminate with players needing to complete Moments.

Now look, I’m a sucker for baseball history. However, Storylines is a mode that I have a love-hate relationship with.

On one hand, it’s great for those new to baseball and learning its history. However, the Moments are incredibly easy to complete and equate to about 30 minutes of actual gameplay, which will increase as more Moments are added. Still, you’re looking at about an hour of actual content apiece.

There’s not much of a challenge here, and even for those who want the Diamond Dynasty rewards, the cards that are unlocked for completing them are underwhelming.

The verdict — 3/5

For those simply interested in good, quality gameplay that replicates the real world of Major League Baseball, it’s hard to do better than MLB The Show – although, there aren’t any alternatives at the moment.

The gameplay, as mentioned above, has been the best part of the game and that remains true for 2024. However, the depth of the game and its modes is glaring. But given that Sony San Diego spent much of its time promoting a mode that will only take about an hour or two to complete, perhaps that’s not a surprise.

An Xbox Series X|S code was provided by Sony for this review.