MLB The Show 25 new gameplay features: Ambush hitting, home run rob meter & more
San Diego StudioSan Diego Studio provided an in-depth look at the new gameplay features coming to MLB The Show 25. Here’s everything you need to know before jumping into your first game.
MLB The Show 25 officially launches on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. This year’s installment features Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz, and Gunnar Henderson as cover athletes. On top of that, Roger Clemons and Manny Ramirez are coming to the series as new legends.
As for what innovations fans can expect, Sets and Seasons will not return, as fans urged the devs to remove the controversial feature from Diamond Dynasty. And, it’s an exciting time to be a Road To The Show fan, as for the first time, players can start their journies in college before choosing one of eight college programs to play for.
MLB The Show 25 also introduces several new gameplay mechanics.
MLB The Show 25 new gameplay features explained
San Diego Studio revealed a deep-dive trailer for new gameplay features.
Ambush hitting allows you to predict which side of the plate the pitcher will attack. If you guess the correct location, the Plate Coverage Indicator grows and provides a slight improvement to your swing timing, but if you guess wrong, the PCI shrinks when hovering over that zone.
The devs did not reveal if the feature will only be available in offline modes or if it will also be available online.
Next up, three new animations depend on a fielder’s reaction time attribute. Top-rated infielders will jump the fastest and get to the ball quicker, while lower-rated players will experience slight delays when trying to track down a ball.
Blue arrows indicate the fastest, green arrows indicate the average, and yellow corresponds with the slowest jump.
G.O.A.T difficulty is a new difficulty more challenging than Legend. Players can expect faster fastballs, bigger breaks on off-speed pitches, tighter swing timing windows, and a smaller PCI.
If you get back to the warning track fast enough on a ball heading out of the ballpark, there is a new meter that players can attempt to time correctly to steal a home run. A fielder’s ability will determine how often the scale appears and the success rate.
The throw meter has been adjusted to be more high-risk, high-reward. Perfect throws are indicated by a blue bar, and they can only be achieved if you let go towards the end of the green bar instead of the middle. This is risky because it provides less margin for error with less space to work with.
For more, check out everything we know about the RTTS overhaul.