MLB The Show 23 Critic Reviews

MLB The Show 23 will have you practice your best home run calls because the latest installment in the iconic franchise knocks it out of the park. The game’s new storylines mode, improved animations, and latest gameplay changes are worth the price of entry to your favorite ballpark this year.

MLB The Show 23 is a great step forward for the series, thanks in large part to its brilliant new Negro Leagues mode.

MLB The Show 23 dives deep into its best modes, refreshing the experience with a bevy of new features and tweaks to make the old feel new. The addition of the WBC and the long-awaited inclusion of the Negro Leagues makes this year's version the best Show to date.

MLB The Show 23 is the best-damned sports game money can buy. I think I say this every year, but the fact remains: Sony San Diego provides the most authentic representation of a sport with their MLB The Show series. Just as I did with The Show 22, I’ll be playing this year’s entry right up until next season. Take me out to the ballgame, and don’t ever bring me back.

MLB The Show 23 is likely one of the strongest entries that we've received in quite some time. The addition of the Negro Leagues Storylines mode doesn't simply make for a lot of fun, but it's something that I'm convinced every hardcore baseball fan needs to experience for themselves. Between MLB The Show 23's other game types, much less has changed, but there's still enough meat on the bone that you'll find yourself plenty busy. Moving forward, I would love to see the gameplay and graphical elements of MLB The Show overhauled to some degree. But for now, I'm more than happy with the version of the game that we got this year.

MLB The Show 23 is a huge improvement over the past few installments, and the addition of a great historical mode is just an added bonus in this already near-perfect package for all baseball fans.

Do you like baseball? MLB The Show 23 is your one stop shop for all things baseball. It’s great with tons of game modes and extras, including the returning March to October mode and the fantastic Negro Leagues presentation. That it’s not on PS+ as yet is a bit of an eyebrow raiser given its Game Pass day one inclusion, so it’s a shame that Sony didn’t see fit to include it as yet. If you’re curious, take a chance and you’ll be rewarded with a fascinating insight into the wider world of baseball.

Real-life Major League Baseball continues to evolve in ways to encourage faster play in hopes of appealing to a broader audience, but MLB The Show 23 feels somehow ahead of the game. At the same time, the new Storylines mode shows the past is just as important as the future, providing players with the best of both worlds. Myriad options and modes allow you to engage with America’s Pastime precisely how you want, and in the process, MLB The Show 23 delivers one of the best baseball games in years.

MLB The Show 23 is a superb title that has a great balance of enjoyable gameplay, well-researched and deeply educational story elements.

Supported by the great new Storylines mode and the already incredibly solid foundation of previous years, MLB The Show 23 is another excellent sports simulator game from the masters of baseball. There were few changes, but the series keeps showing how much it understands the players' passion for the past, present and future of the sport and brings something capable of satisfying every fan.

After repeating the same exact gameplay year after year, MLB The Show 23 finally offers some interest-ing new features in an fresh enjoyable experience, both in old and in new game modes. There’s a great atmosphere on the diamond, and there are tons of things to do, games to play, stars to unlock. Some shadows on the online, with a netcode that it's shaky at times.

MLB The Show 23 moves the franchise forward in several ways. The Negro Leagues storyline shines bright as the best addition we’ve seen in the series. While San Diego Studios didn’t pitch a perfect game, they delivered a game worthy of being called The Show.

While San Diego Studio doesn’t take a huge leap with MLB The Show 23 compared to last year’s game, it’s still entertaining and the best baseball game on the planet. The addition of The Negro Leagues mode makes for a deeper and more enriching experience.

MLB The Show 23 doesn't reinvent the genre, but the franchise continues to stand as one of the best on the market. The gameplay is fantastic across all phases of the sport, and the line-up of modes has been improved thanks to the addition of Storylines. There is still room for improvement, but The Show remains a contender for best sports title of the year.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel when you already have a winning formula. MLB The Show 23 doesn’t stray too far away from what has made the series successful, and that’s a good thing. Sets and Seasons is a bold but welcomed change in Diamond Dynasty, and revamped drafting and scouting was long overdue in Franchise mode. Road to The show once again disappointed, but Storylines managed to steal the show, rounding up another impressive entry for the baseball sim franchise.

With so many different game options, there really is no right or wrong way to experience it. The lack of an Online Franchise can be a hinderance to some, but the accessibility of Diamond Dynasty gives players plenty of ways to compete. Likewise, Road to the Show does feel like a genuine letdown, but the addition of Storylines is not only beautiful in its retelling and presentation, but necessary in enhancing our knowledge and love of baseball.

The makers of MLB The Show 23 clearly heard the complaints about a lack of fresh features in recent entries, as this year’s game offers up the new exciting and enlightening Storylines mode as well as significant tweaks and improvements to Franchise, March to October, and Diamond Dynasty. A lack of innovation when it comes to core gameplay keeps this year’s title from being a true home run, but it’s at least a strong double.

As solid as ever from San Diego Studio, but a few tweaks and a superb Storylines mode make MLB The Show 23 an even more worthwhile purchase than recent editions.

The Show maintains its place atop the sports games landscape.

It knows what it does well and does that extremely well. There are games that I play when I just want to decompress and enjoy myself, and this is one of them. Fans of baseball and sports game enthusiasts alike will find something to enjoy with this title, and I will be playing it as much as I can.