Punk Rockies

While we won’t hear any big news on MLB the Show 26 like cover athlete or new features until February most likely, we were gifted in December with a few tidits about next year’s version. SDS released news last week about new options settings to fine tune your hitting and couple new colleges being added to Road to the Show that I’m pretty excited about.

One of my biggest flaws in hitting in the Show is that I tend to overreach my goal when hitting the stick to control the PCI. No matter how I try to tell myself less is better, I end up with the hitting cursor in the dirt trying to chase a curveball. A new announced feature may help me in that regard: PCI sensitivity. This will help you control how fast or slow your PCI reacts to your stick movement, and this could be a game-changer for those of who are a little over eager on swing movement.

The other exciting reveal for me is the inclusion of new colleges for Road to the Show. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I’m always following the excellent baseball teams at Oregon State University and was disappointed that their powerhouse program wasn’t included in ’25. They’ve remedied this with the inclusion of the Beavers for 2026. A total of 11 new schools will be in MLB the Show 26, including another storied program in the University of North Carolina.

If last year is a guide, does that mean we’ll get a Beaver or Tar Heel alumn on the cover, like from Adley Rutschman or Steven Kwan from OSU, or Zac Gallen of UNC? None are huge stars, so it’s unlikely, but you never know!

Other new features include new franchise logic and gameplay animations.

2026 Wish List

Every year, there is a clamoring for new features and improvements to the game. The SDS team did a pretty good job of listening to people about the shortcomings of the Diamond Dynasty experience in 2025, but there’s always room for improvement. Here are some things I’d personally love to see in next year’s offering:

Stadium Creator: team logos that can be placed on walls (including outfield fences), off-field bullpens, new scoreboard layouts, additional letter/number styles, custom field shapes

Player models: realistic arm tattoos for players (see example below)

Commentary: more in-game player updates (what they’ve done in the game shared EVERY at-bat, milestones, etc), more individualized scouting reports, fewer Siggy stories

Diamond Dynasty Team Affinity: progressive best player at each position for each team so you can field full team of legends early on

Diamond Dynasty: home crowds wear your custom colors/logos

What are you hoping for in MLB the Show 26?