MLB The Show 21

MLB The Show 21 is a baseball video game by San Diego Studio and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, based on Major League Baseball (MLB). It was released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, as well as the Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S (a first for the franchise) which included it being on Xbox Game Pass at the release for the first time, with MLB Advanced Media co-publishing digital versions on the latter platforms. This would also be the first MLB game released on an Xbox console since MLB 2K13. The sixteenth entry of the MLB: The Show franchise, it was released on April 20, 2021. San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatís Jr. is featured as the cover star, and at age 22 is the youngest player to do so.

Gameplay
Matt Vasgersian, Mark DeRosa and Dan Plesac return as play-by-play commentators for the last time, Heidi Watney as sideline reporter and Alex Miniak as public address commentator.

New to the series is the ballpark creator feature, which gives players the ability to change ballpark dimensions, wall height, foul territory and other scenery options. This feature also allows players to share and download ballparks that other players have created online. It was exclusive to the ninth generation versions of the game.

Release
For the first time in the series, the game was made available on Xbox consoles, with cross-platform compatibility between the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. It was also announced that the Xbox versions of the game would be available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers at no additional cost at release, a decision made solely by digital co-publisher MLB Advanced Media and not Sony themselves.

Baseball legend Jackie Robinson was on the cover of his namesake editions, with $1 donated to his foundation for each copy of the edition sold in the United States.

Reception
MLB The Show 21 received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to review aggregate Metacritic.

GameSpot gave the game 7/10, praising the Stadium Creator and changes to pitching but criticizing the lack of additions to Road to the Show and Franchise modes, saying, "Much like its predecessors, MLB The Show 21 is still one of the best sports games available once you step over the foul line." GamesRadar+ gave the game 4/5 stars, calling it "a solid home-run hitter, but not the baseball revolution we were hoping for on PS5 and Xbox Series X." IGN gave it 8/10, saying: "MLB The Show 21 isn't the generational leap forward we might've expected following a new console launch, but it's still the best baseball sim you can play on any platform."

Sales
In the US, MLB The Show 21 was the best-selling digital game across PlayStation and Xbox platforms for the month of April 2021. By July 18, 2021, the game had surpassed 2 million sales across all platforms, with the game reaching 4 million players.