Diamond Dynasty is widely considered one of the most extensive and rewarding card-collecting modes in any sports game. Fans of MLB The Show 25 really enjoy the mode with the current game, and it’s engaging enough that people have stuck with it year-round. However, after such a long cycle with the game, fans have various criticisms about the mode and how it can improve for MLB The Show 26. 

The power creep issue is one of the main critiques, but there are other potential problems that you only learn by playing the game for a long period. With MLB The Show 26 just around the corner, here are some key improvements we want to see with Diamond Dynasty.

Overhaul Team Affinity

Team Affinity was created to encourage themed squad-building with boosts related to specific MLB teams. But in The Show 25, there are quite a few aggravating points with this system.

One of the biggest problems with Team Affinity is the pre-locked lineups that are set a month before real-time roster changes. This makes the players feel trapped, as they are forced to grind on cards that become outdated almost instantly. The chapters are extremely long, and even dedicated grinders complain about how replacing outdated cards with powerful ones resets their progress, sometimes completely. 

If the franchise wants player satisfaction, it should focus on resetting affinities every month and adding wildcard slots for upgrades. Also, to prevent the grind from becoming boring, the game could introduce boosts that scale with performance or affinity-specific events. 

Cut The Offline Grind And Supercharge Online Rewards

The game’s structure puts players who have limited time on their hands at a constant disadvantage. Despite its fascinating elements, it suffers from inconsistent rewards and unlucky pulls that do not validate the investment. 

In order to stay in the competition, you have to complete lengthy Conquest maps and Mini Seasons. This often requires you to play 50+ games just for one usable diamond card. 

The online play has comparatively slow progression, and offline modes often feel insufficient in terms of scaling. This balance of power between players who don’t spend money and those who buy stubs is quite strange. To prioritize skill above all else, player progression needs to tie itself to online wins rather than total games played. 

Stability And Balance Improvements

There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to overall gameplay and network stability. Major community complaints consist of frequent disconnects, mid-game freezes, and “DD not loading” errors. Every game can have unexpected glitches; that’s fair. But the real problem with MLB The Show 25 was that hotfixes arrived weeks later from when the issue occurred. This is extremely problematic for a game that is built around quick matches and events. 

Another crucial topic is overpowered 99-rated cards being released too early, which makes later progression make no sense. If you feel the game is too easy for you and want to play on greater difficulties, there are other problems. Perfect inputs often result in weak contact, while somehow, late swings produce home runs. 

MLB The Show 26 needs quick patches, a focus on prioritizing servers, and better overall netcode. To control the meta, early-game cards need a lower overall rating to balance the power curve. 

Publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment and developer San Diego Studio have announced MLB The Show Mobile. It is currently available now but via a limited release in the Philippines for iOS and Android. A preview trailer for the game was also released. The game is “a new standalone experience built from the ground up to deliver realistic baseball gameplay on mobile devices.”

The game’s details:

Step up to the plate and swing for the fences in MLB The Show Mobile. Loaded with all-time greats, new fast-paced game modes designed for mobile, and non-stop action, the most authentic, officially licensed MLB and MLBPI baseball experience is now in the palm of your hand!

Collect. Build. Dominate. Collect more than a thousand player cards and stack your dream team with today’s superstars and historic legends like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Ken Griffey Jr. Put your skills to the test and prove you’ve got what it takes to rule the diamond!

 

Key Features

Realistic Batting, Pitching, and Fielding
Hit a grand slam, strike out the side, and turn the perfect double play—MLB The Show Mobile gives you full control of the diamond!
Skill-based controls are easy to learn, but challenging to master—your inputs determine whether you hit a home run or whiff it for a strikeout
Whether stealing 2nd base or diving for a catch, YOU decide what happens in every play!
New “Risk It” feature lets you control runners in real-time

 

The Ultimate Sports Game Experience
Built from the ground up for mobile: the most detailed and realistic way to play on the go
Compete with true-to-life versions of your favorite MLB heroes!
Immerse yourself in the action with incredible graphics and more than 16,000 unique animations!
Play in all 30 real MLB stadiums!
Feel the depth in every mechanic whether you’re pitching, batting, or fielding

 

Strategize With the New Momentum System
Each player card has a Momentum Cost—start innings with 10 Momentum and spend it strategically to dominate the competition!
Maintain Momentum through performance—keep the hits coming, or run out of Momentum and risk a power drop
Player stats are paired with unique abilities, unlocking endless strategic choices!
Pick your batters and pitchers in real time—don’t just set your lineup, choose the right slugger for the situation and come through in the clutch!

 

Build the Perfect Squad
Collect big-league stars past and present to build your ultimate roster!
Fill your bullpen with aces, stack your bench and make your lineup explosive with a growing list of more than 1,100 player cards to collect
Earn XP, upgrade players, and craft attribute bonuses to perfect your collection
Buy and sell cards directly with other players in the Marketplace!

Play New Game Modes
Dominate your rivals in best-of-three player-versus-player matchups featuring an expanding list of quick new modes designed for mobile
Experience the most iconic MLB Moments and relive baseball history
Unlock rewards through wins, daily challenges, limited-time events and the Show Pass!

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The post MLB The Show Mobile Announced for Mobile Devices appeared first on Gaming Instincts - Next-Generation of Video Game Journalism.

Sony and San Diego Studio are bringing MLB The Show to iOS and Android devices with MLB The Show Mobile. Published by Sony and developed by San Diego Studios, it's already available, though only in the Philippines. It's getting a limited regional release to start, and will roll out globally as development on the game expands. The free-to-play mobile game will be "a new standalone experience built from the ground up to deliver realistic baseball gameplay on mobile devices," according to the game's website. If you're keen to swing for the fences with MLB The Show Mobile but you don't […]

Read full article at https://wccftech.com/mlb-the-show-mobile-announced-sony-san-diego-studios/

Sony San Diego has announced MLB The Show mobile, a free-to-play baseball game that allows you to take the sport on the go.

The post MLB The Show Mobile Announced By Sony appeared first on Insider Gaming.

Sony and San Diego Studio are officially expanding the MLB The Show franchise to mobile devices with the launch of MLB The Show Mobile. However, The Show Mobile website lists that the game is currently under a limited regional release. Right now, only people in the Philippines can download and play it. We’re unsure how long this soft launch will last, and the website also states that they don’t have a timeline for expanding availability to more regions.

We also know that this is a standalone title that is exclusive to iOS and Android, meaning there won’t be cross-play with console versions. For iOS, the website recommends an iPhone 11/iPhone SE 2nd Gen or above (iOS 26 is required), and the Android requirements list a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 as the minimum processor, while recommending 8GB of RAM and the Android 12 operating system.

What To Expect From MLB The Show Mobile

While they’re not calling it as such, the studio’s own website indicates that this phase is effectively a public beta. According to the official website, most player progress and content will be wiped before the global release, including unopened packs and earned player items. Purchased Stubs are the only exception, and any bought-but-unopened packs will be converted into a special currency for a “Loyalty Shop” once the full game arrives.

The studio also describes the game as a “new standalone experience built from the ground up”, indicating that this is not a scaled-down port of the console editions. Hopefully, it’s a better showing than the WWE 2K25 Netflix Edition. The game will feature touch-friendly batting, pitching, and fielding mechanics, along with a full roster of MLB teams, stadiums, and modern and historic players.

Generally, mobile ports of such sports games often focus on bite-sized gameplay: quick PvP matches, daily challenges, and event modes. The developers confirm that this is the case with MLB The Show Mobile.

Since its inception in 2006, the MLB The Show IP has been a console staple for PlayStation consoles. Eventually, it also expanded to Xbox and Nintendo platforms, but this is the franchise’s first foray into mobile platforms. This is the first true attempt to translate the simulation-style DNA into a phone-friendly form.

Core gameplay similarities, like familiar batting timings, realistic stadiums, and licensed rosters, remain. However, it will be quite difficult to match the depth of its console counterpart. When the full global release eventually arrives, we might see the game positioned closer to FC Mobile or NBA 2K Mobile —fast-paced and driven by card-collecting systems.

Switch-hitters have taken over almost every Ranked match, and it feels no less than a pandemic in MLB The Show 25’s Diamond Dynasty mode. The online meta is a mess with the same lineup of switch hitters ready to mess with any matchup you try to set up. 

As a pitcher, it seems kinda pointless to worry about matchups anymore because rivals simply wipe out any platoon advantage when the next guy walks up to the plate. So, if you’re not stacking the lineup with players that can bat from both sides, you’re basically playing on hard mode. 

It’s a balancing issue that needs to be addressed, and that’s exactly what we’ll be discussing today.

Switch-Hitters Are Over-Represented in Diamond Dynasty

Switch-hitters are the bread and butter for easy pickings, and currently, most competitive squads are built around them in Diamond Dynasty. Revolving the game around switch-hitters really pulls the fun out of the game, especially for those who care about their card collections. 

Those classic one-sided hitters are turning stale these days, and loading the lineup with switch-hitters has become the norm. Such a formation, rather, contrasts with real baseball play, where you rarely see more than two or three of those versatile hitters in a squad.

The Real Culprit: Meta Design & PCI Shrink

If we hunt for the real culprit, it’s the PCI shrink on outside sliders, and breaking balls against same-handed hitters is way too severe. The game punishes you the second you put a right-sided bat to a right-sided pitcher, or vice versa. 

Your PCI, the sweet spot for hitting shrinks down, especially on those low and away pitches everyone loves to spam. At that point, you’ll often find yourself reacting instead of actually competing.

So now, the path to winning seems to be the one with a loaded lineup of switch-hitters. It’s not even a smart “meta” anymore; it’s the only real way to keep up. It feels like SDS overstated their balance changes after all the home runs people were blasting on tough pitches. However, one-sided hitters are almost unplayable. Now, if your player can’t play both sides, you might as well bench him. 

Let’s be honest, that’s not how it’s supposed to work, and the community consensus is essentially the same — nobody ikes the current state of the PCI shrinkage.

How Can SDS Actually Balance This?

To work on the current sad state of Switch-Hitters in MLB: The Show, here’s what we can expect from SDS:

SDS needs to stop shrinking the PCI so much. They should dial it back, especially on those outside pitches when you’re matched up against same-handed batters. Let single-sided hitters have their moment if balance is the goal.

Real baseball doesn’t necessarily limit switch-hitters, but what we see in The Show’s meta is much more extreme than reality. To fix that, SDS could set a cap on switch-hitters and try to limit their usage in Diamond Dynasty.

One-sided hand stars shouldn’t be left rotting either. SDS may add quirks or clutch bonuses, so they can remain reliable matchups. In essence, when legendary righties and lefties start pulling in clutch moments, people will start playing them again.

What’s Next

What we need from SDS is an effective rework. Until same-handed matchups keep getting punished, we’ll keep seeing the same switch-hitter lineup in every ranked match. I mean, Diamond Dynasty doesn’t even feel like the real baseball experience anymore. 

SDS needs to tone it down by holding back those high-end switch hitters. It’s time for a real rebalance.