MLB The Show 26 Release Date and Pre-Order Details

It's officially pre-release season for MLB The Show 26!

Winter isn't quite over, but as we near the beginning of spring and the 2026 World Baseball Classic kicking off - we have our first official juicy information on this year's game.

MLB The Show 26 Cover Athlete

New York Yankees' superstar Aaron Judge returns as cover athlete for MLB The Show 26. The cover is a pretty clean white design, that features Judge in Yankees' threads, Team USA colors, as well as highlighting his high school and college roots.

Judge was originally a cover athlete in 2018 and joins Joe Mauer (2010 and 2011) as the only repeat cover athletes in MLB The Show history.

MLB The Show 26 Release Date

MLB The Show 26 officially releases on March 17, 2026 and will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Those purchasing the Digital Deluxe Edition get Early Access 4-days before the standard release, with Early Access officially beginning at midnight on March 13, 2026.

MLB The Show 26 Pre-Order Details

Pre-orders go live on February 3, 2026 on all platforms and at participating retailers.

You can also pre-order directly from TheShow.com.

The notable pre-order perks are in-line with previous years.

The Standard Edition offers a Gold Choice Pack and 5 standard Show packs with pre-order.

In addition to the 4-day Early Access, Digital Deluxe pre-orders come with:

• 20 Show packs
• 2 WBC Choice Packs
• 1 Legend Choice Pack
• 1 WBC Uniform Pack
• 1 Equipment Pack
• Double Daily Rewards
• 1 Cover Athlete Bat Skin Pack
• 20,000 Stubs

For dedicated Diamond Dynasty players, this is a nice little head start in terms of content. We'll obviously have some time to wait until we learn the options in the respective choice packs, but presumably a minimum of 3 Diamonds are had with pre-orders.

Finally, for the first time ever, a loyalty discount is being offered to anyone that previously purchased an MLB The Show title since MLB The Show 21.

The loyalty discount amounts to 10% off Digital Deluxe Edition pre-orders and should be live once pre-orders open. Make sure you're signed into the same account used to purchase any of the previous games. Official information states the discount will automatically be applied and reflected in your cart.

Stay tuned to ShowZone for everything MLB The Show 26! We'll have all the latest news and tidbits with our own unique commentary.

Here's to a new season of baseball!