San Diego Studio hasn't announced MLB The Show 27 yet. No release date, no cover athlete, no editions. But SDS has run the same launch playbook for six straight years, so we already have a good idea of when each piece of news will land and what it will probably say.
This page keeps the confirmed facts and our projections clearly separate. Anything marked as an estimate is our read of past release cycles, not an announcement. We'll update this article as soon as SDS confirms each detail.
Last updated: October 6, 2026.
MLB The Show 27 Quick Facts
| Detail | Status |
|---|---|
| Release date | Not announced yet. Our estimate: Tuesday, March 16, 2027 |
| Early access | Not announced yet. Our estimate: Friday, March 12, 2027 (4 days early) |
| Cover athlete | Not announced yet. Expected reveal: late January 2027 |
| Editions | Not announced yet. Expected: Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition |
| Platforms | Not announced yet. MLB The Show 26 is on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch |
| Price | Not announced yet. MLB The Show 26 was $69.99 Standard (PS5/Xbox) and $99.99 Digital Deluxe |
| Pre-orders | Not announced yet. Expected: late January to early February 2027 |
Every estimate above is based on the last six releases (MLB The Show 21 through 26). None of it is confirmed.
When Will MLB The Show 27 Come Out?
There's no official date yet. Based on the last six games, we expect MLB The Show 27 to release on Tuesday, March 16, 2027, with early access on Friday, March 12, 2027. That is our projection, not an announcement.
Here's the history that projection is built on.
| Game | Standard release | Early access | Release date announced |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLB The Show 21 | Tuesday, April 20, 2021 | Friday, April 16, 2021 | February 1, 2021 |
| MLB The Show 22 | Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | Friday, April 1, 2022 | January 31, 2022 |
| MLB The Show 23 | Tuesday, March 28, 2023 | Friday, March 24, 2023 | January 30, 2023 |
| MLB The Show 24 | Tuesday, March 19, 2024 | Friday, March 15, 2024 | January 30, 2024 |
| MLB The Show 25 | Tuesday, March 18, 2025 | Friday, March 14, 2025 | January 28, 2025 |
| MLB The Show 26 | Tuesday, March 17, 2026 | Friday, March 13, 2026 | January 27, 2026 |
Sources: official announcements on theshow.com, the PlayStation Blog and Xbox Wire for each year.
Three patterns stand out:
- Always a Tuesday. Every standard release since MLB The Show 21 has landed on a Tuesday.
- The date keeps creeping earlier. After two April launches, the game moved to late March in 2023 and has landed on the third Tuesday of March for three straight years (March 19, March 18, March 17).
- The date comes with the cover. SDS has announced the release date in the same post as the cover athlete every year since 21.
The third Tuesday of March 2027 is March 16. If SDS sticks to the pattern, that's launch day, and early access opens the Friday before.
One wildcard: the MLB labor situation
MLB's collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, 2026, and a lockout is widely expected if no new deal is in place (MLB Trade Rumors, Yahoo Sports).
The last lockout ran from December 2021 into March 2022, and MLB The Show 22 still shipped on April 5, 2022, with Shohei Ohtani on the cover. SDS never linked that date to the lockout, and MLB The Show 21 also launched in April with no lockout, so we treat 2022 as context, not a cause. We'll treat a March 2027 launch as the baseline until SDS says otherwise.
What Time Does MLB The Show 27 Come Out?
The unlock time hasn't been announced. In recent years, SDS has unlocked the game at midnight Eastern / 9 PM Pacific the night before.
For MLB The Show 26, SDS confirmed early access started "March 13th at 12 AM ET (March 12th at 9 PM PT)" (theshow.com). MLB The Show 25 followed the same schedule: early access at midnight ET on March 14, 2025, and the standard edition at midnight ET on March 18, 2025 (our MLB The Show 25 guide).
If SDS keeps both the dates and the midnight ET unlock, here's when you'd be able to play. These are projected times, not announced ones.
| Time zone | Early access (projected) | Standard release (projected) |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific (PT) | Thursday, March 11, 9 PM | Monday, March 15, 9 PM |
| Mountain (MT) | Thursday, March 11, 10 PM | Monday, March 15, 10 PM |
| Central (CT) | Thursday, March 11, 11 PM | Monday, March 15, 11 PM |
| Eastern (ET) | Friday, March 12, 12 AM | Tuesday, March 16, 12 AM |
| UK (converted from ET) | Friday, March 12, 5 AM | Tuesday, March 16, 4 AM |
One thing to watch: US clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 14, 2027, in the middle of the projected early access window. That's why the UK times differ between the two columns. The US times are unaffected since they move together.
SDS has said early access is available globally, but its launch posts only list US times, like the MLB The Show 26 post quoted above. The UK row is a straight conversion of midnight ET, not an announced UK unlock time, and it only holds if the game unlocks at the same moment worldwide.
How long is early access?
Four days, every year since MLB The Show 21. Early access has always opened on the Friday before a Tuesday launch.
What has changed is who gets it. In MLB The Show 21 through 24, several premium editions included early access, including the Jackie Robinson, MVP, Captain and Negro Leagues editions. In MLB The Show 25 and 26, early access came only with the Digital Deluxe Edition. Expect the same for 27, but that's an expectation until SDS confirms it.
MLB The Show 27 Cover Athlete
MLB The Show 27 cover athlete: Not announced yet.
SDS has revealed the cover between January 27 and February 1 for six straight years, so expect news in the last week of January 2027.
| Game | Cover athlete | Revealed |
|---|---|---|
| MLB The Show 21 | Fernando Tatis Jr. (Jackie Robinson on Collector's Editions) | February 1, 2021 |
| MLB The Show 22 | Shohei Ohtani | January 31, 2022 |
| MLB The Show 23 | Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Derek Jeter on The Captain Edition) | January 30, 2023 |
| MLB The Show 24 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. | January 30, 2024 |
| MLB The Show 25 | Paul Skenes, Elly De La Cruz and Gunnar Henderson | January 28, 2025 |
| MLB The Show 26 | Aaron Judge | January 27, 2026 |
Sources: PlayStation Blog (21), PlayStation Blog (22), PlayStation Blog (23), theshow.com (24), theshow.com (25), theshow.com (26).
A few notes on the history. MLB The Show 25 was the first game in the series with multiple athletes on one cover. Judge's return for 26 made him a two-time cover athlete after MLB The Show 18. Collector's Edition covers have featured legends (Jackie Robinson, Derek Jeter), but SDS has gone with one standard edition and one Digital Deluxe for the last two years.
You can browse cover athlete cards from past games on our Cover Athletes card series page.
MLB The Show 27 Editions and Pre-Order Bonuses
MLB The Show 27 editions, prices and pre-order bonuses: Not announced yet.
Here's what SDS has offered in past years.
| Game | Editions | Price (USD) |
|---|---|---|
| MLB The Show 21 | Standard, Jackie Robinson Edition, Jackie Robinson Deluxe Edition, Digital Deluxe | $59.99 PS4/Xbox One, $69.99 PS5/Series X/S; Jackie Robinson $84.99; Digital Deluxe $99.99 |
| MLB The Show 22 | Standard, MVP Edition, Digital Deluxe | $59.99 last gen and Switch, $69.99 current gen; MVP $84.99; Digital Deluxe $99.99 |
| MLB The Show 23 | Standard, The Captain Edition, Digital Deluxe | $59.99 PS4, $69.99 PS5; Captain $99.99; Digital Deluxe $99.99 |
| MLB The Show 24 | Standard, MVP Edition, Digital Deluxe, Negro Leagues Edition | $59.99 PS4, $69.99 PS5; MVP $84.99; Digital Deluxe $99.99; Negro Leagues $124.99 |
| MLB The Show 25 | Standard, Digital Deluxe | $69.99 Standard; $99.99 Digital Deluxe |
| MLB The Show 26 | Standard, Digital Deluxe | $69.99 PS5/Xbox, $59.99 Switch; Digital Deluxe $99.99 ($89.99 with loyalty discount) |
Sources: PlayStation Blog and Xbox Wire (21), PlayStation Blog (22), theshow.com (23), PlayStation Blog (24), Microsoft Store (25), Operation Sports (26).
What to expect
Based on the last two years, we expect two editions: a Standard Edition and a Digital Deluxe Edition, with four days of early access only in the Deluxe. We'd also expect the Standard Edition to stay at $69.99 on PS5 and Xbox. Both are expectations, not announcements.
For reference, here's what MLB The Show 26 pre-orders included (our breakdown):
- Standard Edition pre-order: a Gold Choice Pack and 5 The Show Packs.
- Digital Deluxe Edition: 4-day early access, 20 The Show Packs, 2 WBC Choice Packs, 1 Legend Choice Pack, a WBC Uniform Pack, an Equipment Pack, Double Daily Rewards, a Cover Athlete Bat Skin Pack and 20,000 Stubs.
MLB The Show 26 also introduced a 10% loyalty discount on Digital Deluxe pre-orders for anyone who'd bought a previous game since MLB The Show 21. Whether it returns for 27 hasn't been announced yet.
When do pre-orders open?
Pre-orders have opened within about a week of the cover reveal every year we have dates for. In 26 they opened on February 3, 2026, one week after the reveal. In 25, February 4, 2025. In 24, pre-orders were already live on reveal day. In 23, February 6, 2023. Expect MLB The Show 27 pre-orders in late January or early February 2027.
MLB The Show 27 Platforms
MLB The Show 27 platforms: Not announced yet.
MLB The Show 26 is on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch. MLB The Show 25 was the first game to drop PS4 and Xbox One after four years on both generations (theshow.com). We don't expect last-gen consoles to come back. Whether MLB The Show 27 gets a native Nintendo Switch 2 version is one of the bigger open questions.
What We'll Be Tracking
We'll update this page as SDS confirms each of these:
- Official release date and early access date
- Exact unlock times, including worldwide times
- Cover athlete (or athletes) and any special edition covers
- Editions, prices and pre-order bonuses, including the Deluxe choice packs
- Pre-order open date and whether the loyalty discount returns
- Platforms, including Nintendo Switch 2
- Whether Diamond Dynasty progress or content carries over in any form
- The first trailer and Feature Premiere schedule
Get Ready for MLB The Show 27
This article will be updated as news drops. Until then, there's still a full offseason of MLB The Show 26 to play.
- Look up any card, ratings and prices on our player database.
- Build and save lineups with the Team Builder.
- Grab free rewards from the latest MLB The Show codes.
- See every cover athlete card on the Cover Athletes series page.
