Launch day for any MLB The Show game should be a celebration. At least, it is in my household! So you can imagine the frustration that set in upon launching MLB The Show 26 yesterday, only to find the servers in absolute disarray.

In the late afternoon on Tuesday, server issues with MLB The Show 26 began to surface, causing players to struggle to connect to online modes like Diamond Dynasty. Even navigating the menus became a war of attrition, as much of the game’s UI became stuck in a loading loop that wouldn’t end unless you were willing to close the game and start all over. And even then, there were no guarantees that it would work upon restarting.

Predictably, the player base was none too pleased and made their voices heard on the issue.

MLB The Show 26’s Launch Is Marred By Server Issues

Server maintenance is scheduled for 3/18/26 at 4 AM PT.

Please complete all games prior to that time.

Thank you.

— MLB The Show (@MLBTheShow) March 18, 2026

It should be noted that MLB The Show 26 had server issues that weren’t limited to its full launch day on Tuesday — players during its early access period over the weekend also reported issues. However, the game was launched in full for all players on Tuesday, and that’s when the lion’s share of the players started experiencing issues with connecting to the game’s servers.

Many complained that they couldn’t open the game. Others reported that they were in the middle of a ranked Diamond Dynasty game, only to be disconnected and handed a loss as a result. Overall, it was a complete mess.

Developer San Diego Studio would later take to social media, announcing that MLB The Show 26 would be shut down temporarily at 4 AM PT (7 AM EST) for server maintenance. As of now, the game is back up and running. But even with the issues seemingly in the rearview, much of the community is still dissatisfied.

Even when the game is running as intended, many feel the menus — which received an overhaul this year — are too slow to load and difficult to navigate. Even tasks as innocuous as adjusting a lineup were noted as taking forever.

To be completely fair, it can be argued that from a gameplay perspective, MLB The Show 26 is a worthy entry into the series. However, from a UI standpoint, things have honestly never been worse. Even I, a Show veteran, have struggled to navigate the new menus due to its odd design choices, and the fact that it’s barely functional doesn’t help either.

SDS will have its hands full in the coming weeks. If players are struggling just to navigate the game, can they really be expected to dive deeper into it? There has already been criticism that SDS didn’t add enough to justify paying full price. Hopefully, this is just a minor speed bump in what could be a strong game cycle. But if these issues extend beyond launch, there will be serious problems moving forward.