Everything you need to know about MLB The Show 21’s launch

MLB The Show 21 is one of the baseball series’ most important releases ever.

While this franchise is developed by Sony San Diego and has stayed PlayStation exclusive in the past, 2021 marks the first time that the series is also on Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and even Xbox Game Pass.

Whether you’re an Xbox player looking to jump into the game for the first time or a longtime PlayStation fan waiting for when you can play baseball again, this is what you need to know about the launch of MLB The Show 21.

When is the MLB The Show 21 release time?

If you bought the Jackie Robinson Edition of MLB The Show 21, you can actually already play it! That special edition gave players early access to the game a few days early, and the game has been available since 12 a.m. eastern on April 16.

If you’re just getting the standard version or waiting for MLB The Show 21 to become available on Xbox Game Pass, it will go live at 12 a.m. eastern on April 20, 2021.

What is MLB The Show 21 file size?

Even though sports games seem like relatively simple titles, MLB The Show 21 is a very big game, at least on next-gen consoles. On Xbox Series X, the game clocks in at a massive 72.42 GB. As next-gen systems only have 1 TB of memory by default, you might want to delete some other games that you aren’t playing so you have room to install MLB The Show 21.

Can I pre-load MLB The Show 21?

Yes, you can! On PlayStation, those who have pre-ordered any version of the game should have the option to pre-load it in the PlayStation Store. As mentioned, the game is already playable for some players so this isn’t much of a surprise. It’s available for pre-load on Xbox too, but not just to those who pre-order.

If you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription and go to the “coming soon” section of the website, you’ll have the option to pre-load the game. Doing so will give you the ability to play via Game Pass as soon as the game goes live on April 20.

Is MLB The Show 21 on Xbox Game Pass?

As we’ve mentioned multiple times, MLB The Show 21 will be on Xbox Game Pass despite the fact that it’s from Microsoft’s biggest rival. Inverse has reported that the Xbox Game Pass collaboration was the MLB’s decision, and they are even technically the publisher of the Xbox port on Microsoft's store.

Regardless, this groundbreaking deal just means you’ll need a Game Pass for Console or Game Pass Ultimate subscription to try out either the Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S versions of the game as soon as they go live. While the game will likely leave the service eventually, you’ll be able to buy the full game for a 20% discount as a Game Pass member.

MLB The Show 21 will be released for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on April 20.