Sony’s MLB: The Show 26 enjoyed the franchise’s second-strongest launch since the series’ debut in 2006, per data from market research firm Circana.
MLB: The Show 26 was the top-selling game for March, and it’s already the second-highest selling game of the year behind Capcom’s Resident Evil: Requiem. It was also the bestselling game on PlayStation. It slightly outperformed MLB: The Show 2021’s sales (this was right before the COVID shutdowns of the pandemic era, which featured a number of video game sales records). One big difference: In 2021, MLB: The Show wasn’t on Nintendo platforms.
As for the “why” behind The Show’s debut, several factors are likely buoying its launch. First, it included the College World Series with 11 teams as part of the “Road to the Show” mode, a well-received addition. (My favorite new feature since the Storylines mode chronicling the Negro Leagues debut with MLB: The 23.) It also has a World Baseball Classic mode, another popular addition that’s lifting baseball sales in a number of categories outside gaming. No word yet if cover athlete Aaron Judge goosed sales.
It was also a strong debut for WWE 2K26, which launched as the No. 3 selling game of March (and also trails MLB: The Show 26 on the bestselling game of the year chart). It bodyslammed its Xbox competitors, outselling all other games in March (a platform on which The Show does not appear).
Noteworthy among other sports games, NBA 2K26 remains in the top 10 of monthly sales, coming in at No. 8, with EA Sports FC 2026 clinging to the 10th slot. It’ll be interesting to monitor FC 2026’s performance during the World Cup. While it lacks FIFA branding, major events tend to give sports games sales a lift. Madden NFL 26 finished 20th in sales.
An interesting hardware note: Nintendo’s Switch 2 is the second-fastest selling hardware platform in the U.S. going back to when Circana first started tracking sales in 1995. Through its first 10 months on the market, the Switch 2 is outselling the original Switch — one of the most popular consoles Nintendo ever made — by a 12% margin.
As always, these sales figures paint a good but incomplete picture of the market. Circana doesn’t receive sales figures for Xbox and Switch’s digital platforms, so it’s a safe bet that MLB: The Show’s debut performance is even stronger than it appears.