Much like the enduring EA FC series, MLB The Show 26 made its return in March 2026. It stands as the finest baseball game available, with the developer annually building upon the previous iteration. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean MLB 26 is a great game.

This is because, over the past several years, changes to MLB have been confined to minor details. This year's release, MLB The Show 26, feels even more lacking in substance than usual, making it a tough sell for anyone except the most die-hard baseball enthusiasts.

A Lack of Innovation

MLB series isn't in the same troubled state as Madden franchise. Objectively, it remains a content-rich, enjoyable baseball game with excellent core gameplay. But the same was true last year, and the year before that saw virtually no difference from the one prior.

The visual presentation has stagnated since MLB The Show 21, with numerous animations even traceable back to PS2 era. Franchise Mode remains offline-only and is identical to its predecessor. Road to the Show is also the same as last year, aside from a few new universities to choose from.

The game introduces only minuscule tweaks and adjustments—the kind that could have been added as a free update to MLB 25. Instead, the publisher expects players to part with at least $70 for them. 

Gameplay

The gameplay foundation of MLB The Show 26 is solid. Beyond some more frequent stuttering, it feels indistinguishable from previous years, meaning the core mechanics remain dependable.

For starters, a newly added Depth of Field batting option brings a degree of fresh visual experience. This setting helps eliminate distracting visual elements in the stadium when focusing on the pitch and timing your swing, seeming like a viable option for competitive play.

Bear Down Pitching is an enhanced pitching mechanic that charges over time during a game and can be used several times per match. Activating it triggers slow motion accompanied by the audible thud of the pitcher's heartbeat.

It's an interesting realism-focused adjustment that makes crucial pitches feel momentous, offering a slight boost to your velocity and control. It also introduces a layer of strategy, as you need to decide how to allocate your Bear Down Pitching uses throughout the contest.

Big Zone Hitting is another new batting option. Essentially a more forgiving timing and placement system, it offers an alternative for players who want more involvement than "Timing Hitting" but find the standard "Zone Hitting" too challenging.

Beyond this, the experience largely mirrors what has been offered since MLB 21. It's a well-crafted baseball game that balances fun with challenge, but you could acquire a nearly identical experience with a previous MLB The Show title for far less.

Game Modes

Diamond Dynasty is MLB's Ultimate Team mode. While it's more accommodating to free players compared to most similar games, it still carries the hallmarks of a mode where financial investment can provide a competitive edge. Your MLB The Show 26 stubs largely determine your experience in this mode.

There's plenty to do within Diamond Dynasty, such as Diamond Quest board game mode introduced last year. Like much of the game, this mode is virtually unchanged from MLB 25, with the sole exception being the inclusion of World Baseball Classic.

World Baseball Classic is marketed as the headline new feature of MLB The Show 26, yet it exists solely within Diamond Dynasty. On its own merits, it's a solid addition—your team replaces a real participating nation as you compete through a tournament to earn rewards—but it would have been better served as a standalone mode.

Road to the Show remains largely identical to last year, merely offering more university choices. There's a new video at the outset showcasing your path to Cooperstown, and you'll encounter specific goals to achieve during your career. Otherwise, it's the same as last year.

Franchise Mode also sees no changes. Female players now appearing in the free agent pool is a welcome adjustment, and lineup logic and AI have been reworked, but beyond some perplexing font color alterations, you'll notice little tangible difference. If you were anticipating a leap forward for Franchise Mode this year, the wait continues.

Storylines Mode is perhaps the game's finest component. MLB series excels at authentically presenting iconic moments in baseball history through this mode.

This year, four new storylines from Negro Leagues are added, recounting chapters of baseball history you may not have heard. Each storyline features well-crafted videos and gameplay that reflects its respective era. This is the closest you'll get to experiencing genuinely new content in MLB The Show 26.

Visuals

The most glaring issue with the series is its stagnation in graphical fidelity. While titles like Madden, NBA 2K, and even PGA Tour 2K have made significant strides on current-generation consoles, MLB has remained static.

The last true graphical upgrade dates back to PS4 Pro era, when the game was enhanced to 4K HDR. Now, player models appear quite rough, with facial textures looking dated. The animations remain solid, but the overall visual presentation carries a dated, flat feel reminiscent of PS4 generation.

This year would have been the ideal opportunity for a major graphical overhaul, given how little else has changed. That didn't happen, undoubtedly adding to the overall sense of disappointment.

MLB 26 isn't a title that comes highly recommended. In isolation, it's not a bad game, but when you consider the trajectory of the series over the past decade, it becomes clear that the developer is falling short of expectations, and this installment is far from a standout effort.

With more updates, the types of PvE enemies encountered in ARC Raiders are increasing, but some classic bots remain a formidable threat, such as Rocketeer.

Flying ARCs are already difficult to deal with, but Rocketeer is one of the larger ones, and it received another buff after the release of Update 1.17.0.

You may have already found ways to defeat Rocketeer, but recently a popular strategy in the community is to use Anvil to knock it over and crash it.

To do this, you need Anvil, the weapon mod Anvil Splitter, and an Extended Barrel. This setup is also known as Rocketeer Flipper.

So, does this method really work? How do you play it? We'll show you.

Anvil, Anvil Splitter, and Extended Barrel

Anvil is a relatively cost-effective weapon among ARC Raiders Uncommon weapons. It can effectively kill enemies at mid-range using heavy ammunition, its only drawback being its slow rate of fire.

Anvil Splitter is an Anvil-specific mod that replaces the weapon's standard single-shot bullet with four weaker bullets: single-shot damage is reduced by 70%.

Extended Barrel is a general weapon mod that appropriately increases the bullet rate of fire.

Anvil can be obtained through scavenging or trading with vendors, but if you have already collected other crafting materials, you can also directly buy ARC Raiders blueprints and complete the crafting in the workshop.

Extended Barrel can also be obtained through scavenging and crafting, but Anvil Splitter can only be obtained randomly as a scavenger.

What is a Rocketeer?

This is an extremely deadly ARC enemy; more specifically, it works similarly to an anti-tank rocket launcher. After detecting a target, it fires four yellow lasers, which turn red after aligning and then launch missiles.

Even a single missile deals significant damage; if you don't find cover in time, being hit twice in succession will kill you.

Generally, the best way to deal with Rocketeer is to dodge while using weapons, especially grenades, aiming for its weak point - the thrusters.

However, the problem is that after recent updates, not only has Rocketeer become stronger, but Wolfpack, its best grenade against it, has also become much less effective.

Therefore, you might be more accustomed to using Hornet Driver, a replacement for Wolfpack, but Rocketeer Flipper strategy seems to be quietly changing this.

How to use Rocketeer Flipper strategy?

First, you must acquire Anvil and equip the two mods. Then, here's the key point: Rocketeer Flipper strategy only works when Rocketeer is in combat mode.

If it's just in normal cruising mode, with a blue search beam above its head, this tactic is completely ineffective.

This is primarily because Rocketeer's movement speed increases dramatically upon entering combat mode, and its thrusters generate a surge of power. This thrust, combined with the impact of Anvil, ultimately flips Rocketeer over.

Another crucial factor is positioning yourself directly beneath Rocketeer's thrusters and shooting upwards. This significantly increases the force on the thrusters, making it easier to flip them over.

If your shooting angle is too far to the side, the effect is minimal. This makes sense physically, as shooting from below forces all the force upwards.

In other words, the closer you are to Rocketeer's bottom thrusters and the closer your shooting angle is to vertical, the greater your chances of successfully flipping it over.

However, if the enemy is flying too high, even if you successfully flip it over, it will have enough time and space to adjust its posture, regain balance, and continue flying.

Therefore, the ideal scenario for using Rocketeer Flipper is to ensure the enemy is close enough to the ground, then shoot the thruster at a vertical angle to knock them over, causing them to land on their backs and resulting in an explosion that eliminates them.

Achieving all these prerequisites largely depends on the specific map environment and Rocketeer's spawn location.

While this tactic may be impossible in some areas due to terrain limitations, you can find suitable battlefields on most maps. Alternatively, you can use skillful movement to lure enemies into areas where the tactic is effective.

Anvil Splitter is likely the core of the loadout

After mastering the mechanics and strategies, you might wonder if there are alternatives to the three components of Rocketeer Flipper loadout.

In terms of weapons, any higher-speed option is good for dealing with flying ARCs, so Aphelion and Osprey are also viable, as are Extended Barrel.

However, the key is that only Anvil Splitter allows you to generate more projectiles, thus increasing the chance of knocking Rocketeer back; it's difficult to achieve this using Extended Barrel alone.

This is because Anvil Splitter increases the number of projectiles, essentially amplifying the knockback effect, and it's an Anvil-specific mod. Therefore, all Rocketeer Flipper components are irreplaceable unless a generic mod with similar effects to Anvil Splitter is released later.

Furthermore, you might wonder which is better: Hornet Driver or Rocketeer Flipper. If you've mastered the technique, Hornet Driver remains a good choice, but Anvil Splitter paired with Extended Barrel can speed up kills.

Even if you can't successfully flip every time, the overall success rate is relatively high, and you might inflict extra damage or even kill the enemy instantly upon flipping.

That concludes our introduction. If you're struggling to find an effective way to deal with Rocketeer, try our guide!