MLB The Show 21 was released in April 2021 and expanded its borders by releasing on Xbox consoles for the first time in the franchise's history. Moreover, the game was instantly included as part of Microsoft's Game Pass service, which helped give the game a huge increase in player-base. It is believed that the game's inclusion on Game Pass is an attempt by MLB to gain further interest in their league, particularly in Europe, where the sport isn't prevalent.

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The wave of new players experiencing an MLB The Show game for the first time will undoubtedly spark an increase in attention for other baseball video games. For anyone who is looking for some of the best baseball games to play outside of the MLB The Show series, here are ten great options.

10 Wii Sports

Batting in Wii Sports

Wii Sports may seem like an odd choice for this list, provided that it's just a collection of mini-games, though it's hard to deny that its simple yet addictive gameplay can be a great introduction to the sport of baseball.

Nintendo's Wii Sports has a case for being one the most important launch titles of all time. Although its individual quality doesn't match up to Super Mario World or Halo: Combat Evolved, the game instantly proved the Wii's motion controls weren't just a gimmick and would be a huge hit with gaming's causal audience.

9 The Bigs 2

Batting in The Bigs 2

From one game that doesn't take baseball too seriously to another, The Bigs 2 follows its predecessor's lead by offering over-the-top action that has a clear goal in delivering fun over realism.

Blue Castle Games' The Bigs 2 is presented as a realistic sports title at first, though the gameplay mechanics will soon start throwing a few curveballs. Along with unique catching mechanics to keep players on their toes, the game offers a new "Big Slam" mechanic where four batters will step up consecutively with the chance of making huge plays if players can make any contact with the ball.

8 Bases Loaded

Pitching in Bases Loaded

Retro sports game Bases Loaded was originally released in arcades back in 1987, before coming to the Nintendo Entertainment System shortly after. Despite releasing on limited hardware, Bases Loaded was showered with praise for its realism upon release, particularly with its camera angles that were reminiscent of a television broadcast.

The game was published by Jaleco, who released many other sporting titles in the late '80s, including Hoops, Goal!, and Racket Attack.

7 MLB SlugFest 2004

Title art fro MLB Slugfest 2004

MLB SlugFest 2004 was released in 2003 by Midway Games, the same company that provided players with the NFL Blitz series. The latter is known for highlighting some of the NFL's dark sides, such as brutal injuries and drug usage.

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SlugFest 2004 takes a similar approach, implementing violent themes into the game. Consequently, the game is far from being the most immersive on the market, and the gameplay mechanics aren't the strongest. However, SlugFest 2004 earns a spot purely for the nonsensical fun that it provides.

6 Backyard Baseball

Batting in Backyard Baseball

One of the great things about baseball is that people can play it almost anywhere, provided they have a bat, a ball, a bit of space, and an escape plan in case the ball goes through someone's window. As the name suggests, the Backyard Baseball series encapsulates this by letting players relive the childhood joys of playing in the backyard with friends.

Along with its unique character designs, Backyard Baseball is remembered for Pablo Sanchez, who is still considered to be one of the most overpowered video game characters in history.

5 Baseball Stars

Batting in Baseball Stars

Much like the aforementioned Bases Loaded, Baseball Stars is a retro sports game from the late '80s that is still thoroughly enjoyable to play today. Another similarity to Bases Loaded is that Baseball Stars hit arcades shortly before releasing on the NES. The game's initial release was significant, as it was the first two-player baseball game ever released in arcades.

To ensure that Baseball Stars kept its reputation for innovation going, it released on the NES with battery backup, becoming the first sports game to do so on the console.

4 The Out of the Park Baseball Series

Statistical look at the pitch

The Out of the Park Baseball series is similar to the Football Manager series in the sense that it lets gamers immersive themselves in the world of sports from a management perspective, rather than letting them control players in-game like most sporting titles.

Like with many yearly sports releases, it isn't easy to pinpoint one OOTP Baseball game to play, as many of them offer a very similar experience. When judging the games by their reception from critics, Out of the Park Baseball 2007 is the best option, as the game received a whopping Metascore of 96.

3 All-Star Baseball '99

Batting in All Star Baseball 99

All-Star Baseball '99 was released in 1998 on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy. Although the Game Boy release provided a decent handheld experience, it's the N64 iteration that makes this list.

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Developed by Iguana Entertainment, the N64 version impressed fans and critics with its graphics and visuals, which looked incredible for the time and set a high standard for all sports games to follow. Granted, the visuals are unspectacular today, though the well-designed gameplay mechanics still hold up.

2 R.B.I. Baseball

Batting in R.B.I. Baseball

R.B.I. Baseball is one of the oldest baseball games, with an initial release date of September 1987. The game immediately stood out from the competition, as it was the first baseball title released on home consoles that was licensed to use real player names from the Major League Baseball Players Association.

The R.B.I. Baseball franchise's initial run lasted until 1995, with eight games releasing in total up until that point. Then, in 2014, the series was rebooted to compete with the MLB The Show franchise, though the series is struggling to reach the same level of commercial success.

1 MVP Baseball 2005

Batting in MVP Baseball 2005

Electronic Arts may be one of the most controversial names on the sports side of the gaming industry, but it's hard to deny that they've released some of the best sports games of all time. One such game is MVP Baseball 2005, which is considered by many to be the sport's greatest gaming release. Among the game's many fantastic features is its wide range of gameplay modes, such as Dynasty Mode, Owner Mode, and Scenario Editor.

The critical and commercial success that MVP Baseball 2005 received opened the door for numerous sequels. However, EA lost licensing for the MLB after the game's release, making it the last entry in the series.

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