MLB The Show 21 will be available on Xbox Game Pass as soon as it comes out

MLB The Show 21 is coming to Xbox Game Pass as soon as it launches, marking an even deeper collaboration with Microsoft for Sony's formerly exclusive baseball franchise.

Microsoft and MLB shared the announcement with a new trailer and a post on the official Xbox Wire Blog. The standard editions of both the Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions will be available with your Game Pass subscription from day one starting on April 20, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members will also be able to play on Android devices via the Xbox Cloud Gaming beta. The Show supports cross-play and cross-progression, so you'll be able to bring your progress with you and compete against your friends no matter which platform you play on.

Sony has been making its own exclusive baseball games ever since MLB '98, so it was a big surprise when MLB confirmed that MLB The Show would also come to Xbox consoles for the first time this year. MLB, Microsoft, and Sony clearly are not planning on tiptoeing into this partnership with a low-key first year.

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If you want to start playing MLB The Show even earlier while supporting a good cause, you can pick up one of the new MLB The Show 21 Jackie Robinson editions instead. On top of including certain in-and-out-of-game goodies, the special editions will let you start playing on April 16 with an exclusive early access code.

See what else is on the way with our guide to upcoming Xbox Series X games.

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.