Since 2024, I have averaged 1.5 trips to Japan per year. My wife and I love visiting the country, and we have a lot more to discover. One activity I want to experience is attending a Nippon Professional Baseball match. It doesn’t matter which city or which teams; I want to take in the atmosphere. So, while I haven’t been able to watch the sport live, I’ve got the next best thing. Konami recently released eBaseball Pro Spirit 2026 to English audiences. I had heard great things about the series in the past. I played their MLB mobile game last year, and this year’s console game has exceeded my expectations. Not only is it a great sports game, but it has the potential to get more people into the NPB.
Japanese Baseball at its finest
For starters, this is not a bare-bones package. Earlier in the year, Konami dropped a free-to-play baseball game, based on Pro Spirit. The two games use the same launcher, so you can try it out. I didn’t play that version, but from what I can recall, it uses the same engine. What it lacks is most of the customization and content from the main game. With Pro Spirit 2026, we get almost every single mode that Asian players have enjoyed for years.
The only omission is anything related to the World Baseball Classic. Sony acquired the North American/English rights, so if you wanted to relive that content, you’re out of luck. But other than that, everything is here. Sure, this is a Japan-focused baseball game, but that doesn’t take away from the amount of depth this has on offer. If you have an NPL team you support or are curious about the league, the game’s season mode is where you’ll start. Otherwise, you’ll likely play the Star Player, or Hakkyu No Kitseki.
Since launch, I’ve tried out everything the game has to offer. But I’ve spent the most time with Season, Star Player, and Hakkyu No Kitseki. Season mode is what you’d expect in a sports game. Pick a team from the 12 available NPB clubs and try to lead them to the title. There is a lot of customization options available. You can adjust the leagues and even decide how to play each game. I haven’t gone through a full season yet, but I’m still enjoying what the mode has to offer.
Becoming an NPB star
Star Player is your custom player mode. Like other sports games, they give you a few starting points. You can start as early as high school or take control of a seasoned player. You also have a middle option, which starts you out of school but not quite experienced. Each has its own starting point with stats. So while a high school player will have lower stats to start, they have more growth potential. Meanwhile, the seasoned player begins with higher stats, but is less likely to grow.
The mode has a lot of RPG elements to it. When you’re not playing in games, you’re managing your career. You have relationships that you need to maintain, which factor into your success. In my career mode, I’m currently playing on the farm team. Because of that, I’m trying to get on the good side of the manager. Increasing our friendship increases my chances of getting called up to the main team.
On the diamond, I’ve decided to let the CPU handle the defense, leaving me to manage my plate appearances. Currently, I’m sitting with a .330 batting average, which seems fine. The only downside is that I’m not producing much scoring. I’m also at the bottom of the batting order, so my role is to get on base rather than improving my RBI stats. But I’m having a ton of fun, and I can see myself called back to Osaka to join the Orix Buffaloes.
Taking a high school team to glory
The mode I’m spending the most time with is Hakkyu No Kitseki. Here, you become a coach of a high school team. You can create a school from any prefecture in Japan, and then customize your team to your heart’s content. This mode focuses more on managing than playing. This isn’t you playing as a potential high school phenom. Instead, you’re hoping to build a team that wins Japan High School glory.
There are many aspects to this mode. Each week, as the manager, you will determine the training schedule. Activities can range from basic training exercises to setting up intra-squad matches. You can also schedule friendly matches against other schools to gain valuable experience. While the goal is to become Japan’s high school baseball champs, getting there will be a challenge. Like Star Player, the RPG elements are on full display. So for someone like me who loves RPGs, these decisions are fun to engage with.
Because of my lack of experience with the series, the first year in the mode was a struggle. For starters, there are only a few matches in your first year as a coach. Most organized sports in North America are league-based, especially school sports. So, that means you play a handful of games on a schedule before participating in a tournament. Here, there is no league structure. There are two Prefecture tournaments: one in the spring and another in the fall. It’s single elimination, so one loss and you’re done. Because of your team’s low rating early on, I was losing the first game and having nothing to play for weeks.
Challenging, but a good place to start
The more time I’ve put into the mode, the better I’ve been getting. Our school started winning matches. We recently reached the Semifinals of the Fall 2027 Prefecture Tournament. We lost to a much stronger team, but our run was impressive. If you are new to the series, Hakkyu No Kitseki is a good place to start learning the game. Because of the skill gap, it’s easier to learn the game’s hitting and pitching. On the flip side, because these are novice players, stuff like fielding is tougher. That means you tend to give up more runs. I do appreciate that it’s forcing me to develop my squad to be better on defense.
I’ve become invested in my role as manager of my fictional Yokohama High School. The player development is a lot of fun. I’m targeting my first- and second-year players. Since they’ll be on the squad longer, I have a better chance of helping them grow.
There doesn’t seem to be a penalty for poor play. We lost a lot of matches in our first season and a half. If this were more strict, I’d be out of a job. We still haven’t earned the invitations to the major tournaments. But a few more strong runs in the Prefecture Tournaments and an invite is sure to follow.
Fantastic gameplay, top to bottom
Since this is my first experience with the Pro Spirit franchise, I can’t compare this to previous games. Looking at it on its own, I’ve loved almost every aspect of the game. It helps that the NPB only contains 12 teams across its two leagues. Because of the smaller roster size, the devs can put more attention into many aspects of the game.
I’ve already mentioned this, but the pitching and hitting are both easy to grasp and offer a lot of depth. For pitching, the game does a good job of indicating a pitch’s speed and effectiveness. I’m using the timing method for pitch delivery, and it’s very easy to understand. On the game’s normal difficulty, I’ve been able to get 6-10 Ks with my starting pitcher.
Meanwhile, the hitting is a blast. I’m still not hitting dingers, but I have been able to read the pitches better than I have in past years with The Show. I notice that I still swing at my first or second pitch, while the CPU will go at least four or five pitches into an at-bat.
In season mode, I want to start simulating matches to get through the season faster. The only downside is that, while this does have a few play options, I wish there were a quick-play one. In The Show, you can have an accelerated match. Meaning every at-bat has you start at a 2-1 pitch count, so you can go through a bit faster. This doesn’t have that (or at least I can’t find that option), so a full match can take around 30 minutes to complete.
Good presentation, but it has its limitations
The only downside I had with the game is in some of its presentation. For Japanese players, these are common design choices, but some might not enjoy it. While I love Hakkyu No Kitseki, the mode is very text-heavy. Everything is still images, so all interactions are a screen featuring a character. I’d love for there to be more Japanese dialogue to keep with the immersion. There is a lot here, so that isn’t where they want to focus their resources.
Also, while the English commentary is fine, it’s also very limited. If you’re new to NPB, the sole English announcer doesn’t go into a lot of depth on the broadcast. He doesn’t explain historical events or make references to a player’s career in the league. This feels like a last-minute inclusion. Again, he’s not bad, but I was wanting more. Instead, I’ve gone with the Japanese commentary. There are a few broadcast teams, and they have proper banter. Yes, I don’t understand them, but it feels more authentic. I would love a subtitle option for the Japanese commentary, but I guess that’s asking for too much.
They are also doing a great job of including in-season content. There are regular updates, especially with the 2026 happening as we speak. I also like that they have a highlight mode. Here, you can relive or change moments from the real season. If you don’t have a team you support, this is a great way to learn about the different teams. This is a great way to find one that clicks with you.
Hope this is the start of something bigger
I have no idea if this is the start of more Konami baseball games, or a one-and-done thing. Konami has a solid mobile MLB game, so they may be looking to get the license to compete with The Show. I’m loving eBaseball Pro Spirit 2026, and I’m hoping we get future releases in the West. At the same time, I hope the NPB is taking notice of the game’s potential success and looking at ways to build on it.
