You’re up by two in the bottom of the ninth. The bases are loaded, the crowd is deafening, and you just painted the corner with a 102-mph heater to get the second out. Then, it happens. The screen freezes for a split second, the dreaded loading icon swirls, and you get that soul-crushing notification: MLB The Show 25 challenge failed.
It’s enough to make you want to put your controller through the drywall. Honestly, we’ve all been there. Whether you’re grinding through Ranked Seasons or just trying to knock out some Moments in Diamond Dynasty, seeing a "Challenge Failed" or "Connection Lost" error is the universal symbol for wasted time. It’s frustrating because it’s rarely your fault—at least, it doesn't feel like it.
Why Does Your Game Keep Dropping?
So, why does this keep happening? Most of the time, it’s not just one thing. It's a messy cocktail of server instability, local network hiccups, and sometimes just bad luck with the way San Diego Studio (SDS) handles matchmaking. When the game tells you a challenge has failed, it basically means the handshake between your console and the opponent’s—or the central server—didn’t happen correctly.
Think of it like a phone call where both people pick up but neither can hear the other. Eventually, one of you just hangs up. In MLB The Show 25, that "hang up" results in you being booted back to the main menu, often with a loss pinned to your record if the game had already started.
The Cross-Play Conundrum
We love cross-play because it keeps queue times short. Playing against someone on a different platform is cool, but it adds layers of complexity. If you're on a PS5 and your opponent is on an Xbox Series X or a Nintendo Switch, the data has to travel through Sony’s network, Microsoft’s (or Nintendo's) network, and then the SDS servers.
If any one of those nodes has a spike in latency, the game might decide the connection isn't stable enough to continue. This is where a lot of those instant "Challenge Failed" messages come from right as you find an opponent. The game tries to sync your rosters and stadiums, realizes the ping is too high, and kills the connection before the loading screen even finishes.
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Real Solutions for the MLB The Show 25 Challenge Failed Error
You’ve probably tried restarting your console. It’s the "turn it off and on again" cliché for a reason—it works about 20% of the time. But if you’re seeing this error every other game, you need to look deeper.
First, check your NAT type. If you’re on "Strict" or even "Moderate," you’re going to have a bad time. You want "Open" (on Xbox) or "Type 1/2" (on PlayStation). If your router is blocking the specific ports the game needs to communicate, you'll get hit with the MLB The Show 25 challenge failed message constantly. You might need to log into your router settings and enable UPnP or manually forward ports. It sounds technical and annoying, but it’s often the silver bullet for online gaming issues.
The Ethernet Argument
Stop using Wi-Fi. Seriously. Just stop.
Even if you have the fastest fiber-optic internet in the world, Wi-Fi is prone to "packet loss." In a game like MLB The Show, where timing is measured in milliseconds, losing a single packet of data can cause the game to desync. A $10 Ethernet cable is the single best investment you can make for your gaming experience. If you can't run a cable across the house, look into Powerline Adapters. They use your home's electrical wiring to send the internet signal, and while they aren't as good as a direct cat6 cable, they are infinitely more stable than 5GHz Wi-Fi.
SDS Servers vs. Your Home Network
Sometimes, it really isn't you. During big content drops—like a new Program release or a "Double XP" weekend—the servers get hammered. SDS usually does a decent job, but the sheer volume of players trying to enter the same Conquest maps or Showdown sessions can cause the infrastructure to buckle.
If you see a massive spike in reports on sites like DownDetector or on the game's official subreddit, the best thing you can do is just... wait. Playing during peak server instability is a gamble. You might win a 45-minute game only for the servers to fail at the post-game reward screen, meaning your progress won't count. It’s better to go play some Road to the Show or a different game entirely until things stabilize.
Checking for Corrupted Data
Rarely, the issue can be a corrupt roster file or a cached update that didn't install properly. If you're on PlayStation, try "Rebuilding the Database" in Safe Mode. On Xbox, a full power cycle (unplugging the power brick for 30 seconds) can clear the system cache. It’s a bit of a "hail mary," but when you've tried everything else, it’s worth the five minutes.
How to Protect Your Record
If you are a competitive player, losing points because of a connection error is the worst. While you can't always prevent a crash, you can minimize the risk.
Check your connection before entering a Ranked game. Go into a quick "Play Now Online" or even just check the Community Market. If the menus feel sluggish or images aren't loading, the servers are struggling. Don't risk your rating. Also, keep an eye on your own household's bandwidth. If someone in the next room starts streaming a 4K movie while you're in the 7th inning, your ping is going to spike, and the game might boot you.
Actionable Steps to Get Back on the Diamond
If you're currently staring at a "Challenge Failed" screen, follow this specific order of operations to fix it:
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- Check Server Status: Head to the official MLB The Show Twitter (X) account or DownDetector to see if it’s a global outage.
- Cycle Your Hardware: Shut down the game, turn off the console, and unplug your router for at least 60 seconds. This clears the local DNS cache and forces a fresh handshake.
- Switch to Wired: If you are on Wi-Fi, find a way to plug in an Ethernet cable. This fixes 90% of mid-game "Challenge Failed" drops.
- Disable Cross-Play: If you’re consistently failing to connect to opponents, try turning cross-play off in the settings. It limits your player pool but often leads to more stable matches since you're staying within your console's native ecosystem.
- Check for Game Updates: Ensure you aren't running an outdated version of the game. Sometimes a small "hotfix" is released, and the game won't let you connect to others until you've downloaded it.
Once you've verified your NAT type is open and your connection is wired, most of these errors should vanish. If they persist, the issue is likely on the server side, and no amount of troubleshooting on your end will fix a problem in San Diego. Keep your gear optimized, stay off the Wi-Fi, and you'll spend a lot more time hitting homers and a lot less time looking at error codes.