The Tampa Bay Rays announced plans for the fourth season of Rays Gaming, presented by Webull, the Official Online Brokerage of the Rays.
Season four of Rays Gaming will begin with the Creator Showdown. This competition will feature 16 of the top “MLB The Show” Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube content creators in a one-night tournament on Tuesday, March 24 at 6 p.m. EDT. Players across the U.S., Canada, and Japan will compete with the Tampa Bay Rays live roster. New for 2026, players will be split into
groups of four with the top two players in each group advancing in a single-elimination-style bracket.
The Sunburst Invitational tournament allows gamers from across the U.S. and Canada to compete in “MLB The Show 26” for a cash prize and a trip to St. Petersburg, Florida, for the in-person championship. This year’s format will once again feature four qualifier tournaments online. For the first time, players will be able to compete against all 30 MLB live-roster teams during the first online qualifier tournament. All players who advance to the second qualifier and beyond will compete using the Tampa Bay Rays live roster.
Players ages 13 and over in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to join for free. Registration for the Sunburst Invitational qualifiers will open on Sunday, March 15.
Rays Gaming Sunburst Invitational events:
- Monday, April 13 at 7 p.m. EST – Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #1
- Thursday, April 30 at 7 p.m. EST – Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #2
- Thursday, May 14 at 7 p.m. EST – Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #3
- Thursday, June 11 at 7 p.m. EST – Finals of the Sunburst Invitational Qualifier #4
The qualifiers will be broadcast on Rays Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube channels.
The four winners of the qualifier events will be flown to St. Petersburg, Florida, for the in-person Sunburst Invitational Championship on Thursday, July 16 beginning with semifinals at 12 p.m. EST, followed by the finals at 7 p.m. EST. Both the semifinals and finals will take place at Coastal Creative in St. Petersburg. The semifinals and finals will be broadcast live across the Rays Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube channels.
The finalists of the Sunburst Invitational Championship will split the $12,000 prize pool, with $8,000 to first place, $2,500 to second place, and $750 for both third and fourth place. Popular “MLB The Show” streamers Rich Veit (@ScuffyMcGee), Tyler Dimmu (@DaddyDimmu), and Justin Scannello (@TheScann) will broadcast live-stream commentary for all final events.
A valid subscription to PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold on a PlayStation 5, Xbox One, or Xbox Series X | S is necessary to connect and compete. The Rays have partnered with Rare Drop and Esports Foundry for all tournament-related production. For all registration windows, full tournament schedule, and tournament rules, visit RaysBaseball.com/Gaming.
