A thorough investigation was conducted into the structural, magnetic, and critical properties of La0.7Y0.05Ba0.25Mn1-xCrxO3 (x = 0 and 0.15) perovskite manganite synthesized using the sol-gel method. The samples possess an orthorhombic structure with the Pnma space group according to X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns. The average ion radii of the B-site cation (<rB>), the unit cell volume (V), and <θMn,Cr–O–Mn,Cr > bond angle decreased with Cr substitution. While the average bond distance, <dMn,Cr–O>, and Goldschmidt tolerance factor (tG) increased. The samples present a magnetic transition from a paramagnetic (PM) phase to a ferromagnetic (FM) phase at Curie temperature (TC). Addition of Cr to La0.7Y0.05Ba0.25MnO3 decreased the TC value from 310 K (for x = 0 sample) to 258 K (for x = 0.15 sample). Using Banerjee's criteria, second-order phase transitions were determined for the samples. Both samples showed significant maximum entropy change |ΔSMmax| and relative cooling power (RCP) whose values decreased from (6.40 J Kg−1 K−1 and 231 J Kg−1 for x = 0) to (4.45 J Kg−1 K−1 and 185 J Kg−1 for x = 0.15), respectively. These values indicate that the La0.7Y0.05Ba0.25Mn1-xCrxO3 manganites exhibit favourable magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and demonstrate promising potential for application as materials in magnetic refrigeration technology. The estimated critical exponents (β, γ, and δ) for the x = 0 sample align with the 3D-Ising model, while for x = 0.15, they closely resemble the 3D-Heisenberg model. This shift in the universality class can be attributed to the interplay between competing ferromagnetic double-exchange and antiferromagnetic super-exchange interactions that exist within the prepared samples.