The video game industry has had it rough this year in terms of pricing. Although many consoles from prior years have typically seen their prices decrease over time, due to various economic conditions and policies, Nintendo and Sony have raised the prices of their consoles in the US. Now, Xbox is following suit, right in time for the holiday season.
According to information posted on the official Xbox support site, both the Xbox Series X and S models will receive price increases. Although there will be price increases across the board, the main changes to note are that the Xbox Series X is going up from $599.99 to $649.99, and the Xbox Series S will be up from $379.99 to $399.99.
Microsoft Is Significantly Increasing the Price Of Current Gen Xboxes
Series X/S Are Now More Expensive
Families this holiday season are going to be paying quite a bit more for their gaming hobby, which Microsoft says is due to “changes in the macroeconomic environment.” For reference, these prices will go into effect on October 3, 2025.
Here is the full breakdown of the new prices for every single Xbox model:
- Xbox Series S 512 $399.99
- Xbox Series S 1TB $449.99
- Xbox Series X Digital $599.99
- Xbox Series X $649.99
- Xbox Series X 2TB
- Galaxy Black Special Edition $799.99
Thankfully, controller and headset prices are not increasing. Microsoft also explains that pricing in “other regions” (beyond the US) will remain the same. Given how widely used Xbox controllers are across various platforms, including PC, that’s a bit of good news, at least. Although, as we’ve seen time and time again this year, that could change.
There seems to be no respite, and there is no hint that this will be temporary. Instead, the Xbox team leaves us with this message: “We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and providing value for Xbox players.” This “any screen” messaging falls right in line with what the Xbox team has been saying all year.
Game Consoles Are Getting More Expensive, Not Cheaper
Prices Continue To Rise
Earlier this year, Nintendo increased prices for Switch 1 consoles, as well as multiple accessories for Switch 1 and 2. While the price of the Switch 2 console has remained the same since its initial launch, we can expect Nintendo to give us some bad news at some point. Nintendo is in a precarious situation at the moment, given the newness of the Switch 2.
Several weeks later, Sony followed up on Nintendo’s move and increased the prices of PlayStation 5 consoles, providing a $50 bump across the board for all SKUs. It was a brutal move all around, especially for the PlayStation 5 Pro, which is now sold at a recommended retail price of $749.99. The Pro was already a hard sell for some, and now it’s going to be even tougher to move units going into the holidays.
As Xbox continues to ponder its holiday season strategy, fans will have to tangle with higher prices. No longer is Xbox the sole holdout for console price hikes, and the Xbox Series S, as a whole, went from one of the “cheaper” consoles to about on par with many other options. We’ll see how this shakes out as the holidays approach.
- Brand
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Xbox
- Original Release Date
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November 10, 2020
- Original MSRP (USD)
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Series X priced at US$499 and the Series S priced at US$299
- Weight
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9.8 lb