Microsoft raises Xbox console prices, says ‘new first party games’ will be $80

Weeks following Sony's price hike for PS5, Microsoft has now announced plans to increase Xbox Series X/S prices. The price increase will take effect in Europe, Australia, the US and the UK. Microsoft has also announced plans to follow in Nintendo's footsteps and raise the price of “some first party games” to $80.

The timing here is odd as Xbox revenue was up in Microsoft's recent quarterly earnings report, however, most of this growth is attributed to content sales. Xbox console sales actually did drop year-on-year for the quarter. There are other economic factors likely at play here too, as the effect of US tariffs on tech begins to take effect.

In the UK, The Xbox Series X will be going up from £479 to £499, and the Xbox Series S will go up from £279 to £299. These are the prices for base storage models, so 1TB for the Xbox Series X and 512GB for the Xbox Series S. The larger storage version (2TB) of the Series X is going up to £589.99.

In a statement sent to Eurogamer, Microsoft confirmed the price adjustments, saying: “As of 1st May, we have adjusted recommended retailer pricing for our consoles and controllers worldwide. We also expect to adjust the pricing of some of our new, first-party games starting this holiday season to $79.99. Those titles purchased on the Xbox store have the benefit of Xbox Play Anywhere, allowing players to buy once and play on console and PC at no additional cost. We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players”.

The game price hike will take longer to go into effect, but this statement essentially confirms that Call of Duty is going to be more expensive starting this year.

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KitGuru Says: It is only a matter of time before the industry at large accepts this new $80 standard for new games. There is already a strong push for it from Nintendo and Microsoft, so I'd be shocked if Ubisoft, EA and Square Enix didn't follow.

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