Microsoft has announced a price hike for Xbox consoles, controllers, and eventually games. The recommended retail price on hardware goes into effect immediately, while the $79.99 price on new first-party games is set to hit this holiday season. That means if you’ve been thinking of picking up a new Xbox Series X|S or controller, you’ll want to do it sooner than later. The new, higher prices are already live from Xbox’s official store. However, you can still get the old prices at some retailers – at least for now.
Xbox Series X
Xbox Series X - $499 (Going Up to $599 Soon)
- Get it at Amazon
- Get it at GameStop
- Get it at Walmart (third-party seller)
Xbox Series X 1TB Digital Edition - $449 (Going Up to $549 Soon)
- Get it at Amazon
- Get it at GameStop
- Get it at Target
- Get it at Walmart (third-party seller)
The Xbox Series X is the flagship Xbox, with enough power to run games at 4K resolution. It’s a beast, and I love mine even more than my PS5. I also like being able to buy and play physical games, so I have the standard model listed up top above. But if you can live with going all-digital in terms of games, you can grab the digital edition instead and save $50.
Xbox Series S
Xbox Series S
Xbox Series S 512GB - $299 (Going Up to $379 Soon)
Xbox Series S 1TB - $349 (Going Up to $429 Soon)
For those who don’t mind embracing an all-digital gaming future, the Series S may be the one to get. However, it does have a big drawback in terms of raw power. The Series S is designed to run games at 1440p resolution instead of 4K. If that works for you, this is a terrific console to get. It comes in 512GB or 1TB models. Personally, I’d get the 1TB model, because games take up a ton of space these days, and Xbox storage is expensive.
Xbox Wireless Controllers
Some Xbox controllers are also getting a bump in price. There are a lot of different kinds of Xbox controllers, and they’re not all getting the same price hike. In fact, some aren’t getting a price hike at all. And pricing on these has been more fluid than Xbox consoles, so the price hike probably won’t be as visible here than it is on the consoles above. That said, here are the price changes on Xbox controllers going forward:
- Xbox Wireless Controller (Core) - $64.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller (Color) - $69.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller - Special Edition - $79.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller - Limited Edition - $89.99 (up from $79.99)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Core) - $149.99 (up from $139.99)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Full) - $199.99 (up from $179.99)
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
