Microsoft is raising prices on Xbox. By a lot.
In an announcement today, the company said it will be raising prices on Xbox consoles, controllers, headsets, and some games. The price hike for consoles and accessories kicks in today, May 1, and while game prices will stay the same for now, we should expect to see Xbox charging $79.99 for new, first-party games around the holiday season.
Price increases are taking effect globally, with the exception of headset prices, which are only going up in the U.S. and Canada.
Going forward, here are the expected prices on various Xbox consoles and accessories in the U.S.:
- Xbox Series S 512 - $379.99 (up from $299.99)
- Xbox Series S 1TB - $429.99 (up from $349.99)
- Xbox Series X Digital - $549.99 (up from $449.99)
- Xbox Series X - $599.99 (up from $499.99)
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition $729.99 (up from $599.99)
- 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)
- Xbox Stereo Headset -$64.99
- Xbox Wireless Headset - $119.99 (up from $109.99)
You can see other price changes by region on the official Xbox announcement page here.
Microsoft issued IGN with the following statement as to why the price increases were taking place:
“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.”
Though we don't know yet which first-party Microsoft games will cost $80, we can guess the line-up may include the next mainline Call of Duty, the new Fable, which was recently delayed to 2026, the Perfect Dark reboot, inXile’s Clockwork Revolution, Rare's Everwild, which Microsoft gaming boss Phil Spencer recently checked out, The Coalition's Gears of War: E-Day, Hideo Kojima’s OD, or Undead Labs' State of Decay 3. Psychonauts developer Double Fine is also working on a new game.
Microsoft has an Xbox Games Showcase 2025 as well as an The Outer Worlds 2 Direct planned for June, where fans will no doubt find out more.
This is the first time we've seen a price hike on Xbox Series S consoles since it launched in 2020, with the company committing to maintaining existing prices back in 2022 when PlayStation raised prices on the PS5. However, Xbox raised the price on the Xbox Series X in 2023 in most countries, but not the U.S. And it has raised prices globally on Xbox Game Pass multiple times now.
Astonishing as the amount these prices are increasing might be, Microsoft raising prices in the first place isn't exactly surprising. PlayStation did this exact thing in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand just last week, for the second time in three years.
And the entire industry has been discussing and gradually implementing price increases over the last few years, with AAA game prices jumping from $60 to $70 in just the last five years, and Nintendo going with $80 for upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Mario Kart World and some other Switch 2 Edition games. The Switch 2 itself was recently revealed to be launching at $450, a price that drew criticism from Nintendo fans even as analysts admitted such a high price was likely inevitable amid current economic conditions.
That was all before Nintendo was forced to reevaluate its console pricing in the wake of newly announced and repeatedly fluctuating tariffs in the U.S. Though the console ended up sticking at $450, accessory prices were not so lucky. Analysts suspect Nintendo may raise prices again post-launch, and the Entertainment Software Association warned that Nintendo would not be alone:
“You know what? It's been interesting with media coverage around video games and tariffs because just unfortunate coincidental timing that the Switch [2 reveal] was the same day as President Trump's announcement. There are so many devices we play video games on. There are other consoles, but as I was saying, VR headsets, our smartphones, people who love PC games, if we think it's just the Switch, then we aren't taking it seriously. This is going to have an impact.
“And even American-based companies, they're getting products that need to cross into American borders to make those consoles, to make those games. And so there's going to be a real impact regardless of company. This is company-agnostic, this is an entire industry. There's going to be an impact on the entire industry.”
It seems these are expensive times to be a gamer regardless of your platform of choice.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can find her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
