Today, the company announced that they’re bumping up prices on Xbox consoles, controllers, headsets, and a few games. The price increase for consoles and accessories starts today, May 1. Game prices will remain unchanged for now, but we can expect Xbox to charge $79.99 for new first-party games come holiday season. This price hike is happening worldwide, except for headset prices, which are only rising 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 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.”
While we don’t have the exact list of first-party Microsoft games that will be priced at $80, we can speculate that it might include the next mainline Call of Duty, the newly delayed Fable set for 2026, the Perfect Dark reboot, inXile’s Clockwork Revolution, Rare’s Everwild—which Phil Spencer recently checked out—The Coalition’s Gears of War: E-Day, Hideo Kojima’s OD, or Undead Labs’ State of Decay 3. Plus, Double Fine, the studio behind Psychonauts, is also developing a new title.
Microsoft has an Xbox Games Showcase 2025 and an Outer Worlds 2 Direct lined up for June, where fans will likely get more details.
This marks the first price increase for Xbox Series S consoles since their 2020 launch, despite Microsoft promising to keep prices steady back in 2022 when PlayStation hiked the PS5 prices. However, the Xbox Series X saw a price increase in 2023 in most regions, excluding the U.S., and Xbox Game Pass has also seen multiple price hikes globally.
As shocking as these price increases may seem, Microsoft’s decision isn’t entirely unexpected. Just last week, PlayStation raised prices in the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand for the second time in three years.
The gaming industry has been gradually discussing and implementing price hikes over the past few years, with AAA game prices rising from $60 to $70 in the last five years. Nintendo is also going for $80 for upcoming Switch 2 exclusive titles like Mario Kart World, and the Switch 2 itself is set to launch at $450, a price that has faced backlash from fans, even as analysts suggest such a high cost was probably unavoidable given the current economic climate.
This all happened before Nintendo had to rethink its console prices due to the new and changing tariffs in the U.S. While the console stayed at $450, the prices for accessories took a hit. Experts think Nintendo might hike prices again after the launch, and the Entertainment Software Association cautioned that they won’t be the only ones doing it:
“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 with the constant fluctuation of prices in all industries gamers will all be seeing price changes regardless of your platform of choice.
