Microsoft is officially pumping up prices for almost the entirety of its Xbox line.
Microsft has officially announced a huge price hike for its Xbox consoles, first-party video games, accessories and more. This price hike has already come into effect as of 1 May, 2025, but Xbox only plans to begin charging players more for some of its new first-party games this holiday season.
These price increases are taking effect worldwide, for the most part. Headset prices will remain the same outside of the United States and Canada
Xbox announces price hike amid tariffs uncertainty
Microsoft announced this week that a price hike is taking effect over its current range of Xbox products. These price changes will vary depending on your region, but one thing is universal: owning an Xbox is about to become a lot more expensive. In the U.S., the price of an Xbox Series X console has gone up by a whopping US$100, from US$499.99 to US$599.99. Comparatively, anyone who picked up the console at launch got it at a steal.
Here are the full price changes for Xbox consoles and accessories in the U.S.:
- Xbox Series S 512 - US$379.99 (up from US$299.99)
- Xbox Series S 1TB - US$429.99 (up from US$349.99)
- Xbox Series X Digital - US$549.99 (up from US$449.99)
- Xbox Series X - US$599.99 (up from US$499.99)
- Xbox Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition US$729.99 (up from US$599.99)
- Xbox Wireless Controller (Core) - US$64.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller (Color) - US$69.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller - Special Edition - US$79.99
- Xbox Wireless Controller - Limited Edition - US$89.99 (up from US$79.99)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Core) - US$149.99 (up from US$139.99)
- Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 (Full) - US$199.99 (up from US$179.99)
- Xbox Stereo Headset -US$64.99
- Xbox Wireless Headset - US$119.99 (up from US$109.99)
According to Xbox Support, the price change was justified by Microsoft thusly:
As of May 1, 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 US$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.
There’s a big change that impacts people who might not even own an Xbox: some of Microsoft’s first-party games are about to go up to USUS$80. The statement is careful to mention that only “some” new first-party games will be affected, and we don’t know which ones they are yet. Xbox Game Studios could pump up the prices of the next Call of Duty, Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, Perfect Dark, and more–the possibilities are as endless as they are ominous.
Microsoft didn’t give a specific reason for these price hikes, but it might have something to do with recent tariffs coming from the U.S. Nintendo went so far as to delay pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2 due to these tariffs, which is a clear sign that game publishers are already feeling their impact.
