Microsoft is raising Xbox Series X and Game Pass prices in most countries
Cites the ‘competitive conditions’ of the market.
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What you need to know
If you haven’t bought an Xbox Series X yet and you don’t live in the U.S, you might want to act fast.Speaking withThe Verge, Microsoft shared on Wednesday that it is finally raising prices for the Xbox Series X, with prices going up around the world except in U.S, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Japan.
This means that in most countries, the Xbox Series X again matches the price of the PS5, going for £479.99 in the UK and for €549.99 in European countries. Sony had previously raised the price of its console in 2022, citing economic challenges around the world.
“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” says Kari Perez, head of communications for Xbox, in a statement to The Verge.
Xbox Game Passis also catching a price increase. The regular subscription is going from $9.99 to $10.99 a month, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate going from $14.99 to $16.99 a month.
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Microsoft confirmed that Xbox Series S pricing will remain where it is, with the current white model widely available at $250. Ablack variant with a 1 TB internal SSDis slated to launch on Sep. 1, 2023 for $350.
Over the last couple of years, Microsoft waited to raise prices on games, eventually following Sony inlaunching major titles at $70 starting earlier in 2023.
Windows Central’s take
The Xbox Game Pass price hike has been a long, long, long time coming, and really isn’t surprising. It’s also not that bad of a price hike, and I really don’t think there’ll be much pushback there, especially if Microsoft nails the execution on major upcoming first-party games likeStarfield.
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The Xbox Series X price hike, on the other hand, feels like a mistake. I understand Microsoft is taking a loss on the console, but it still feels like a bad move at a time when you want more players coming to your ecosystem, not less.
Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter@SamuelTolbert.
