Microsoft just revealed that it will increase the price of the Xbox Series X, Xbox Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for the first time ever.
According to Keri Perez, Head of Communications for Xbox, this change was made to “reflect the competitive conditions in each market.”
Many players see Microsoft as trailing behind both PlayStation and Nintendo, so seeing how the community reacts to these price increases will be interesting.
Xbox Series X Will Recieve Price Increase
Microsoft has confirmed that the price of the Xbox Series X will increase in most countries on August 1st except for the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia.
The Xbox Series S will not receive any price increase and will remain at the same price of $299.99/£249.99/€299.99.
Here is how the price increase may affect your country:
| Region | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £449.99 | £479.99 |
| European Markets | €499.99 | €549.99 |
| Canada | $599.99 | $649.99 |
| Australia | $749.00 | $799.99 |
Microsoft isn’t the first developer to raise the price of its console in this generation. The PlayStation 5 also went through a similar price increase last year for both its Digital and Physical editions.
This price increase will not go live until August. This means that if you were looking to purchase an Xbox Series X, then now is the best time to do so.
But a console price hike isn’t the only thing that Xbox gamers need to be aware of. Microsoft is also raising the price of the Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions.
New Xbox Game Pass & Game Pass Ultimate Pricing Per Country
Microsoft has announced that it will increase the price of both the Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions starting next month on July 6th.
This will affect most markets, excluding Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.
The changes to Xbox Game Pass will not affect PC Game Pass pricing. This is the first time that Microsoft changed its subscription price since its launch in 2017.
New Xbox Game Pass Pricing
| Country | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (AUD) | $10.95 | £11.95 |
| European Markets (EUR) | €9.99 | €10.99 |
| UK (GBP) | £7.99 | £8.99 |
| Canada (CAD) | £11.99 | £12.99 |
| US (USD) | $9.99 | $10.99 |
New Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Pricing
| Country | Old Price | New Price |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (AUD) | $15.95 | $18.95 |
| European Markets (EUR) | €12.99 | €14.99 |
| UK (GBP) | £44.99 | £49.99 |
| Canada (CAD) | $16.99 | $18.99 |
| US (USD) | $14.99 | $16.99 |
Some players think that the price hike is coming at this time because of the upcoming release of Starfield.
I was curious if they would do the GamePass price increase right before or right after Starfield released
— theGamerPad (@theGamerPad) June 21, 2023
Before – Get extra $ from the people who want to try Starfield
After – Get extra $ from those invested in it, or they quit and buy the game
