Microsoft will increase the price of its Xbox Series X console on August 1, 2023, in most regions, though the US, Japan, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia are excluded from this. The price hike is akin to Sony's earlier increase of the PS5's cost, so both manufacturer's flagship consoles are back in parity for the most part. The Xbox Series S will remain available at its current price.
Here's what the Xbox Series X will cost starting August 1, 2023:
In addition, Microsoft will raise the subscription price of Xbox Game Pass - this change will affect everyone around the globe and is due to become active on July 6, 2023. The regular Xbox Game Pass will be more expensive by $1 or your regional equivalent, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate sees a price increase of $2 or your regional equivalent.
PC Game Pass is unaffected by this and remains available at its current price, which makes sense after some recent comments made by Phil Spencer, who said that the PC Game Pass is currently the area where Microsoft is seeing the biggest growth in their gaming segment - a price hike could stifle that.
If you're an existing Xbox Game Pass subscriber, then your membership will only become more costly starting August 13, 2023, or September 13, 2023, if you are in Germany. In case you have subscribed to Xbox Game Pass through a yearly code, you won't notice any change until you have to renew your membership.
Microsoft recently announced an enhanced Xbox Series S with more storage space as well as a run of limited edition hardware with a Porsche theme, which fans can win in a giveaway.
With Starfield due to release later this year, the company is probably expecting an increase in sales of both hardware and subscriptions.