Sat May 03 05:40:00 UTC 2025: ## Xbox Prices Soar: Consoles, Games, and Accessories Get Price Hikes
**REDMOND, WA – May 1, 2024** – Microsoft has announced significant price increases for its Xbox consoles, controllers, headsets, and upcoming games, effective immediately. The move, impacting global markets (except for headset price increases, limited to the US and Canada), follows similar price hikes by competitors and reflects rising development costs and market conditions.
Xbox Series S and X consoles, along with controllers and other accessories, are seeing price increases today. While current game prices remain unchanged, Microsoft confirmed that new first-party titles will launch at $79.99 USD this holiday season. This price point is in line with recent trends across the gaming industry, with AAA titles moving from $60 to $70 in recent years, and Nintendo even charging $80 for some upcoming Switch 2 titles.
Microsoft cited “market conditions and the rising cost of development” as the reason behind the price increases, stating a commitment to providing value for Xbox players despite the adjustments. The announcement comes as no surprise given recent price increases from PlayStation and the industry-wide discussion around rising development costs.
While specific titles slated for the $79.99 price point remain unannounced, potential candidates include highly anticipated games like the next *Call of Duty*, *Fable*, *Perfect Dark*, and other first-party titles. Microsoft’s upcoming Xbox Games Showcase 2025 and *The Outer Worlds 2* Direct in June are expected to provide further clarity.
This is the first price hike for the Xbox Series S since its 2020 launch. While the Xbox Series X saw price increases in many regions last year, the US market remained unaffected until now. This latest move follows multiple price increases for Xbox Game Pass in recent years. The increased prices across the board underscore the rising costs facing the gaming industry as a whole.
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