Xbox price rises seem inevitable — even Microsoft admits it

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Prices for console, games and Xbox Game Pass could all level up in the worst way

An Xbox Series X and a Controller on a TV stand
(Image credit: Future)

Microsoft has finally conceded that just like everything else, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S prices will likely have to rise. Phil Spencer, Microsoft’s head of gaming, admitted that despite holding out longer than Sony and its PS5 (which was increased around most of the world in August), a price hike will have to come sooner rather than later.

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal’s Techlive conference, Spencer said: "We've held price on our console, we've held price on games and our subscription. I don't think we'll be able to do that forever.” 

The good news is that Spencer is determined not to increase the cost over the holidays when budgets are famously stretched: “Going into this holiday we thought it was important to maintain the prices."

Spencer also provided an update on the state of Xbox Game Pass, with it now bringing in a healthy profit for Xbox and accounting for around 15% of the Xbox division’s revenue, despite reports of slowing growth. The day before the conference also saw Microsoft announce a record-breaking quarter in terms of Xbox hardware sales (some $3.61 billion) so to announce specific price hikes off the back of such figures (and the $68 billion purchase of Activision Blizzard) would be in poor taste. 

While no specific figure has been mentioned, anyone considering purchasing an Xbox Series X in the near future should probably act this side of the holidays. If you need help, then check out our Xbox Series X restock to help you secure a console. 

Andy Sansom

Andy is a freelance writer with a passion for streaming and VPNs. Based in the U.K., he originally cut his teeth at Tom's Guide as a Trainee Writer before moving to cover all things tech and streaming at T3. Outside of work, his passions are movies, football (soccer) and Formula 1. He is also something of an amateur screenwriter having studied creative writing at university.