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Microsoft’s May 1, 2025 announcement raised US recommended prices for Xbox consoles and some accessories, and said some new first-party games planned for the 2025 holiday season would cost $79.99. That was a limited plan, not a blanket $80 price for Xbox games: by July, Xbox said full-priced holiday releases including The Outer Worlds 2 would remain at $69.99. Xbox announced a further worldwide hardware increase effective August 1, 2026, so the 2025 US prices below are historical, not current quotes.
What Microsoft announced in May 2025
On May 1, Microsoft announced higher recommended retail prices for Xbox consoles and selected accessories. The company cited “careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” as reported by Ars Technica. The announcement did not specifically identify tariffs as the cause; the Associated Press reported that Microsoft had not named them as its explanation.
Microsoft’s official US price sheet dated May 1, 2025 listed these recommended prices. They apply to the United States and that date, not to other markets or present-day retailer listings.
| Xbox console | US recommended price, May 1, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Xbox Series S, 512 GB | $379.99 |
| Xbox Series S, 1 TB | $429.99 |
| Xbox Series X Digital | $549.99 |
| Xbox Series X | $599.99 |
| Xbox Series X 2 TB Galaxy Black Special Edition | $729.99 |
The official Xbox price sheet also listed higher US recommended prices for several accessories, including controllers and headsets. Prices at retailers can differ from recommended prices.
#1 Best Overall
- FASTEST, MOST POWERFUL XBOX — Experience next-generation performance with 12 teraflops of processing power, delivering smoother gameplay, richer worlds, and faster responsiveness than any previous XBOX.
- TRUE 4K GAMING UP TO 120 FPS — Enjoy breathtaking visuals with true 4K resolution, HDR, and frame rates up to 120 FPS, plus hardware-accelerated ray tracing for a heightened level of realism.
- 1TB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 1TB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF GAMES — Play thousands of games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX, with many titles enhanced for better visuals and performance on XBOX Series X.
Which Xbox games were supposed to cost $80?
Microsoft said “some” new first-party games would be priced at $79.99 for physical and digital versions during the 2025 holiday season. It did not say every new release, every Xbox game, or existing games in the catalog would move to that price. The announcement was about selected new releases, not a general increase across the game library.
The wording matters: the May announcement described a planned price for some titles, rather than a final price list for all holiday launches. It also did not establish that every region or edition would share one price. The Associated Press summarized the announcement and Microsoft’s explanation in its May 2, 2025 report.
Rank #2
- What's in the box: Xbox Series X console, 1 Xbox Wireless Controller - Carbon Black, Ultra High Speed HDMI cable, Power cord.
- Equipped with AMD's Zen 2 and RDNA 2 architectures, DirectX ray tracing delivers true-to-life lighting, shadows and accurate reflections to create dynamic, living worlds.
- Memory: 16GB GDDR6 w/320 bit-wide bus; Memory Bandwidth: 10 GB @ 560 GB/s, 6 GB @ 336 GB/s; Internal Storage: 1TB Custom NVME SSD
- Gaming Resolution: True 4K; Performance Target: Up to 120 FPS; High Dynamic Range: Up to 8K HDR; Optical Drive: 4K UHD Blu-Ray; HDMI Features: Auto Low Latency Mode, HDMI Variable Refresh Rate, AMD FreeSync.
- Bundled with HDMI_Cable
Did Microsoft reverse the $80 game price?
In July 2025, Xbox said its full-priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, would remain at $69.99. An Xbox spokesperson told Windows Central: “We’re focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99 – in line with current market conditions.” Windows Central reported the statement on July 23, 2025.
That later statement changed the expectation for the full-priced holiday releases it described; it should not be read as proof that every Xbox game, edition, or market had the same price. For a particular release, check its actual listing and compare the publisher, edition, format, and launch date.
Rank #3
- BEST VALUE IN GAMING — Experience next-gen speed and performance in the smallest XBOX ever. The XBOX Series S delivers powerful all-digital gameplay in a sleek, compact design.
- UP TO 120 FPS GAMEPLAY — Enjoy smooth, responsive gaming with frame rates up to 120 FPS, powered by XBOX Velocity Architecture, a custom NVMe SSD, and DirectX Raytracing for a heightened level of realism.
- 512GB CUSTOM SSD AND XBOX VELOCITY ARCHITECTURE — Reduce load times dramatically with the custom 512GB NVMe SSD and XBOX Velocity Architecture, enabling lightning-fast performance and seamless world streaming.
- QUICK RESUME — Seamlessly switch between multiple games and resume exactly where you left off. No more waiting through title screens and loading bars.
- FOUR GENERATIONS OF DIGITAL GAMES — Play thousands of digital games from XBOX Series X|S, XBOX One, XBOX 360, and Original XBOX with backward compatibility. Many titles are enhanced for better visuals and performance. Smart Delivery ensures you always get the best version for your console.
Why did Xbox hardware prices go up again?
The 2025 US prices are no longer the latest announced hardware pricing. In a June 25, 2026 update, Xbox Wire said a further worldwide increase would take effect August 1, 2026: US$100 for 512 GB console models and US$150 for 1 TB models. The post also said Xbox would sunset the 2 TB model. It does not provide a complete current price table or retailer prices, so these changes alone are not enough to calculate the present price of every model in every market.
Xbox attributed the 2026 move to component costs. Team Xbox said console storage and memory prices had increased by more than 2.5 times and that it expected another doubling by fall 2027. Those figures and that forecast are Xbox’s statements, not independently verified industry-wide measurements. The company’s June 25, 2026 Xbox Wire update contains the announcement.
Rank #4
- What's in the box: Xbox Series S 512GB console, 1 Wireless Controller, High Speed HDMI cable.
- CPU: 8X Cores @ 3.6 GHz (3.4 GHz w/SMT) Custom Zen 2 CPU; GPU: 4 TFLOPS, 20 CUs @1.565 GHz Custom RDNA 2 GPU; SOC Die Size: 197.05 mm2.
- Memory: 10GB GDDR6 128 bit-wide bus; Memory Bandwidth: 8GB @ 224 GB/s, 2GB @ 56 GB/s.; Internal Storage: 512GB Custom NVME SSD
- Gaming Resolution: 1440p; Performance Target: Up to 120 FPS; HDMI Features: Auto Low Latency Mode, HDMI Variable Refresh Rate, AMD FreeSync.
How to check what an Xbox costs now
Because the available price information establishes dated recommended prices and a later increase, rather than a full current price list, use a current listing for your country before budgeting or buying. Compare like with like:
- Model and storage: distinguish Series S 512 GB and 1 TB models from Series X models.
- Disc drive: the Series X Digital and disc-drive Series X are different configurations.
- Edition and availability: confirm whether the listing is for a standard console or a special edition, and whether the model is still offered.
- Market and seller: check the currency, local taxes, seller, and whether the quoted figure is a recommended price or a retailer’s current price.
The 2025 US figures are useful for understanding the original announcement, but they should not be used as a current shopping quote.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
