Xbox Prices Are Going Up Again But You Can Score Game Consoles For Less Right Now
The most drastic increase of them all is to the Xbox Series X (2TB Galaxy Black) model, though. The console will now cost $799.99, up from $729.99, and a full $240 price increase from launch. These drastic price hikes are unprecedented in the console space, which typically sees consoles sold at a loss initially, but greatly discounted in the later years of their lifespan. It also bodes especially poorly for Xbox consoles in particular, which were already sitting in a distant third place compared to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. Since the price hikes versus launch price range from 29% to 33%, the "macroeconomic conditions" mentioned by Microsoft in its official update almost certainly refer to the 30% tariffs being levied by the Trump Administration against China, a key manufacturing partner for console and PC hardware alike. While some exemptions from tariffs do exist for some PCs and smartphones, these exemptions do not apply to gaming consoles.
Overall, then, this isn't a sign that Microsoft is simply being greedy— their hand has likely been forced, at least to an extent, by tariffs. Sony and Nintendo are likely to follow with their own price hikes in 2026, though the price increases made earlier in the year and higher profits from software sales may allow them to avoid them.
As things currently stand moving into the 2026 holiday season, it's hard to view this move as anything but a disaster for the Xbox, even if it is on some level a forced move. As of late, the Xbox team has behaved more and more like a third-party publisher than a first-party console manufacturer and its share of the console market since the Xbox 360 has greatly decreased. Current-gen estimates of the console market from VGChartz place the Xbox at 12.7% of market share, with PlayStation at 29.1% and Nintendo at 58.2%. In a landscape dominated by PlayStation and Nintendo, where Xbox console-exclusive games and features seem to be a thing of the past, market conditions seem to have aligned against Microsoft's console ambitions.
There is still some hope on the horizon for the Xbox, though. The Xbox ROG Ally handhelds are handheld PCs, and early reports indicate they will be priced like PCs under tariff exemption rather than gaming consoles. Modern Xbox consoles are also the best way to play Xbox and Xbox 360 games through backwards compatibility, with official updates to some games that boost resolution, image quality, and FPS. And finally, it isn't like these price hikes are occurring in a vacuum— unless Sony and Nintendo are willing to sell hardware at a more substantial loss, they will likely have to raise their prices, too.
But unlike the Xbox, those consoles don't have Game Pass, which makes playing a number of AAA releases dirt-cheap and that leaves more room for the price of games to compensate for potential losses on hardware. The "Everything is an Xbox" approach might just be what kills Xbox home consoles, though.
For those still hoping to buy up some Xbox hardware before the prices go up, or who are interested in buying consoles ahead of the forthcoming holiday season, we've assembled current listings from Amazon below.
Current Console Pricing and Listings
- Nintendo Switch (MSRP: $339.99)
- Nintendo Switch OLED (MSRP: $399.99)
- Xbox Series S 512 GB (MSRP: $379.99, soon to be $399.99)
- Nintendo Switch 2 (MSRP: $449.99)
- Xbox Series X Digital (MSRP: $549.99, soon to be $599.99)
- Xbox Series X Disc (MSRP: $599.99, soon to be $649.99)
- PlayStation 5 Slim Digital (MSRP: $499.99)
- PlayStation 5 Slim Disc (MSRP: $549.99)
- PlayStation 5 Pro* (MSRP: $749.99)
