Microsoft announced major changes on May 1 to the price structure on Xbox consoles, accessories, and games, with the latter set to be the biggest hit to our pockets and raising to $80—and we’ve got the details on when the changes come into place.
A Microsoft announcement cited “market conditions” and “the rising cost of development” behind the price hikes, some of which, like the ones being placed upon consoles, are immediate.
Game prices won’t be increasing overnight, however, but will occur later in 2025, a change which will impact some of the biggest games of the year.
When Are Xbox Games Increasing to $80?
Increases to first-party Xbox games to a $79.99 price point will begin “this holiday season,” according to the Microsoft statement, so expect to see prices rise around November 2025.
Until then, Xbox games will have variable prices and will remain around the same price point we’ve come to expect them to be. Enjoy it while it lasts, though, as some of the biggest games of the year will be impacted.
What Xbox Games Will Cost $80?
Microsoft’s announcement only covers first-party games, although it’s likely other developers will follow suit with price increases of their own.
First-party Xbox games releasing after the 2025 Holiday season include the next Call of Duty instalment, Fable, Gears of War: E-Day, and State of Decay 3, among many others.
Given Nintendo also announced $80 games with the launch of the Switch 2, other developers will likely raise their prices to a similar price point, so expect this to be the new norm—especially as there was already speculation GTA 6 could be as much as $100.
What Did Microsoft Say About The Price Increase?
Microsoft said in an announcement that it “expects to adjust the pricing of some of our new, first-party games starting this holiday season to $79.99” but spoke about the benefit of being able to play on console and PC using the Xbox Play Anywhere feature at no additional cost.
The statement is a little bit murky with the “expects” wording, but I wouldn’t anticipate a backtrack later in the year, especially with the biggest titles like Call of Duty and Fable.
There’s no news yet on whether Xbox Game Pass subscription prices will increase but, even if they do, it remains the best value for money if you are planning to play all of Xbox’s biggest first-party titles.
For more details, read about the Xbox game price increase here and the full news on the price hikes for accessories, consoles, and more in this article.
What are your thoughts on the Xbox price increases, do you expect further changes? Let us know your thoughts in the Insider Gaming Forums.
If Xbox actually makes games this is great buy Take Two remake all the Rockstar games, remake their entire library, new games for franchises, it’ll be good.