Microsoft has increased the price of its consoles by more than a third in Europe, leaving fans stunned at how much an Xbox Series X/S now costs.
While these price rises are not a surprise — Microsoft announced they were coming back in June — the exact pricing for Xbox Series X and S in mainland Europe and the UK remained under wraps until now.
In the U.S., Microsoft previously stated that the 512GB Series S would rise by $100, while 1TB Series models would rise by $150 — increases that equate to around £74 and £111. The 2TB model will be discontinued completely, meanwhile — presumably because it would have become too expensive to be worthwhile making.
But in the UK and mainland Europe, the actual price rises in pounds and euros are much steeper. The 512GB Series S has jumped from £299 to £429, an increase of £130, while its 1TB model has increased from £349 to £519, a leap of £170.
Worse still are the increases for Series X models, with the 1TB Digital up from £449 to £619 (£170), but the 1TB Disc model up from £449 to £669 — whopping 48% increase, and £220 difference.
Fans have slammed the huge changes, which are far higher than expected. “Final nail in the coffin,” wrote one user on the video game forum ResetEra. “Great strategy, that’ll definitely lead to more sales,” said another. “There is no way in 2026 I would be paying nearly £700 for a Series X with a disc drive,” wrote a third.
“Still trying to process how a console that was sold for €499 almost six years ago is now €799,” noted another fan. “The Series S 1TB is now €100 more expensive than the Series X at launch. This is just mindblowing.”
U.S.
- Xbox Series S (512GB) – $499.99 (was $399.99)
- Xbox Series S (1TB) – $599.99 (was $449.99)
- Xbox Series X (1TB, Digital) – $749.99 (was $599.99)
- Xbox Series X (1TB, Disc) – $799.99 (was $649.99)
U.K.
- Xbox Series S (512GB) – £429.99 (was £299.99)
- Xbox Series S (1TB) – £519.99 (was £349.99)
- Xbox Series X (1TB, Digital) – £619.99 (was £449.99)
- Xbox Series X (1TB, Disc) – £669.99 (was £499.99)
Europe
Back in June, Microsoft blamed this latest set of price rises as the result of console storage and memory prices having “increased by more than 2.5x,” with another “doubling by the fall of 2027” expected.
“The entire consumer electronics industry is struggling with the current components crisis, but the effects are particularly hard on consoles,” Microsoft wrote. Unlike phones, computers, speakers, and other consumer devices, consoles are typically not sold at a profit, but instead for less than they cost to make.”
The anouncement of the Xbox console price rises comes ahead of the release of GTA 6 in November, which is expected to increase demand for PS5 and Xbox Series X and S significantly. However, there are concerns that neither Sony nor Microsoft will be able to meet the demand caused by the release of GTA 6, with the AI boom making it particularly hard for hardware manufacturers not only to source components, but to release products at affordable prices.
Earlier this year, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma said the spiralling cost of new and existing consoles would require “radically different business models” over the coming generation. She added that the industry had “reached a point where it will be hard to imagine” mass audiences still being able to afford “thousands of dollars” for a new console generation.
The current PS5 and Xbox Series X and S generation of consoles have seen price increases rather than cost savings. Sony itself raised the price of PS5 consoles back in March, blaming “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.” Nintendo has also not been immune, and recently acknowledged it would up the price of Switch 2, just over a year after its arrival. And Valve has bemoaned its struggle to release Steam Machine at the price it had initially hoped, instead having to go for an eye-watering $1,049.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
