Microsoft's latest Xbox console price increase is now in effect: since August 1, 2026, 512GB Xbox Series models cost $100 more and 1TB models cost $150 more, and the 2TB Series X has been discontinued. Microsoft announced the change on June 25, per Game Developer's coverage of the Xbox Wire post.
If you were waiting for a fall discount to pull the trigger, this is the context you are shopping in.
What Microsoft said about Xbox Series pricing
The company pinned the hike on a global memory shortage. According to Game Developer's reading of the announcement, Microsoft said console storage and memory prices "have increased by more than 2.5x" and that it expects "another doubling by the fall of 2027." It also said it "hoped another price increase would not be necessary" and had spent months working with suppliers on options.
Pure Xbox noted a change in tone from earlier rounds, where Microsoft pointed to vaguer "macroeconomic conditions." This time the explanation is specific, which is more useful to readers and also, awkwardly, more worrying. Microsoft also reminded buyers that consoles, unlike phones and PCs, "are typically not sold at a profit."
The increases apply worldwide. Microsoft also pointed to financing and certified refurbished consoles as ways to soften the blow, according to Android Authority.
The numbers, and where outlets disagree
The $100 and $150 steps are consistent across the coverage we found. The base prices are not. Game Developer and Pure Xbox report the Series S 512GB at $499.99 after the hike, and Android Authority and Hitmarker also report a $499 Series S. Thurrott's figures, as we read them, sit $50 lower for several models, and we have not confirmed any of these against Microsoft's own listing. The same goes for the 1TB Series X, where reported post-hike prices range from $749 to about $799 depending on the outlet.
We are not going to pick a winner here. Check the Xbox Wire post or the Microsoft Store listing before you budget. Outlets also differ on whether this is the second or third increase in under a year: Checkpoint Gaming calls it the second in less than a year, while Hitmarker counts it as the third.
What it means if you are shopping
- Console buyers: The cheapest way into the ecosystem is now noticeably pricier, and the 2TB option is gone for good.
- Handheld and PC route: Xbox-branded PC hardware starts to look relatively sensible. Our ROG Xbox Ally X review covers that side.
- Already own one: The Xbox mode living room setup guide shows how to get more out of a PC or handheld on the TV. Valve went down a similar road with the Steam Deck, which we covered in our Steam Deck price hike story.
On the software side, Game Pass is not the story this month. Pure Xbox's October roundup is about new additions and the usual departures, not pricing, and we found no new Game Pass price announcement in the sources we checked.
What to watch
Microsoft's own forecast is that memory costs double again by fall 2027, which suggests this will not be the last pricing conversation. We will update this piece if Microsoft changes regional pricing or confirms any holiday promotions, and the Xbox Wire post is the place to look before you buy.
