New First-Party Xbox Titles Drop in Price, Here’s How to Get Them Even Cheaper

Newly announced first-party Xbox games have dropped in price, but there is a clever way to get them even cheaper, and we’ll let you know how.

In May 2025, Microsoft was teasing that the standard price of its first-party games could jump from $69.99 to $79.99, with the ‘rise of economic costs’ being the common excuse.

Just a month later, Nintendo jumped the queue by launching the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Mario Kart World at $80, with many gamers fearing this would trigger PlayStation and Xbox to do the same. Microsoft at least tested those waters by setting the pre-order price of The Outer Worlds 2 at $79.99, as well as DOOM: The Dark Ages.

Thankfully, it seems like Microsoft never followed through all that much with pricing other first-party titles at $79.99, and if recent prices are believed for the likes of Gears of War: E-Day, Forza Horizon 6 and Fable, that proposal might be dead in the water. Well, at least for the most part.

Are Xbox Game Prices Moving to a New Lower Standard RRP?

As brought to our attention by Reddit user doncabesa, the website DayOne has noticed that prices for the standard editions for Gears of War: E-Day and Fable - in particular, games that are still in the pre-order phase - are set at $69.99 and not $79.99.

That being said, this price doesn't appear to be the case across the board, because the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 still has the same price point mark-up as The Outer Worlds 2 and DOOM: The Dark Ages.

For example, in the UK, the standard edition of the next CoD shooter is priced at £79.99, but in the US, it’s $79.99. At first glance, this price seems an even playing field, but not when you take the conversion rate into account. But getting around that conversion rate is easy and could result in you buying much cheaper Xbox games. As you may know, Microsoft owns the Call of Duty publisher, Activision. This essentially makes it a first-party Xbox series.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Activision

How to Buy Cheaper Xbox Games With This Simple Trick

All you have to do is switch the region on your Xbox Series X/S, such as changing it from the UK to the US, and by doing this, when buying digital games from the Marketplace, it will take the currency conversion into account.

For instance, if you swapped the region from the UK to the US, it means that the pre-order price on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 standard edition is $69.99, which now costs you around £52, instead of £70. This saves you £18.

As for its most expensive version, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 - Vault Edition, which includes a ton of bonus DLC, season pass content, and in-game currency, it will cost a lot less, too. It’s currently priced at £99.99/$99.99, but by switching the region from the UK to the US, it now costs just over £74, saving you £26.

For gamers in the US, just don’t buy your Xbox digital games by switching from the US to the UK, because you will be paying substantially more.

How to Change Region on Xbox Series X/S

It’s very simple. From the console, select ‘Settings’, then ‘Profile & System’, then ‘System’, followed by ‘Language & Location’. Now select your desired region, the console will restart, and when it's booted up, UK gamers can now buy games at the lower US conversion rate.

For US gamers, it might be worth checking other regions, just in case the conversion rate is cheaper than the dollar. But please keep in mind, there may be a cooldown period when you might be able to switch your region back. So, proceed with some caution.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 will be released on 23 October 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and Nintendo Switch 2.

READ MORE: The Best Call of Duty Games Worth Playing Before Modern Warfare 4