Xbox games to cost $80 as Microsoft confirms price hikes

Xbox is raising the price of both hardware and software, and it’s already causing outrage amongst the gaming community.

It was announced earlier today by Xbox itself, which blamed “market conditions” and development costs as the primary reason things are seeing an increase.

Makes Xbox Game Pass look better at least, as you’ll still be playing the new Doom game at no additional cost, hopefully.

Hardware is being hit the hardest, with the Xbox Series X now costing as much as $599.99, a hundred dollars more than it cost previously. It’s even worse if you want the 2TB version which will now set you back $729.99 as opposed to $599.99.

Accessories like controllers and headsets are also seeing an increase, though headsets are only going up in price in the United States and Canada; everything else is global.

The hardware price increases have already gone into effect when looking at Xbox’s website, which provides details.

Games themselves will also see a price increase but not immediately, going into effect later into the year with some games hitting the $80 mark.

Xbox told IGN: “We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.”

We should have seen this coming when the Nintendo Switch 2 announced the price of its games, but at least with those, the digital versions will be cheaper than physical, something Xbox probably won’t adopt itself.

This will likely have those believing GTA VI couldn’t possibly cost $100 thinking twice, as clearly the cost of software is going to keep going up and up as the hardware advances…