Here's How Shockingly Expensive The Xbox Series X Standby Mode Is

There’s no denying that gaming is an expensive hobby. In fact, a recent study revealed that the average US gamer spends around $58,000 (£50,382) on the hobby during their lifetime. Given the fact that we’re in a cost of living crisis, it’s no surprise that some of us will be cutting back on our gaming-related spending, but there are some hidden costs you may not realise are possible to avoid.

Check out our review of the Xbox Series X below.

When you think about possible ways to cut down on gaming-related spends, you may think about working through your backlog as opposed to buying new games, or cutting down the hours spent on your console. If you’re an Xbox Series X owner though, you could be racking up a hefty electricity bill without even turning on your console.

As pointed out by Alex Hern, technology editor for The Guardian, an Xbox Series X left on standby can cost owners £132 in electricity a year. If you brought your Xbox Series X prior to May 2022, this will be the default mode. To avoid this, simply enter your settings and select ‘Energy Saver Mode’ instead. If you bought your Xbox Series X after May 2022, it should automatically be set to ‘Energy Saver Mode’ but it’s worth checking this.

To compare, Hern notes that the PlayStation 5’s default settings means it costs around £4 a year to run when not in use. Hern said, “It's generally rare for a standby mode to use as much power as a Series X does, which is why I'm highlighting it.” Around 1.15 million people in the UK purchased the Xbox Series X with the costly standby mode as the default, so do check your settings if you think that’s you.