Xbox price hike has officially come into effect

Sorry, Xbox fans - gaming just got significantly more expensive. The Xbox Game Pass price hike is now in effect, meaning that new subscribers will now have to pay more each month to continue accessing the service’s library of games.

The price hike was announced last month, when it was confirmed that the cost of standard Game Pass on consoles and Ultimate on all platforms was set to increase. Currently, those paying for standard PC Game Pass aren’t affected, so that’s a huge win for anyone who falls into that category. Given that Starfield is releasing on Game Pass later this year, it’s pretty smart for the company to increase the price now before it launches, even if it’s especially annoying timing for all the users for that exact reason.

Take a look at the trailer for Starfield below.

While the price increase varies from country to country, in the UK, a standard console subscription now costs £8.99 (up from £7.99) while Ultimate is now £12.99 (up from £10.99). Meanwhile in the U.S., the standard and Ultimate tiers of Game Pass have risen from $8.99 to $10.99 and $14.99 to $16.99, respectively.

It should be noted that although the change is now in effect, it currently only affects new subscribers. Those who were already paying for a monthly subscription will see their bill go up from 13 August onwards (existing subscribers in Germany will be unaffected until 13 September).

What’s more, from 1 August, the Xbox Series X will be permanently increasing in price in the UK and most European countries. In the former, it’ll soon cost £479.99 (up from £449.99), while in much of Europe, it'll go from €499.99 to €549.99.

With that in mind, if you’re yet to buy a Series X and want to make sure you’re prepared for Starfield in September, you might want to consider picking a console up this month before it makes an even bigger dent in your bank account than usual.