Microsoft is increasing Xbox Series X prices in most countries in August, with the exception of the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil and Colombia. The Xbox maker is also increasing the monthly prices of its Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions for the first time next month, raising the base Game Pass subscription for console from $9.99 to $10.99 per month. month.
“We have held our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted prices to the competitive conditions in each market,” Kari Perez, head of communications for Xbox, said in a statement to The edge.
Xbox Series X console prices are broadly in line with the price hike Sony announced last year for the PS5, with the Xbox Series X starting at £479.99 in the UK, €549.99 in most European markets, CAD$ 649.99 in Canada and AUD $799.99 in Australia. 1 August. The Xbox Series S price will not be adjusted in any market and will remain $249.99.
While pricing adjustments were expected for the Xbox Series X following Sony’s move last year, Xbox chief Phil Spencer also hinted in October that subscription pricing wouldn’t last forever.
Prices for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and Game Pass for console will increase starting July 6. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate goes from $14.99 a month to $16.99 (€14.99 / £12.99). The base price of the Xbox Game Pass for console is also going up from $9.99 a month to $10.99 (€10.99 / £8.99). However, Microsoft is not changing PC Game Pass prices.
If you’re an existing monthly Game Pass subscriber, these new recurring prices won’t take effect until August 13 or September 13 in Germany. New Xbox Game Pass members will see the new prices immediately on July 6. If you subscribed to Xbox Game Pass via an annual code, the new price will not take effect until you renew your subscription.
Most markets will be impacted by the Xbox Game Pass price increases, with the exception of some Game Pass console prices which will remain the same in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia.
Microsoft hasn’t changed the price of the Xbox Game Pass since the subscription launch in 2017, and the company is keen to emphasize that this has nothing to do with its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. “These Game Pass price adjustments are not related to the Activision Blizzard deal and are intended to reflect local market conditions,” said Perez.
Microsoft’s Xbox subscription changes follow a general trend in price increases for entertainment subscriptions over the past few years. Netflix raised prices again last year after gradual price increases in recent years, and Disney Plus and Hulu also saw significant price increases last year. Apple Music and Spotify have both increased in price in most markets in recent years.
Nintendo hasn’t updated its Switch Online subscription service since it launched in 2018, and Sony only updated its own PlayStation Plus subscriptions last year with new PlayStation Plus Essential, Plus Extra, and Plus Premium subscriptions for PlayStation owners.
