Gamers will have to shell out more money for Xbox consoles and controllers amid sweeping global tariffs that have caused prices to rise for American consumers.
On Thursday, the Microsoft-owned video game platform announced that it has adjusted recommended retail prices for Xbox consoles and controllers worldwide and is preparing to raise prices for some games as well.
“We understand that these changes are challenging, and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development,” the company wrote in an announcement. “Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players.”
The expected price for the Xbox Series X console has been upped from $499 to $599, according to updated price recommendations for the United States. The Series X Digital is now priced at $549.99, and the Series X 2TB Galaxy Special Edition will cost buyers $729.99.
And the Xbox Series S consoles are seeing price increases of $80, putting buyers at $379.99 for the 512GB version and $429.99 for the 1TB version. In its announcement, Xbox noted that the availability of its Series S and X consoles may continue to fluctuate over time depending on the country and individual retailers.
Wireless controllers will also now start at $64.99 for the base model, with prices ranging up to $199.99. But some Xbox controllers, including the Adaptive Controller and Adaptive Joystick, will cost the same as before.
Price hikes for Xbox headsets, however, are impacting only the United States and Canada, according to the company. In these countries, they’re now priced at $64.99 for a stereo headset or $119.99 for wireless.
While the price of existing games will remain the same, Xbox says it plans to raise prices for some of its new first-party games to $79.99 starting this holiday season.
“Local pricing may differ across countries and platforms,” a spokesperson for Microsoft wrote in an email. “These differences reflect regional considerations including [foreign exchange] rates and market conditions.”
The changes, which stirred some frustration within the gaming community on Thursday, come after Nintendo also raised prices of some games to $79.99 last month. Similarly, Nintendo later announced that while the price of its Switch 2 would remain unchanged at launch, accessories for the console would be subject to price adjustments “due to changes in market conditions.”
Beyond video games, the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump have threatened to raise prices on a wide range of goods from cars to coffee to fireworks. Businesses have begun to issue warnings about the tariffs’ impacts on company profits as well as consumer expenses.
Online retail giants like Amazon, Temu and Shein — the latter two being Chinese e-commerce platforms known for ultra-low prices — have also indicated that they would be passing on price adjustments to customers as a result of the tariffs.
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