XBOX is raising console prices again, this time worldwide, with the increases taking effect on August 1, 2026. It’s the third XBOX hardware price hike since May 2025, following last October’s U.S. bump, and it’s a steeper one. XBOX is adding $100 to 512GB models and $150 to 1TB models in the U.S., and discontinuing the 2TB model entirely.
XBOX listed the increases rather than the new sticker prices, so here’s where each U.S. model lands once you fold them into the current pricing:
- XBOX Series S 512GB: $499.99 (up from $399.99)
- XBOX Series S 1TB: $599.99 (up from $449.99)
- XBOX Series X Digital: $749.99 (up from $599.99)
- XBOX Series X: $799.99 (up from $649.99)
With the 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition retiring, the standard disc-based Series X takes over the top of the lineup at $799.99, the same price the 2TB model holds today. Same price, less storage.
XBOX put the increase down to component costs, saying console storage and memory prices have risen more than 2.5 times. It also noted that consoles, unlike phones or PCs, are usually sold for less than they cost to make, so the components crunch hits them harder. It’s the same memory crisis we wrote about when Nintendo raised the Switch 2 to $499.99: AI data center demand has sent memory chip prices soaring, tariffs are still in the mix, and console margins are under pressure. We’re well past the era when consoles got cheaper as a generation aged.
Alongside the hike, XBOX is rolling out several programs it says are meant to keep consoles more accessible. Eligible hardware at Microsoft Stores can be split into interest-free Buy Now, Pay Later installments, Amazon is offering 0 percent APR financing for up to 12 months, and XBOX is working with retailers on trade-in programs that put used consoles back on shelves as lower-priced previously played units. XBOX Certified Refurbished consoles are also available at Microsoft Stores for up to $100 off MSRP.
XBOX is leaning on the Series S as the cheapest way onto the platform, name-checking this year’s slate like Grand Theft Auto VI, Halo: Campaign Evolved, Gears of War: E-Day, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, and Madden NFL 27. Even so, the entry Series S now starts at $499.99, the same price the Switch 2 climbs to in September.
XBOX expects those component costs to double again by fall 2027, by its own estimate. For now, anyone eyeing an XBOX console has until August 1 to buy at today’s prices.
