Microsoft Raises Xbox Series Console Prices by Up to £230 in the UK and Europe

In June, Microsoft gave gamers a heads-up that the prices for the Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X would be going up globally starting August 1st. While they shared the new pricing for the U.S., they left out details for other regions, leaving many to wonder about the increases elsewhere.

Now, the mystery has been solved, as the new prices for the UK and Europe were revealed recently, and they’re quite steep.

As noted by users on a gaming forum, the prices for the Xbox Series S/X have surged by as much as 40% in Europe. For example, the 512GB Xbox Series S will now cost €499.99 or £429.99, a jump from €349.99 and £299.99. That’s around $580.

But the real shocker comes from the Disc Drive version of the 1TB Xbox Series X, which will now retail for €799.99 or £669.99, up from €599.99 and £499.99. This translates to just over $900, marking a staggering increase of $230.

When Microsoft first announced these price hikes, they attributed them to the ongoing components crisis but didn’t elaborate on the root cause. They mentioned that prices for console storage and memory have skyrocketed by more than 2.5 times, with expectations of further increases by fall 2027. The entire consumer electronics sector is feeling the pinch, but consoles are particularly affected.

One might speculate that this component crisis could be linked to the massive investments Microsoft has made in AI datacenters. Regardless, it’s hard to imagine many gamers will be willing to shell out nearly a thousand dollars for a console that debuted almost six years ago.