Xbox Series X Games Are Officially Getting More Expensive

The price of video games fluctuates quite a lot, especially in the gulf between big-budget and indie titles. Though they still require a lot of work, indie games tend to cost less than those from big-name studios, which have very rarely strayed from the standard $59.99+ price tag. That standard has been around since the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 days, before which it was normal for games to reach $49.99. A few years ago Sony announced it would start charging $69.99 for certain titles, and according to a report from IGN, that standard is about to change at Microsoft as the company plans to raise the price of Xbox Series X|S games in 2023.

The announcement came from a spokesperson for Microsoft, who reached out to IGN and specifically pointed out "Forza Motorsport," "Redfall," and "Starfield" as some of the first games to be listed at this new price point. The spokesperson explained that the price increase "reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles." Whether this new standard for next-gen games is justified or not, the news seems to have come out of nowhere, as Microsoft signaled earlier in the year that it would not hike prices for Xbox games after a similar announcement was made by Sony.

In September this year, SVG asked readers whether they would buy a PlayStation 5 if Sony raised the price of the console — the response was a resounding no, with the majority saying they would look to Xbox instead. Now that the company plans to follow in Sony's footsteps in raising the cost of its games, the price of the Xbox Series X|S itself could also change in the future, though for now, the company has no plans to do so.

Microsoft Gaming head Phil Spencer was a guest at the Wall Street Journal Live conference in October 2022, where he was interviewed by WSJ reporter Sarah Needleman on a variety of topics — including the cost of games. "We've held price on our console, we've held price on games, and our subscription," Spencer said, according to IGN. "I don't think we'll be able to do that forever." Indeed, it seems that the time has come at Microsoft. Though the company also confirmed that these new prices wouldn't go into effect until next year, that doesn't mean it's going to be any easier to get an Xbox Series X this holiday season.