Microsoft to increase prices for first-party Xbox Series X/S games in 2023

Microsoft will raise the prices of first-party games for Xbox Series X/S from $60 to $70, starting in 2023, according to a new report from IGN.

First-party titles such as Redfall and Starfield, both of which Xbox delayed out of 2022, will now cost $70 on current-gen consoles. A Microsoft spokesperson said that the new price for first-party games “reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles.”

Thankfully, Game Pass still exists, and as such, all first-party titles that Microsoft launches will still come to the subscription service day one.

So far, Game Pass won’t see its own price hike, though we can’t rule out that possibility forever. After the price for PS5 consoles increased in Europe, Canada, and other global markets (but not the US), Xbox boss Phil Spencer stated that “at some point we’ll have to raise prices on certain things.” It’s possible Spencer was referring to game prices then, but this console generation is still young, and games are only getting more expensive to develop.

Image: Starfield, Bethesda Softworks