TL; DR
- Microsoft is raising the prices of the Xbox Series S and Series X by up to $150 globally.
- The hike takes effect August 1, 2026, and the 2TB Series X is being discontinued.
- India-specific prices are not yet confirmed, with estimates indicating increases of ₹8,000 to ₹13,000.
Hours after Apple announced the price hike for its products (except the iPhone), Microsoft did something similar. The company confirms that Xbox console prices will rise worldwide from August 1, 2026, something I wish Apple had done, as it would have given prospective buyers some time to get the products at the current pricing.
The reason is the same: a global memory and storage cost crisis driven by demand from AI data centers. In Microsoft’s own words, “console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x,” and the company warned that “another doubling by fall of 2027” is expected.
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Revised Xbox Console Prices Applicable From August 1
| Console | Old price | New price | Increase | % increase |
| Xbox Series S 512GB | $399.99 | $499.99 | $100 | 25.0% |
| Xbox Series S 1TB | $449.99 | $599.99 | $150 | 33.3% |
| Xbox Series X (discless) | $599.99 | $749.99 | $150 | 25.0% |
| Xbox Series X (disc) | $649.99 | $799.99 | $150 | 23.1% |
This is Xbox’s third price increase in under two years. Microsoft also confirmed it is discontinuing the 2TB Xbox Series X model.
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What About Indian Pricing?
While Microsoft hasn’t confirmed the revised Indian prices yet, only one of two things could happen here. First, Indian units could see a price increase of ₹8,000 to ₹14,000, depending on the model and storage.
The hike might be applicable from the same day in India: August 1, 2026. Official India pricing is expected to be updated on Microsoft’s website and on retail platforms, including Amazon and Flipkart, soon. Just last year, Microsoft heavily restructured Xbox Game Pass pricing in India.
However, the company could also follow a path similar to Sony’s: increase global prices and hold off on revising them in India. The region already struggles with console sales, thanks to its sky-high prices and niche use cases. Increasing them further risks lowering the sales even further.
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With a market where the biggest players aren’t able to secure memory at a price required to maintain or lower the prices, consumers are left with only two choices: either they stick with whatever hardware they have as is, or they rely on financial tools like loans or credit cards to purchase new products as and when absolutely required.
Getting a new laptop, tablet, smartphone, or a new gaming console isn’t as simple as it used to be, and the situation could only get worse by 2027.
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