When Microsoft warned in June that Xbox Series S and Series X prices would climb "worldwide" on August 1, it only shared the figures for the United States. The rest of the world was left waiting. Now that the increase has taken effect, the full picture for the UK and Europe is out, and it is steep.
The New Numbers
According to figures spotted on ResetEra and reported by VGC and Kotaku, the price jumps outside the US are larger than what American buyers saw. In Europe, 1TB models rose €200 and 512GB models rose €150. In the UK, 1TB models went up £170 and 512GB models up £130.
Here is where the consoles now land across all three regions:
- Xbox Series S (512GB): $499.99 / €499.99 / £429.99 (was $399.99 / €349.99 / £299.99)
- Xbox Series S (1TB): $599.99 / €599.99 / £519.99 (was $449.99 / €399.99 / £349.99)
- Xbox Series X (1TB, Digital): $749.99 / €749.99 / £619.99 (was $599.99 / €549.99 / £449.99)
- Xbox Series X (1TB, Disc): $799.99 / €799.99 / £669.99 (was $649.99 / €599.99 / £499.99)
Kotaku notes that the European hikes reach roughly 40 percent on some models, with the disc-drive Series X now equivalent to just over $900. VGC points out that the disc-drive Series X now costs $300 more than it did at its 2020 launch, while the Series S is 50 percent more expensive than at release.
Why Microsoft Says This Is Happening
In its June statement, Microsoft pinned the blame on "the current components crisis" hitting the wider consumer electronics industry. The company said storage and memory prices have risen by more than 2.5 times and that it expects them to double again by the fall of 2027.
"We hoped another price increase would not be necessary, and we have spent the last several months working with suppliers on options," Xbox said at the time. This is not a one-off, either. Microsoft raised Xbox prices twice last year before this latest round.
Kotaku offered a pointed aside, questioning whether the component shortage is connected to the vast sums Microsoft has poured into AI datacenters, though the outlet framed that as its own speculation rather than anything Microsoft has confirmed.
Xbox is not alone in the trend. VGC notes that Sony pushed through its own significant PlayStation 5 increase in April, lifting the cheapest Digital Edition to $599.99 / £519.99 / €599.99 and the PS5 Pro to $899.99 / £789.99 / €899.99. All three major console makers have now raised prices as hardware costs climb.
What This Means for Buyers
If you have been holding out on picking up an Xbox Series S or Series X, the cheap window has closed for now, and Microsoft's own forecast of another memory-price doubling by late 2027 suggests relief is not coming soon. With PS5 pricing already up as well, anyone weighing a current-generation console purchase in the UK or Europe is facing the highest sticker prices these machines have ever carried. For players tracking upcoming releases, the calculus increasingly favors sticking with existing hardware rather than upgrading, at least until the components crisis Microsoft describes starts to ease.