Microsoft plans to increase the price of new, first-party Xbox Series X and S games to $70 in 2023, after prices remained steady at $60 since the Xbox 360 era
This announcement ended the $60 first-party game price that had held since the Xbox 360 era, and it reads differently now than it did in December 2022: it was the opening move in a sustained repricing of the entire Xbox stack. Within six months Microsoft raised Series X prices in most markets and, for the first time, increased the price of Xbox Game Pass itself.
Buyers of new Microsoft first-party titles pay $10 more per game starting in 2023, breaking a two-generation-old $60 price point on Xbox Series X and S software.
Microsoft's own catalog becomes the price setter for its storefront: every future first-party release launches at the higher tier, raising the baseline cost of keeping up with Xbox exclusives.
Second-order effects
A $70 shelf price widens the relative value gap for Game Pass, which Microsoft was simultaneously pushing into more hands — expanding Cloud Gaming beyond the Ultimate tier — making the subscription the discount answer to its own rising game prices.
Once first-party software moved off $60, hardware and accessories became easier to reprice too; the same justification carried through to the console, controller, and dev kit increases that followed in 2025 and 2026.
Third-order effects
If the pattern holds, Xbox pricing stops being set at fixed generational price points and becomes a recurring annual adjustment across every SKU — games, consoles, controllers, dev kits, and subscriptions repriced together.
That structure pushes the platform's economics toward subscription-first: as owned-game and hardware costs climb, Microsoft's incentive is to make Game Pass the default way players consume first-party content, with outright purchases positioned as the premium option.
The trend: Platform holders are replacing fixed generational price points with recurring, portfolio-wide price increases across hardware, software, and subscriptions — and Microsoft's $70 game move was the template's first application.
tales of videogames being priced at £70 feels like it's another world. the most expensive game I've bought this generation was £53 and it was utterly mediocre. my favourite game of the year so far cost £20, and I had to steel myself to pay that much
Microsoft is setting $69.99 game prices for its first-party titles built for Xbox Series X|S starting in 2023, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield https://www.ign.com/... “This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles”
Xbox is raising its prices for 1st party games to $70 in 2023 “This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles” No one should be surprised. I've been saying it's inevitable since we saw other publishers raising price https://www.ign.com/... https:…
With Xbox game prices rising to $70, most of the big publishers are there. (Not Nintendo, which operates in a universe of its own) Back in 2005, I wrote about game prices rising to $60. $60 in 2005 = $92 now $70 now = $46 in 2005 https://www.axios.com/... https://twitter.com/...
Flashback! “We believe that premium titles command premium pricing,” said EA spokesperson Tammy Schachter when asked why EA's first-run 360 titles were selling for $10 more than [its] titles for Xbox,PS2 and GameCube. “These are deep, rich, complex games” https://www.mtv.com/... …
I still blame PS for pushing the industry to $70 But I give all credit to Xbox on giving us Gamepass which means I can play their games Day 1 without paying $70
2023 Redfall $70 or $15/m Starfield $70 or $15/m Forza Motorsport $70 or $15/m Diablo 4 $70 or $15/m Hellblade 2 $70 or $15/m Avowed $70 or $15/m ughhh why Xbox
Shocked at Xbox raising prices to $70? Not really but if Game Pass can hold steady with its pricing in 2023 it increases it's value for games like Starfield and Forza coming day one Now more than ever Xbox Game Studios needs to deliver high quality titles in 2023
This should surprise no one and is overdue. @Xbox is still offering an amazing value with #XboxGamePass which, if you haven't browsed lately, has a WILD amount of great games in it. Was scrolling the other night and continue to be impressed with the selection. https://twitter.com…
I've been thinking a lot about whether im willing to pay $70 for Xbox first party games and I've finally come to the decision that I'm going to pass Game Pass, to be more specific https://twitter.com/...