Don't Wait To Buy An Xbox Series X - Here's Why
The Xbox Series X launched at the end of 2020 for $499, along with the digital-only and less powerful Xbox Series S for $299. It was a rough start due to the pandemic. However, Game Pass is helping carry the Xbox brand through the ninth console generation, even though Series X and S sales generally haven't fared as well as comparable offerings from Sony and Nintendo. Recently, the disparity has been even more pronounced, with Xbox experiencing a 29% decline in year-over-year revenue in Q1 2026, according to GamesIndustry. This comes on the heels of Microsoft raising the prices of its Xbox consoles twice in 2025 — once in May and once in October.
As of this writing, the Xbox Series X starts at $599.99 for the digital version and $649.99 for the disc version, while the Xbox Series S starts at $399.99. In March 2026, Sony raised the price of the PlayStation 5 lineup for the second time since August 2025, putting its price in line with the current MSRPs of Xbox consoles. Recently, it was reported that Nintendo is thinking of raising the price of the Switch 2 as well. With things as they stand — the global chip shortage and the current geopolitical situation that is disrupting supply chains — the cost of these consoles could easily go up again. The Xbox Series X and S might be the next consoles to see a price increase, making now a great time to snag one before the situation gets any worse.
Manufacturers are paying more to get consoles into our homes
Historically, we've seen console prices drop mid-generation. At that point in a release cycle, components typically get cheaper and manufacturers pass those savings onto consumers. That's not what is happening now. The price of RAM, in particular, has doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled in some cases because there is a limited supply for consumer devices like consoles. AI data centers have scooped up large quantities of it to meet the insatiable demand for AI, triggering what is now known as the "RAMageddon."
When Sony announced the price changes for the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5 Pro, and PlayStation Portal, the reason given was "continued pressures in the global economic landscape." While the company didn't explicitly mention the AI-driven RAM shortage as the primary factor, in an interview with Eurogamer, games industry analyst Piers Harding-Rolls said it has caused a "supply chain shock" and that there is "no sign of prices easing." Harding-Rolls also said that he wouldn't be surprised "if Microsoft and Nintendo followed suit in the not-too-distant future."
You might also be taking a wait-and-see approach with current-gen Xbox consoles, because of the recently announced Project Helix, Xbox's next-gen console. But as Jason Ronald, the Vice President of Next Generation at Xbox, wrote in an Xbox Wire blog post, "I'm excited to share we plan to ship alpha versions of the hardware to developers beginning in 2027." That means we're years away from seeing the next Xbox generation on store shelves, which is plenty of time for more price increases.