Pricing for the Series S and PC Game Pass to remain unchanged.

Microsoft announced that they will soon increase the prices of both the Xbox Series X hardware and Game Pass subscriptions. This new report, courtesy of The Verge, says that the price increases will begin on August 1, 2023, for the hardware and as early as July 6, 2023, for Game Pass.

A statement issued to The Verge from the head of communications at Xbox Kari Perez, confirmed the price increases. On August 1, the Xbox Series X will be increased in most countries except for the United States. For instance, the cost of an Xbox Series X in the UK will go up to £479.99. Most European markets will see the price increase to €549.99, $649.99 (CAD) in Canada, and $799.99 in Australia.

The Xbox Series S will stay at $299.99 (USD) or equivalent in all of these regions for the 512GB model and $349.99 for the 1TB model.

Nearly a month before the hardware goes up in price, the cost of Game Pass will be increased. On July 6, 2023, Game Pass Ultimate will be $16.99 (USD) per month, a monthly increase of $2. Xbox Game Pass (non-Ultimate) will be $10.99 per month, which is a $1 per month increase.

If you are only subscribed to Game Pass on PC, that price will remain at $9.99 per month.

These price increases for Game Pass Ultimate and Xbox Game Pass are the first price increases it has ever received. Game Pass was first launched in 2017, meaning that it has remained at the same price for roughly six years now.

Microsoft increasing the pricing on the Xbox Series X and Game Pass probably should not come as too much of a surprise. Xbox head Phil Spencer said that further price increases were probably coming back in December 2022. This statement was made in tandem with the announcement that new releases of Xbox first-party titles were moving from $60 to $70.

Microsoft's direct competitor, Sony, already increased the price of their PlayStation 5 SKUs in August 2022. Like Microsoft, prices were increased in most global markets except for the United States. Sony also made changes to pricing for PlayStation Plus that started to go into effect last year. Instead of making a blanket price increase for Plus, Sony instead added two additional tiers of PlayStation Plus that cost consumers a fair bit more each month but also included extra features.