Xbox price pushed up by £50 amid tariff uncertainty

Microsoft has significantly raised prices for its Xbox console, citing increasing development costs and what it called "market conditions".

The increases vary from country to country, with Xbox Series S consoles going up by £50 to £299.99 in the UK.

The US has seen even steeper price rises, with the Series X increasing in price by between $100 (£75) and $130, depending on the model.

It comes as US tariffs - which experts predict will increase prices for consumers - stir global economic uncertainty. However, Microsoft has not explicitly said tariffs were behind the increase.

Historically, in the years following a console's release it would drop in price, but this generation has seen the opposite.

Sony originally listed the PlayStation 5 digital edition at £360 in the UK when it launched in 2020, but over the years its price has increased to its current £429.99 RRP.

Meanwhile, the cost of future Xbox games is also in question, with the firm revealing it anticipated "some of our new, first-party games" would cost $79.99 in 2025.

This is the same retail price Nintendo announced for its upcoming Mario Kart World - a cost which caused concern amongst gamers who called it "inaccessible".

But unlike Mario Kart, which will cost less if bought digitally rather than in a physical box, Microsoft said its new price would be the same across the board.

It also clarified it did not plan to increase the price of existing games, only certain new titles developed by the firm itself.

But Microsoft declined to say whether it plans to increase the price of some future games in the UK as well.

"Local pricing may differ across countries and platforms," the firm said.

Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.