Top Pick: Buy the Standard Xbox Series X Before the Price Jumps
The Xbox price increase is a scheduled rise of USD 100 (approx. RM460) to USD 150 (approx. RM690) on current Xbox Series X and Series S consoles, affecting multiple models without adding new hardware features and giving buyers a short window to secure today’s lower prices before identical systems become significantly more expensive.
If you want an Xbox, buy the standard Xbox Series X at current pricing before the console price hike hits. The Series X launched at USD 499.99 (approx. RM2,300) and is rising to USD 649.99 (approx. RM3,000) starting October 3, a USD 150 (approx. RM690) jump for the same hardware and features. Every existing Xbox console configuration is getting more expensive while controllers and headsets stay flat, so the core box is the part of the ecosystem that will punish late buyers. Two separate rounds of increases in 2025 mean waiting now almost guarantees you pay a premium later for the same machine. If an Xbox purchase is already on your radar, treat the weeks before the new pricing dates as your last chance to get a full-power Series X without overpaying.
How Much Prices Are Rising (and When It Hits)
You are not imagining it: what used to be launch pricing is gone. The Series X launched at USD 499.99 (approx. RM2,300) and now moves to USD 649.99 (approx. RM3,000) from October 3, while the Series S that debuted at USD 299.99 (approx. RM1,380) now sits at USD 399.99 (approx. RM1,840). No hardware refresh, no new features. Another round of hikes lands earlier: from August 1, the 512GB Xbox Series S will go up by USD 100 (approx. RM460), and all 1TB Xbox models will climb by USD 150 (approx. RM690). One report notes, “The new prices will take effect on 1 August, marking the third increase for Xbox consoles in the United States since the beginning of 2025.” A special 2TB Series X Galaxy Black edition will reach USD 799.99 (approx. RM3,680), pushing console pricing toward premium laptop territory.
| Model | Before Hike (latest listed price) | After Hike / New Price | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series S 512GB | USD 299.99 launch (approx. RM1,380) | USD 399.99 / +USD 100 (approx. RM1,840 / +RM460) | USD 100 (approx. RM460) |
| Xbox Series S 1TB | Not specified | USD 449.99 or USD 600 depending SKU (approx. RM2,065 / RM2,760) | +USD 150 on 1TB models (approx. +RM690) |
| Xbox Series X Digital | Not specified | USD 599.99 or USD 750 (approx. RM2,755 / RM3,450) | +USD 150 on 1TB models where applicable (approx. +RM690) |
| Xbox Series X standard | USD 499.99 launch (approx. RM2,300) | USD 649.99 or USD 800 depending SKU (approx. RM3,000 / RM3,680) | Up to USD 150 (approx. RM690) |
Why Xbox Prices Are Rising and What It Means for Deals
Microsoft is blunt about the cause: storage and memory costs have surged. The company says console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and could double again by fall 2027, and that consoles are often sold for less than they cost to make. Earlier, it had loosely framed the hike as a reaction to “changes in the macroeconomic environment.” Demand from artificial intelligence data centres is soaking up high-performance RAM and storage, pushing up prices across consumer electronics, with consoles hit harder than phones and laptops. The result is an unusual situation where ageing hardware becomes more expensive instead of cheaper. Current discounts have temporarily dropped the Series S to USD 350 (approx. RM1,610) and the Series X to USD 573 (approx. RM2,630), but those sale prices are still higher than some past deals under USD 400 (approx. RM1,840) for Series X and USD 250 (approx. RM1,150) for Series S. That is why you should treat today’s prices as the floor for the next few years, not a sign that “better deals” are coming.
How to Soften the Hit: Financing, Trade‑Ins and Waiting It Out
If your budget is tight, you still have options before and after the Xbox price increase. Microsoft is rolling out buy now, pay later plans through its own stores, interest‑free financing via Amazon, certified refurbished consoles and a push toward second‑hand systems to offset the console price hike. Xbox All Access, the old subscription that bundled hardware with Game Pass, is not coming back, so you should not plan around that. In the short “buy Xbox before price” window, focus on discounted Series X units, then look at refurbished or used hardware once the new prices land. At the same time, remember that many Xbox first‑party titles also release on PC and that some buyers have argued paying more now for six‑year‑old consoles makes less sense than waiting for the next console cycle. But if you care about playing on Xbox specifically, and you know you will buy in, locking in before the deadline remains the smarter financial move.
Buy if / Skip if
- Buy the Xbox Series X if you already planned to join the Xbox ecosystem and can purchase before the October 3 price increase for the full-power model.
- Skip the Xbox Series X if you are unsure you will use it heavily; paying the higher post‑hike price for occasional gaming is poor value on ageing hardware.
- Buy the Xbox Series S if you want the cheapest current‑gen Xbox experience and can secure one before the USD 100 (approx. RM460) hike on the 512GB version takes effect on August 1.
- Skip the Xbox Series S if you expect to buy many large games and dislike storage management; rising storage costs mean higher‑capacity models are climbing by USD 150 (approx. RM690).
- Buy the standard Xbox Series X instead of the 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition if you want strong performance without pushing into premium‑laptop‑level pricing.
- Skip all new Xbox consoles for now if you are comfortable gaming on PC or other platforms where many Xbox‑published titles already appear, and you prefer to wait out this console price hike cycle.
