Microsoft's August 2026 Xbox price increase has pushed Series X and Series S hardware sharply higher in the UK and Europe, changing the buying math for console shoppers.
Image: news.xbox.com
Xbox Series X now costs £669.99 in the UK and €799.99 in Europe
Microsoft’s latest Xbox price increase is now in effect in the UK and Europe, and the new hardware prices are steeper than the US figures Microsoft disclosed in June. According to pricing compiled by VGC from the implemented listings and first spotted by ResetEra users, the Xbox Series X with a disc drive now costs £669.99 in the UK and €799.99 in Europe. That is up from £499.99 and €599.99 respectively, a £170 rise in the UK and a €200 rise across Europe.
The digital Xbox Series X has also moved sharply upward. VGC, Eurogamer, and Wccftech all list the 1TB digital model at £619.99 in the UK, up from £449.99, and €749.99 in Europe, up from €549.99. The Xbox Series S price rise is nearly as severe for the machine that has historically been Microsoft’s lower-cost entry point. The 512GB Series S is now £429.99 in the UK, up from £299.99, and €499.99 in Europe, up from €349.99. The 1TB Series S is now £519.99 in the UK, up from £349.99, and €599.99 in Europe, up from €399.99.
The tension for buyers is immediate. The Xbox Series S 512GB, once the budget console in the current Xbox family, now sits above the former UK price of the digital Series X. In Europe, the 1TB Series S has moved to the old price of the disc-based Series X. That reshuffles the value ladder inside Microsoft’s own console range rather than simply lifting every model by a neat fixed amount.
The full new Xbox console prices for August 2026
The confirmed Xbox console prices 2026 picture now looks like this across the three markets reported by VGC and repeated by Eurogamer. In the US, the Xbox Series S 512GB is $499.99, up from $399.99; the Xbox Series S 1TB is $599.99, up from $449.99; the Xbox Series X 1TB digital model is $749.99, up from $599.99; and the Xbox Series X 1TB disc model is $799.99, up from $649.99.
In Europe, the Xbox Series S 512GB is €499.99, up from €349.99; the Xbox Series S 1TB is €599.99, up from €399.99; the Xbox Series X 1TB digital model is €749.99, up from €549.99; and the Xbox Series X 1TB disc model is €799.99, up from €599.99.
In the UK, the Xbox Series S 512GB is £429.99, up from £299.99; the Xbox Series S 1TB is £519.99, up from £349.99; the Xbox Series X 1TB digital model is £619.99, up from £449.99; and the Xbox Series X 1TB disc model is £669.99, up from £499.99.
Microsoft had already confirmed in June that Xbox Series X and Series S consoles would rise in price on August 1, but at that point it shared the US increases rather than the UK and European figures, according to VGC and Eurogamer. That left buyers outside the US waiting until the changes appeared. Metro reports that the UK prices were reflected on Microsoft’s own Xbox website after the increase, and noted there was no comparable grace period once the new listings were live.
The UK increases hit the budget pitch hardest
The Xbox Series X UK price is the headline figure because £669.99 is a psychological break from the console’s earlier £499.99 position. Eurogamer calculates the disc-based Series X rise at around 34 percent. That is a major increase for a console that launched in 2020 and is now deep into its cycle.
The more strategically awkward movement is on Series S. Eurogamer puts the UK increase for the 512GB Xbox Series S at 43 percent, from £299.99 to £429.99. The 1TB Series S climbs from £349.99 to £519.99, an increase Eurogamer calculates at 48.5 percent. In practical terms, the entry-level Xbox has lost much of the simplicity that made it easy to recommend to price-sensitive players, parents, second-room buyers, and Game Pass subscribers who wanted the lowest-cost current-generation box.
That does not make the Series S obsolete, but it changes the decision tree. At £429.99 for 512GB, storage becomes part of the purchase calculation much earlier, especially for players who install large current-generation games. At £519.99 for the 1TB model, the Series S is no longer operating in a clearly separate budget tier from where premium consoles were previously expected to sit. For a buyer comparing the Series S price rise against a used console, a bundle, a PC upgrade, or simply waiting, Microsoft’s lower-power option now has to defend itself on ecosystem and convenience rather than raw affordability.
Microsoft blames memory and storage costs, with more pressure forecast
The clearest stated reason for the increase comes from Microsoft’s June explanation, quoted by VGC. Xbox said the decision was driven by “the current components crisis” affecting consumer electronics. The company specifically said console storage and memory prices had increased by more than 2.5 times, and that it expected another doubling by fall 2027.
That is the confirmed corporate rationale, and it matters because it frames this Xbox price increase as a hardware input-cost problem rather than a normal late-generation pricing move. Console generations have traditionally trended toward cheaper hardware over time, helped by manufacturing efficiencies, revisions, bundles, and a larger software base. VGC notes that, for the first time in gaming history, all three major console manufacturers are implementing price increases at a time when price cuts would usually be expected.
The unusual part is not that components can become expensive. The unusual part is that the pressure is strong enough for Microsoft gaming hardware to become more expensive so late in the cycle. VGC reports that Microsoft raised Xbox console prices twice last year, and says the latest rise leaves the Xbox Series X disc-drive model $300 more expensive than it was at launch in 2020, while the Series S is 50 percent more expensive. Those figures turn the August 2026 update from a one-off adjustment into another move in a sustained upward pricing trend.
Xbox is not facing this in isolation, but its position is different
Sony has also raised console prices. VGC reports that in April, Sony increased PlayStation 5 hardware pricing, with the cheapest Digital Edition PS5 rising by $100 to $599.99, £519.99, and €599.99, while the PS5 Pro rose by $150 to $899.99, £789.99, and €899.99. That comparison supports Microsoft’s argument that component pressure is industry-wide, rather than limited to Xbox.
The market context still differs. Eurogamer reports that Xbox saw a 10 percent drop in content and services revenue in its latest financial quarter. The same outlet also reported that Microsoft announced 3,200 layoffs across its Xbox gaming division earlier in July, with 1,600 cuts taking effect immediately, and said studios including Bethesda and id Software were affected by staffing issues amid greater scrutiny of Microsoft’s gaming business.
Those are separate developments, but they shape how the price increase lands. A console price rise is easier to absorb when the hardware business is growing cleanly, the platform message is stable, and buyers expect strong long-term support. Xbox is asking UK and European customers to pay substantially more at a moment when recent reporting has centered on layoffs, lower content and services revenue, and continuing questions around the shape of Microsoft’s console strategy. Wccftech also argues that the increases make Xbox’s sales prospects tougher, though that is the outlet’s interpretation rather than a figure Microsoft has disclosed.
The buyer strategy has changed: wait, compare bundles, and watch old stock
For anyone shopping now, the most important confirmed detail is that the new prices are already active. Microsoft announced the August 1 timing in June, according to VGC and Wccftech, but the UK and European numbers were only fully visible once the increase was implemented. Metro reports that the Microsoft website updated to reflect the new UK prices, meaning buyers should not assume official store pricing will revert or that a formal local announcement will bring a second window at the old rates.
That pushes practical buying advice toward caution. If you are set on Xbox hardware, check multiple retailers for remaining old-price inventory, bundles, and used or refurbished units before paying the new list price. The sources provided do not confirm any trade-in programs, official discounts, or temporary rebates tied to the increase, so any cheaper deal should be treated as retailer-specific until Microsoft says otherwise.
For new players choosing between Series S and Series X, the gap still exists, but its meaning has changed. The 512GB Series S remains the cheapest new Xbox console in the UK and Europe, yet the higher price makes storage limitations harder to ignore. The 1TB Series S now asks buyers to pay close to what premium Xbox hardware used to cost, while the Series X sits at a level where every feature, including the disc drive, 1TB storage, and higher-end performance target, has to carry more weight in the decision.
The forward-looking read is simple: Microsoft has made the console side of the Xbox ecosystem more expensive at the exact moment the old late-cycle bargain logic has broken down. The confirmed reason is component cost pressure, especially memory and storage. The unresolved question is how many UK and European buyers will still enter the Xbox ecosystem through dedicated hardware when the price of admission has moved this far upward.