Should you buy an Xbox in 2025?

In an age where “everything is an Xbox,” I've never felt less inclined to play an actual Xbox console. Previous generations, like the Xbox 360, had the allure of exclusivity as it was the only place where you could play titles from series like Fable and Gears of War. But the tech giant’s cross-platform changes and remote play capabilities on everything from your smartphone to your gaming laptop, mean that almost every major Xbox release can be played elsewhere.

Even some of the best features of the Xbox Series X/S, including access to a vast digital game library, day-one releases on Game Pass Ultimate and compatibility with the best Xbox accessories can be accessed through a gaming PC, and with one you also get all the usual PC advantages at your fingertips instead of a minimally upgradable console. At launch, the Series X/S made sense as a lower-cost alternative to PCs and its current-gen rivals like the PS5, especially as finding the best Xbox Series X bundle deals was an easy feat. But the multi-platform releases and recent price hikes have left me questioning if anyone should buy an Xbox in 2025.

Price

The Xbox Series X and S launched way back on November 10, 2020, for $499 / £499 and $299 / £200, respectively. To put that into perspective, Sony’s PlayStation 5 launched with its Disc Edition for $499.99 / £499.99, and $399.99 / £359.99 for its Digital Edition just two days afterwards.

At the time, Microsoft stated it was the “company’s largest console launch” on the official Xbox Wire company blog. Of course, for just $499.99, players were getting a device that was boasted as being twice as powerful as the Xbox One, a machine that could match the power of some gaming PCs, at a fraction of the price.

The Xbox was even more attractive to players who wanted access to the latest releases but didn’t have all the cash in the world once the Digital Edition Xbox Series X dropped on October 15, 2024. It was $50 cheaper at just $449.99 / £429.99, and pairing it with an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription at the time was one of the most budget-friendly ways to get involved with the latest generation of Microsoft hardware, which is what helped make the Xbox so alluring to just about everyone.

Where the cost of the consoles got even more intriguing lay in the discounts that followed. In the 5 years since the Series X and S first landed, finding the best Xbox Series X bundle deals was a piece of cake, with both iterations of the Microsoft machines regularly seeing discounts across the biggest retailers from anywhere between $50 to $200 off. If that were still the case, I'd whole heartedly recommend buying a disc edition, or all digital Xbox this year.

But all good things must come to an end, and as recently as May 1, Xbox announced that it has “adjusted recommended retailer pricing” of its consoles, games, controllers, and other accessories. This price hike concerned not just the US, but the UK and Europe too, and has meant that the Series X has increased by $100, with an MSRP now of $599.99. Meanwhile, the 512GB version of the Series S was increased by $80 (now $379.99). The most egregious change came down to the limited edition Galaxy Black Xbox Series X, which launched with 2TB worth of storage just last year. Now, instead of $599.99, the upgraded console is $729, a whopping increase of $130.

Typically, consoles and gaming hardware get cheaper as the years go on, not more expensive. But the recent tariff upheaval has meant Xbox players and prospective Xbox console owners have taken a hit. The recent price increase has not only meant that this ninth generation of Xbox hardware is less affordable than ever, but the newest Xbox Series X is even more expensive than the PS5 Pro.

It's also now possible to stick to the tech you already have to play the latest releases. If you already have a gaming PC capable of playing most modern AAA games, you can grab PC Game Pass for just $35.99 at Amazon, which will give you access to all the games available on the subscription service. And if you don’t like playing with a mouse and keyboard setup, you could grab one of the best Xbox Series X controllers and still fork out less cash than the $100 price hike. That's not even considering the fact that, yes, your phone can now play Xbox games provided you have decent enough internet and maybe a mobile controller.

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Verdict: If you’re on a budget, the recent price hikes have made both the launch Xbox Series X/S and the refreshed iterations difficult to recommend, especially if you already have access to a reasonably powerful PC, or even a tablet, smartphone, or PC handheld, which can also run Game Pass and other Xbox games.

Games

One of the main reasons why anyone wants to stick with a brand of consoles is down to its exclusive games. But if you want to play any big releases from the ever-growing repertoire of Xbox-owned studios and developers, an Xbox Series X/S isn't the only place to find them.

Until April 30, 2024, Rare’s pirate adventure Sea of Thieves was only found on the Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and through the Xbox PC app. But now, it, along with other previously exclusive titles like Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment, can all be found on the PS5 and other platforms. Ensuring even those on the PS5 can experience what some of the best Xbox games have to offer is a nice pro-consumer move on behalf of Microsoft. Without those exclusives, there’s less of a need to actually own a Series X/S.

Of course, the main draw of this generation of Xbox consoles is the same as the Xbox One, and it's all about that precious Xbox Game Pass. You definitely can’t access that on the PS5. Just this month, both the Oblivion Remaster and Clair Obscur Expedition 33 are available for free for existing Game Pass members, both games you’d have to pay for separately if you want access on Sony's console instead. Plus, there’s a massive existing game library available through the service.

But Xbox Game Pass isn’t just available on the Series X/S. You can buy a monthly subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and get access to all the same games, but on your PC. If you already have a reasonably high-powered desktop lying around, just paying for a Game Pass subscription is going to save you a lot of cash as opposed to buying a whole fancy new piece of gaming tech. The Xbox Cloud Gaming app also means you can turn just about everything into an Xbox, just like Microsoft's marketing says.

Verdict: The best Xbox games, including day-one releases on Game Pass, can be accessed on other platforms. Plus, the existence of the Xbox Cloud Gaming app means you don’t need an actual Xbox console to play Xbox games, as “everything” is an Xbox if you try hard enough.

Setup & Hardware

I'm not going to get into the nitty and gritty details of comparing the launch model Series X's Custom AMD Radeon GPU and its 16 GB of GDDR6 RAM to the PS5, upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, and other current-gen console iterations. Instead, I want to point out one of the biggest remaining motivators as to why someone may want to still buy an Xbox console in 2025 - ease of use.

Sure, you'll going to get more value out of a high-powered gaming PC, but gaming on a PC isn't going to be as straightforward as setting up an Xbox device.

Those who just want a platform to play Oblivion Remastered without messing around with settings are going to naturally be more drawn to a console instead. A gaming PC requires not just the appropriate space and wealth of accessories from the best gaming keyboards and the best gaming mouse, but also ensuring all of your drivers are up to date and more, which can put off anyone who isn't the least bit tech savvy. On the other hand, an Xbox Series X or S comes with everything you need, so long as you have a compatible TV (or gaming monitor) and a good internet connection at the ready.

If an easy setup is a high priority, then buying an Xbox makes a lot of sense even in 2025. You don't have to tinker around with any confusing in-game settings to be able to play the latest Xbox games, and you can just download or pop in the disc, and you're good to go.

Not to mention, upgrading your Xbox Series X/S storage, so you have more space for all those precious Game Pass downloads, is easier than it would be on a gaming PC. Unfortunately, the Xbox consoles of this generation don't have any M.2 ports, so you do have to buy storage specifically licensed and designed for Xbox hardware in mind.

This also limits how you use the storage as you can only store games on licensed drives, and can't play Xbox games directly from them like the best SSDs for PS5.

That being said, it does mean that adding new storage is a lot easier, as you don't have to pop open your Xbox to give it a little storage boost. The official Seagate expansion card, and other compatible drives, just attaches via one of the console's USB ports, so even the least tech-savvy individual could easily give the console more space.

Verdict: If you don't have the means to fork out on a high-powered gaming PC and all the components that go with it, or just want a straightforward setup, picking up an Xbox Series X/S in 2025 is a valid choice. Your games will work from the get-go without any tedious prep involved. Adding extra storage is also as easy as popping a compatible drive.

Should you buy an Xbox Series X/S in 2025?

Overall, it's the current pricing of Xbox hardware and how that affects the value of what you can get out of the current-gen hardware, which is the primary factor of whether or not I'd recommend an Xbox in 2025. The recent price hike has brought even the most alluring version of the Series X, the digital model, up to $549.99, which is a lot to pay for a 5-year-old digital device. There’s also a chance you already have plenty of hardware around you that’s able to tap in and play Xbox games, as you can run the Xbox Cloud Gaming app without having access to a console at all.

Sure, you’ll need to make sure you have a stable enough internet connection to get the best experience. But modern Xbox consoles will need that anyway for downloading games and online multiplayer. The cloud gaming app can be set up on everything from most modern smartphones, gaming tablets, and even the Steam Deck. It’s not as straightforward as just loading up your Xbox console and selecting a game to play, though.

If you still haven’t picked up an Xbox Series X/S and simply prefer the ease of use of a console, by all means, go ahead and add one to your current setup. But its recent price hikes have made the Xbox experience on gaming PCs and other low-priced alternatives more attractive and easier to recommend than ever. If I weren't fortunate enough to own almost every bit of hardware this generation has to offer, I'd instead resort to grabbing a Game Pass Ultimate PC subscription for my PC, and put any fraction of the cost of new Xbox hardware towards future upgrades.

If you've already got an Xbox console, picking up one of the best Xbox Series X accessories, from the best Xbox Series X headsets to the best external hard drive for gaming, can help get you even more value out of your aging Microsoft machine.