Xbox has officially announced that it's raising prices on its first-party Xbox Series X and S games to $69.99 USD in 2023, starting with major titles like Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport.
"This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles," a Microsoft spokesperson tells IGN. "As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch."
Specific new price guidelines have not yet been announced for regions outside of the US. It's also important to note that this change has only been discussed in the context of new games, meaning it seemingly won't retroactively hike the price on the likes of Halo Infinite.
Xbox boss Phill Spencer hinted at potential price increases in an interview back in October. "We've held price on our console, we've held price on games... and our subscription. I don't think we'll be able to do that forever." Spencer said it was "important to maintain the prices" for the 2022 holiday season, but it seems that's changing in the new year.
The new pricing brings Xbox first-party in line with increasingly-standard prices across the industry. Xbox Game Pass makes the conversation slightly different here, however, as all these first-party titles will remain available as part of the monthly subscription.
Get 'em while they're (relatively) cheap - the best Xbox Series X games to play right now.
