Microsoft is once again increasing the standard retail price of its Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. This time it’s gamers in Sweden who are the unlucky ones that will have to pay a little extra for a next-gen Xbox console going forward.
Originally spotted by Gaming Deputy (and relayed by VGC), the Xbox Series X now costs 6,195 SEK (roughly $599) in Sweden. That’s a relatively significant increase when compared to its original launch price of 5,695 SEK (roughly $550). The entry-level Xbox Series S has also seen a similar rise jumping from 3,595 SEK ($347) to 3,894 SEK ($376). These price changes are effective immediately.
Sweden is not the first country to experience an Xbox Series X price hike. Last month Microsoft confirmed that the price of its flagship console in Japan would rise from ¥54,978 ($421) to ¥59,978 ($460), the Xbox Series S also increased from ¥32,278 ($247) to ¥37,978 ($291).
An official statement at the time aimed to justify the increase by calling it a “difficult decision to make” and explaining that “after carefully evaluating the market condition of Japan” it had been determined a change to the suggested retail price of Xbox consoles was necessary for the region.
No such comment has been made in regard to this latest Xbox price increase in Sweden, but we can presume the reasoning for the decision is similar. Fortunately, as of writing, there hasn’t been any indication that this price increase will be rolled out further across Europe. There is also no suggestion that a price increase will make its way over to the U.S. and the Xbox Series X console continues to be available for $499 — the same price it launched at back in November 2020.
Nevertheless, price increases for popular tech products are becoming increasingly common as the market reacts to ballooning manufacturing costs. Last August, Sony increase the price of the PS5 in several regions, including the U.K. and around the same time Meta raised the price of the Quest 2 VR headset by $100. Neither of these products has permanently returned to their previous recommended retail price over the last six months, although the Quest 2 has been on sale multiple times since.
Xbox’s Phil Spencer did warn gamers that Microsoft would not be immune to this industry trend either. While the company maintained prices through the holiday season, Spencer forewarned that “at some point, we’ll have to raise some prices on certain things.” And this has proved to be true as it’s not just the Xbox Series X console that has got more expensive but also games as well. Xbox Studios games will now be priced at $70 on release, although this news is softened by the fact these games will continue to launch on Xbox Game Pass as well.
While gamers in the U.S. don’t currently need to worry about a price hike for Xbox hardware, that could well change in the future without much in the way of warning. So, if you’ve been weighing up purchasing a new Xbox console in recent months, now might be the time to pull the trigger. Plus, you’d be buying at a good time as 2023 is shaping up to be a pretty great year to be gaming on Xbox with the likes of Starfield, Redfall and a new Forza Motorsport game all on the horizon.
