Microsoft has announced price increases for Xbox Series X and Game Pass in most countries

Microsoft is raising the prices of Xbox Series X and Game Pass in the vast majority of countries. This was reported by Engadget.

Starting August 1st, the Xbox Series X will cost CAD$650 in Canada, £480 in the UK, €550 in most European countries, and AU$800 in Australia.

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” Xbox communications chief Kari Perez explained. “These Game Pass price adjustments are not related to the Activision Blizzard deal and are intended to match local market conditions.”

Xbox Game Pass will soon increase in price by $1 to $11 per month, and Game Pass Ultimate will increase by $2 to $17. The cost of PC Game Pass will not change, while Xbox Game Pass will not increase in Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia.

The changes will go into effect for new Xbox Game Pass members on July 6. But for existing subscribers, they will not apply until August 13 (September 13 in Germany). Game Pass owners with an annual code won’t be affected by the changes until it’s time to renew.

The Xbox Series S price remains unchanged in all markets at $250 (or local equivalent).

We will remind that recently Microsoft announced a new console Carbon Black Xbox Series S with 1 TB of memory. It will be available worldwide from September 1 and will cost $349.99. The console has the same hardware power as the original Series S. But on the outside, it is finished in matte black, like its older “sister” Series X.