Microsoft will increase the price of first-party Xbox games in 2023 from $59.99 to $69.99, the company Polygon has confirmed. IGN first reported the news. The new higher price applies to games like those from Bethesda Game Studios starfieldShoot 10 Studios’ Forza Motorsportand arcane redfallall of which are due next year.
The price increase “reflects the content, scope and technical complexity of these titles,” Microsoft said in a statement. The company reiterated that these games will be available through Game Pass, Microsoft’s subscription service for Xbox consoles and Windows PCs, which starts at $9.99 a month.
“We’ve maintained the price increases past the holiday so families can enjoy the gift of gaming,” a Microsoft spokesman said in a statement sent to Polygon. “Starting in 2023, our new games built for next-gen will be full-priced, including forza Motorsports, redfalland starfield, launching on all platforms for $69.99. This price reflects the content, scope and technical complexity of these titles. Like all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they are released.”
Xbox boss Phil Spencer announced the upcoming price increase in October, saying: “We have kept the price of our console the same; We kept the price of games and our subscription. I don’t think we’ll be able to do this forever. I think at some point we need to raise some prices on certain things, but prior to this holiday we felt it was really important that we keep the prices we have.”
Microsoft’s increased price for first-party Xbox games and their PC counterparts will match prices from other current-gen publishers, including Sony Interactive Entertainment, Ubisoft and Take-Two Interactive. These companies sell new games like God of War Ragnarok, Assassin’s Creed Mirageor the NBA 2K Series priced at $69.99.
