Bad news for gamers, as Microsoft has announced that they are officially increasing the prices of the Xbox Series X and the Xbox GAme Pass subscription service in all countries except for the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia.

Speaking to The Verge, Xbox head of communications Kari Perez said:

“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market.”

Starting from 1 August 2023, the Xbox Series X will be priced at £479.99 in the UK, €549.99 in the rest of Europe, CA$649.99 in Canada, and AU$799.99 in Australia. However, the Xbox Series S price will remain the same at US$249.99.

Meanwhile, the Xbox Game Pass price will increase starting on 6 July 2023. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will move from US$14.99 per month to US$16.99. The base Xbox Game Pass for Xbox consoles price will also move from US$9.99 a month up to US$10.99.

However, Microsoft is not changing the price for the PC Game Pass. This is especially important for countries like Malaysia and others where the PC Game Pass is the only option. What this means is that the price will remain at only RM15 for Malaysian gamers.

Plus, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass for Consoles aren’t officially available in Malaysia anyways, so the price hike doesn’t really affect us much.

If you’re an existing Game Pass monthly subscriber, then these new recurring prices won’t take effect until 13 August 2023, or 13 September 2023 in Germany. New Xbox Game Pass members will see the new prices immediately on 6 July 2023. If you’re subscribed to Xbox Game Pass through a yearly code, the new pricing won’t take effect until you renew your subscription.

Most markets will be affected by the Xbox Game Pass price increases, with the exception of some countries such as Norway, Chile, Denmark, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia.