It’s been a long time, actually we expected movements related to the prices of Xbox devices and services and in fact, in recent months we have been noticing some movements in this regard (timid, yes). But it is also true that the complicated situation that Microsoft is facing when trying to buy Activision-Blizzard King has made everything rare, which certainly affected Redmond’s plans in this regard.

However, in February of this year, we already noticed movements in this direction, with Xbox Series X and Series S price hikes in Sweden, shortly after doing a similar promotion in Japan. What happened in the land of the rising sun reached us very far, but the price increase in Sweden had a completely different meaning, because in this case we are already talking about a country that is part of the European Union, i.e. it will catch us much closer in more ways than one.

At the time, we all understood the movement as reaction to Sony’s PlayStation 5 price hike, which took place last summer. And because? Well, because a few months later, in October 2022, Phil Spencer already made us understand that the question was not if there would be a price increase or not, but when. So we’ve been waiting for “Xbox” and “price hikes” to make headlines ever since.

Well, the time has come and it extends, as I said earlier, to both devices and services. As we can read in The Verge, Microsoft is set to raise the price of Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass subscriptions, in this case at least in console and Ultimate modes. So, at least from the information released by the said media, it seems that both Xbox Series S and Game Pass for PC would be saved from the said rise, at least for now.

But then, What increases are announced for Spain?

• On the one hand, we have a top-of-the-line console, xbox series xwhose current price (the one it has maintained since launch, at the end of 2020) is 499.99 euros and which will increase by 50 euros, placement at 549.99 euros.
• Xbox Game Pass for consolewhich currently costs 9.99 euros per month, will become more expensive by one euro, i.e. more expensive 10.99 euros per month.
• And a top modality of service, Xbox Game Pass Ultimatewhich today has a monthly fee of 12.99 euros, will see an increase of 2 euros, so that its subscribers will pay €14.99 per month.

The next question, of course, is when the prices will change, and the answer is these changes will be applied in August. Specifically, current users of the two Game Pass modalities affected by the price increase will have their monthly fees reflected from August 13. However, for new subscribers, the price increase will start much earlier, namely on July 6. And as for the console, the price hike will be effective from August 1st. So if you’ve been thinking about getting one, you have a little less than a month and a half to go.

But the interesting thing is that Microsoft decided Don’t raise the prices of Xbox Series S or Game Pass for PC. Maybe save them for later? Maybe it’s related to the positions you’ve been taking for a long time in disputes with regulators that prevent the acquisition of ABK? Hopefully one day Microsoft will explain its reasons to us, but today we can speculate with many and very plausible possibilities.