A new story indicates that first-party Xbox games will see their price tag get raised. Most Xbox Series X|S games cost $60, but 2023 games such as Starfield, Redfall, and Forza Motorsport will now reportedly cost $70.
Sony prices all PlayStation 5 games at the $70 price tag. Some PC games, such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, share that price tag.
“We’ve held on price increases until after the holidays so families can enjoy the gift of gaming. Starting in 2023 our new, built for next-gen, full-priced games, including Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, will launch at $69.99 USD on all platforms,” a Microsoft told Windows Central. “This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles. As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch.”
One interesting note about the quote from Microsoft is the phrase “build for next-gen” The games listed (Forza, Redfall, and Starfield) are all set to launch exclusively on Xbox Series X|S and PC. There will not be any Xbox One versions of these games. It seems that Microsoft is using this as their logic to raise the price of first-party Xbox games.
Microsoft has not mentioned any plans to raise the cost of a Game Pass subscription. If you’re still looking to play first-party games from Xbox, they’ll be in Game Pass on the same day as their retail release.