First-party Xbox Series X|S games will be $70 starting 2023

Microsoft announced its first-party Xbox games on the Xbox Series X|S will be bumped up to $70. Starting in 2023 with Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield, the publisher is following the price hike trend that's begun with the current generation of console games. 

Speaking to IGN, a Microsoft representative explained that the price increase "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.”

Back in October, Xbox head Phil Spencer vaguely alluded to having to "raise the prices on certain things," but confirmed such raises wouldn't come during the holiday season.

New games have launched at $60 since the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 era, and amidst frequent conversations of a price increase, a hike never came during that generation, or the PlayStation 4/Xbox One era that followed. 

But in 2020, just before the PlayStation 5's release, Sony announced that its first-party titles would now cost $70. Publishers such as 2K, EA, and Ubisoft have since followed suit, with the latter confirming its transition to the new price point would begin with the eventual release of Skull & Bones. 

Though Game Pass will help alleviate the burn of this price increase, particularly for titles like Starfield, it remains unclear if Microsoft will stop at just games. The day Sony announced it would increase the PS5's price in non-US markets like China and Japan, Microsoft quickly confirmed the Xbox Series X|S consoles wouldn't get a price hike.