Alongside PlayStation and Nintendo, Xbox has stood out among the 21st century’s premier gaming console brands. Like its competition, advancements in technology, including future Xbox tech that might let you digitize physical games, and price inflation have ultimately caused the brand’s consoles to rise in price as they’ve advanced and produced new systems. Thus, its current-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X/S, are far more expensive than their ancestor, the original Xbox, from 25 years ago.
As of September 2026, the Xbox Series X is sold for between $749.99 and $899.99 on the official Xbox website — depending on the storage size and edition you opt for. An Xbox Series S, which only plays digital titles, is so much cheaper than its sister console, checking out between $499.99 and $599.99 MSRP.
Conversely, the original Xbox’s retail price was only $299 back when it launched in November 2001. That figure amounts to approximately $564.59 when adjusted for inflation. As with any retro console, the Xbox naturally had less complex hardware, features, and functionality compared to its six-year-old relatives, the Series X/S. That price, however, does not take into account how much your original Xbox is today on the resale market; some consoles sell for as low as $48, per Price Charting. Graded consoles and special editions, on the other hand, could be worth thousands of dollars.
Xbox prices are rapidly rising
Upgrades in hardware, technology, and features, as well as inflation, naturally caused Xbox prices to rise through the years as Microsoft continued pumping out new consoles. The original Xbox’s successor, the Xbox 360, originally matched its parent console’s retail price of $299.99 in 2005, though it also offered a premium edition sold for $100 more. Other versions of the console, including the Xbox 360 Elite, drove the price up to $479.99 due to upgrades like increased storage space and an HDMI port, and accessories bundled with it.
The Xbox One hit shelves in 2014 for $499. Subsequent hardware revisions, including the Xbox One S, which came in 500 GB, 1 TB, and 2 TB models, were offered for $299, $349, and $399, respectively. Their beefier brother, the Xbox One X, was unveiled in 2017 as a 1 TB model sold for $499. Even today, Xbox’s current-gen console prices are rapidly climbing before consumers’ eyes. Before the Xbox Series X/S reached their 2026 MSRP, the consoles originally went for $499 and $299 at their 2020 launch.
Both, however, have risen approximately $200 to $300 depending on the model and edition you choose, thus giving gamers a good reason not to wait to buy an Xbox Series X. The limited edition Xbox 25th anniversary console, the Series X25, is priced at $899.99. Regardless of which one you choose, it’s inevitable you’ll be purchasing something far more expensive than the retro device you used to campaign in “Halo 2” and haphazardly drive around a fictional state in “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas” back in the day.
