Xbox Prices From 2001 to 2026: Series X|S Hikes, Inflation and Memory Costs

Here is what the official sources confirm and where the BGR comparison needs some caveats.

The 2001 baseline: $299​

Microsoft's own press release from May 16, 2001, set the terms. It said Xbox consoles would be sold at retail across North America starting Nov. 8, 2001, at an estimated retail price of $299 (U.S.), with a footnote that reseller prices might vary. The console actually reached shelves a week later, on November 15, 2001, the release date PriceCharting records.

For that $299, buyers got a built-in hard disk and a broadband Ethernet port. That was unusual for a console at the time, even though Xbox Live didn't launch until 2002. A few details are worth keeping straight:

• $299 was a U.S. estimated retail price. Other regions paid other prices.
• "25 years ago" is approximate. The anniversary falls in mid-November 2026, so it's about seven weeks away.
• The inflation figure needs a caveat. BGR says $299 is worth about $564.59 after inflation, but it doesn't say which calculator or end date it used. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says its CPI calculator uses the average Consumer Price Index for a calendar year, or the latest monthly index for the current year. The adjusted number depends on those inputs, so treat $564.59 as BGR's estimate, not a settled figure. CPI tracks general consumer prices. It says nothing about how a 2001 console compares with a 2020s one.

Section summary: $299 in November 2001 is confirmed by Microsoft's own launch announcement. The inflation-adjusted figure is a reasonable ballpark, but no one has published the inputs behind it.

What Xbox costs in September 2026​

On September 28, 2026, Xbox's U.S. site listed these new consoles:

BGR's ranges ($749.99–$899.99 for Series X, $499.99–$599.99 for Series S) match these listings. Three points are easy to miss:

1. The top of the Series X range is a collector's item. The $899.99 Series X25 is a 25th-anniversary limited edition. It comes with a numbered console, a translucent "OG Green" X25 Special Edition controller and Halo: Campaign Evolved, and it's still a pre-order. The standard disc-drive Series X costs $799.99.
2. Not every Series X plays discs. The white $749.99 model is all-digital. Only the disc-drive versions have the 4K UHD Blu-ray drive.
3. The 2TB model is on its way out. Xbox Wire announced that Microsoft is "sunsetting our 2 TB model." It may still appear on the site for now, but don't expect it to stay.

Xbox's site also shows certified refurbished Series S units for less, including a 512GB model at $399.99. Those shouldn't be counted with the new-console prices. Xbox also notes that prices and availability can vary by retailer.

How we got from $499 to $799​

The biggest correction to a simple "prices rise over 25 years" story is timing. Most of the increase came in the past year.

The Series X|S launched on November 10, 2020, at US$499.99 / US$299.99. Microsoft then raised prices twice:

• October 2025: In its latest Xbox Wire post, Microsoft looked back on that round: "Last October, we increased XBOX console price by $20-$70 in the U.S."
• August 1, 2026: Microsoft announced on June 25 that the price of XBOX consoles will be increasing by US$100 for 512 GB models and US$150 for 1 TB models, worldwide.

The changes by model, per reporting compiled from Polygon, TechCrunch and Windows Central: the 1TB Xbox Series X (disc) moved from $649.99 to $799.99, a $150 increase, while the digital-only 1TB Series X climbed from $599.99 to $749.99, and the 512GB Xbox Series S rose from $399.99 to $499.99, and the 1TB Series S climbed even further, from $449.99 to $599.99.

Microsoft's stated reason isn't general inflation. It's the memory shortage that PC builders already know well. Xbox Wire said console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x and we expect another doubling by the fall of 2027. Several outlets, including The Shortcut, linked that squeeze to demand from AI data centers. The same pressure on DRAM and NAND has pushed up RAM kit, SSD and graphics card prices on the PC side.

In total, the Series X is up $300 from launch and the Series S is up $200. That matches BGR's "$200 to $300" estimate. A new Series S now costs the same $499.99 the flagship Series X cost at launch in 2020.

Section summary: Most of the gap between $299 and today's prices opened in the last 12 months, and Microsoft blames memory and storage costs.

The generations in between​

BGR also tracks the consoles between the original Xbox and Series X|S. Those figures match the well-documented historical record, though one date is off:

The correction: BGR says the Xbox One arrived in 2014, but it launched in North America in November 2013.

For two decades, base prices mostly stayed between $299 and $499, and mid-generation revisions usually lowered the price of getting in. The 2025–2026 increases broke that pattern. Current consoles got more expensive late in their life cycle instead of cheaper.

What an original Xbox costs now​

BGR says some original consoles sell for as little as $48 on PriceCharting, while graded and special editions can reach thousands. Both statements can be true, but $48 is at the far low end, not a typical price. At the time the page was checked, PriceCharting's estimates for the Xbox System were:

• Loose (console only): $93.14
• Complete in box: $222.48
• New/sealed: $1,355.67
• Graded: $2,368.82

Recent individual sales show the spread. A tested loose console sold for $76 on August 29, 2026. Other system-only sales that summer mostly fell between $50 and $100. Boxed units ranged from $131.50 to $300–$325, and one sealed console sold for $800 in June.

PriceCharting bases its estimates on completed sales and excludes unsold listings. Trading is thin: about one loose sale a week and one graded sale a year, so graded estimates can move a lot on a single sale.

If you're shopping for or selling a retro console, keep these in mind:

• Check the listing's condition labels. "Loose," "complete in box" and "sealed" are priced very differently.
• Look for "tested" and any refurbishment notes. Many sold listings mention new capacitors, fresh thermal paste or a replaced drive belt. Aging capacitors are a known weak point on original Xbox hardware, and a recapped unit is worth paying more for.
• Watch for known faults. One boxed listing sold with a "Reads Disc ERROR" note, and another mentioned a sticking tray. Old DVD drives are a common failure point.
• Don't overlook backward compatibility. Both Series X|S product pages say the consoles run thousands of Xbox One, Xbox 360 and original Xbox games, often with faster loading and better frame rates. It's a limited list, though, and the Series S and all-digital Series X can't read discs. If you already own original Xbox discs, you need a disc-drive Series X or original hardware.

Is the 2001-vs-2026 comparison fair?​

In one sense it is. Paying $299 then versus $499.99 to $799.99 now is a real difference for buyers. In another sense it isn't. A Series X in 2026 comes with an NVMe SSD, native 4K output, 120 FPS support and backward compatibility with four generations of Xbox games. The 2001 Xbox had an 8GB hard drive and a DVD drive. So the comparison says more about budgets than about value.

The inflation figure makes the point clearer. Even using BGR's roughly $565, today's cheapest new Xbox costs less than the 2001 launch price in inflation-adjusted terms, and the standard disc-drive Series X costs about $235 more. That supports what Microsoft has said about component costs. It's also a problem for a platform that is pushing Game Pass, cloud gaming and Xbox on PC. When the console gets this expensive, buying a new box looks less appealing, and the free Xbox app on Windows looks like an easier way in.

Bottom line​

• Then: $299 estimated retail price, launched November 15, 2001 in North America.
• Now (new, U.S. listings): $499.99 to $599.99 for Series S, $749.99 to $799.99 for standard Series X, and $899.99 for the limited X25 edition.
• Why now: Two price increases in October 2025 and August 2026, which Microsoft blames on memory and storage costs.
• Retro market: Loose original consoles typically sell for about $75–$100. Complete-in-box and sealed units cost much more, and graded examples are rare and priced unpredictably.

The original Xbox now costs less secondhand than a new controller plus a month of Game Pass Ultimate. The current consoles cost what a mid-range gaming PC used to. That says as much about the memory market in 2026 as it does about Xbox.