Microsoft Reveals First-Party Triple-A Games Will Get A Price Increase in 2023

Written by Brandon Hofer on December 05, 2022

News: The biggest titles coming from Xbox Game Studios will go up to $70 next year although you can still download for free as a Game Pass member.

Before the start of the current generation, we knew game prices would most likely go up since they had been stagnant for so long, at least in the United States. It took over two years but Microsoft has finally announced that their first-party games will now cost $70 instead of $60, beginning in 2023. It is being reported by IGN that the first games that will see this price increase will include Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield.

"This price reflects the content, scale, and technical complexity of these titles," a Microsoft spokesperson told IGN. "As with all games developed by our teams at Xbox, they will also be available with Game Pass the same day they launch.”

Microsoft isn’t the first company to raise the price of its games. Earlier in the generation, Sony raised their prices for first-party games, along with third-party companies now charging $70 for their Triple-A titles. It is becoming the new normal for big-budget blockbuster titles and it was going to happen sooner or later with how much development costs have skyrocketed, not to mention the overall global economic outlook right now.

Earlier this year Meta raised the price of their Quest 2 VR headset. Sony also raised the price of the PlayStation 5 in some markets. Nintendo hasn’t raised the price of the Switch yet, however, it is possible that they eventually will due to the aforementioned economic conditions. Similarly, Microsoft said a few months ago that they don’t have any plans to raise the price of Xbox consoles, however, that might also change in 2023. Both Nintendo and Microsoft raising prices for their respective hardware is pure speculation right now of course, but I can see it happening in 2023.

From a consumer standpoint, prices going up is never a good thing. With that said though, this makes Microsoft’s Game Pass service an even more incredible deal. While that too might see a price increase at some point, for now, you can subscribe to their service and download all of their first-party games for free as a member the day they release, including the new Forza Motorsport, Redfall, and Starfield.