Microsoft increases dollar recommended prices for ‘next-gen’ games for all platforms

Microsoft will increase the suggested retail prices of first-party games in the United States from $60 to $70 for all platforms from 2023. It is not clear whether such games will also become more expensive in the Benelux.

In a statement mentions Microsoft include Redfall, Starfield and Forza Motorsport as examples of games that will become ten dollars more expensive from the respective releases next year. The company said: “We have not yet applied the recommended retail price increase so that families can enjoy games this holiday season. From 2023, our full-priced games built for next-gen, such as Forza Motorsport, Redfall and Starfield, $70 on all platforms.”

The price increase is in line with suggested retail prices from other major publishers including Sony, Take-Two Interactive and Ubisoft. Microsoft states: “This award reflects the content, scale and technical complexity of these titles.” Xbox boss Phil Spencer recently warned that a price increase for Microsoft games was ‘inevitable’. The company emphasizes that first-party games will be available via Game Pass immediately after release.

Since the release of the current generation of consoles two years ago, many publishers have already switched to a higher suggested retail price for major games; Usually the price in the Benelux also went from 60 to between 65 and 75 euros, depending on the title. It is therefore very likely that all games that fall under Microsoft’s gaming branch will from now on cost 70 euros as standard.