The Xbox Series X Just Got More Expensive — Again
As of 1 August 2026, buying a brand-new Xbox Series X in the UK costs more than it ever has. Microsoft confirmed the increases on 25 June via Xbox Wire, and they are now live. This is the third price hike in roughly 15 months, and for UK buyers, the cumulative effect is hard to ignore.
The reason given is a genuine one: component costs. Microsoft stated on Xbox Wire that "console storage and memory prices have increased by more than 2.5x" and warned of a potential further doubling by late 2027. Market data backs this up — DRAM and NAND flash prices have been climbing sharply since late 2025, and consoles are especially exposed because, unlike phones or laptops, they are typically not sold at a profit. When component costs spike, the retail price follows directly.
This is not an isolated move. Nintendo has also signalled price increases for the Switch 2 globally, and the wider consumer electronics market is feeling the same squeeze. But that doesn't make an extra £100+ on a console any easier to swallow.
What the Hike Actually Means for UK Buyers
When the Xbox Series X launched in November 2020, it cost £449 in the UK. The Series S came in at £249. Those were the prices that set expectations for an entire console generation. Six years later, the pricing picture looks very different.
The August 2026 increases add US$100 to 512GB models and US$150 to 1TB models worldwide. UK-specific pricing had not been formally confirmed at the time of Microsoft's announcement, but regional hikes of a similar magnitude are widely expected to follow — exactly as they did after previous US increases fed through to UK retail. The 2TB Galaxy Black Special Edition has also been discontinued entirely and will not return.
What makes this hike sting particularly for UK buyers is the context. Five years into any normal console generation, you would typically expect prices to have dropped well below launch RRP — not risen significantly above it. That convention is now firmly broken.
Is the Xbox Series X Still Worth Buying After the Price Increase?
Yes — but not at full new retail price. The Series X remains a capable machine. It delivers true 4K gaming at up to 120fps, carries 16GB of GDDR6 RAM and 12 teraflops of GPU performance, and includes a physical disc drive that the digital-only Series S lacks entirely. Its backwards compatibility stretches across four generations of Xbox titles, and the library of Game Pass titles continues to grow. The hardware itself has not changed — only what Microsoft charges for a box off a shop shelf.
The value question is not really about whether the Series X is a good console. It is. The question is whether paying a new all-time high price for one makes sense when pre-hike stock and refurbished alternatives exist. For most buyers, the honest answer is no.
How Much Is a Refurbished Xbox Series X in the UK?
Refurbished Xbox Series X consoles in the UK typically sell for meaningfully less than new retail price — the exact gap depends on condition grade and seller, but professionally refurbished units in good condition tend to represent a saving in the range of 20–35% compared to new RRP, sometimes more. Critically, that saving is now calculated against a much higher baseline, which makes pre-hike refurbished stock even more attractive in real terms.
Even Microsoft itself acknowledged the shift in its August announcement. Alongside the price increases, Xbox cited certified refurbished consoles — available for up to US$100 off MSRP — and previously-owned stock through retail partners as official pathways for buyers priced out of new hardware. When the manufacturer starts directing customers toward the refurbished market in the same breath as a price hike, that tells you something about where the value now sits.
At Tech4Cash, we buy, professionally refurbish, and grade every console we sell. You can check our current refurbished console stock to see what's available right now — including Xbox Series X and Series S units that have been verified and are sold with warranty.
Series X vs Series S: Which Should You Buy Refurbished?
The Series S is the cheaper entry point, but it has real limitations worth understanding before you commit. The Series S delivers 1440p output (upscaled to 4K on some titles), runs 4 teraflops of GPU performance against the Series X's 12, carries 10GB of RAM rather than 16GB, and has no disc drive. Its 512GB of storage also fills up faster than you'd expect with modern game install sizes.
For casual gaming, smaller households, or anyone who relies entirely on Game Pass and digital downloads, the Series S is still a perfectly serviceable machine. But if you play graphically demanding titles, own a physical game library, or use the console as a media player as well as a games machine, the Series X is worth the extra spend — especially refurbished, where that gap narrows considerably.
The key point: buying a refurbished Series X from a reputable seller now lets you get the better machine at a price that increasingly undercuts a brand-new Series S at post-hike retail.
Why Refurbished Makes More Sense Now Than It Did Six Months Ago
The argument for buying refurbished has always been about value. What's changed is the scale of that value. Every time new RRP goes up, refurbished prices look comparatively better — but they do not automatically rise in lockstep with manufacturer hikes. That lag is where the opportunity sits right now.
There is also a sustainability angle that is easy to overlook. Every refurbished console sold is a piece of hardware that doesn't go to landfill. The recommerce market — buying, refurbishing, and reselling consumer electronics — reduces demand for new manufacturing and the component extraction that goes with it. In a market where component shortages are themselves partly driving price hikes, buying a device that already exists is a practical response, not just an ethical preference.
If you have an older console sitting unused — an Xbox One, a PS4, or even an original Series S — it still has value. Getting a quote to sell it puts money back in your pocket that can go toward your next purchase. You can get a quote for your console at Tech4Cash in a couple of minutes, with free collection from your doorstep across the North East and Manchester and instant payment on verification.
What to Look For in a Refurbished Xbox Series X
- Condition grading: Make sure the seller uses a clear, published grading system. At Tech4Cash, every device is graded and described honestly — you can read exactly how we grade our devices before you buy.
- Warranty: A refurbished console without a warranty is a risk not worth taking. Look for at least 90 days; reputable sellers offer 12 months as standard.
- Verification: The console should have been tested for full functionality — controllers, HDMI output, disc drive (on Series X), all ports, and storage health.
- What's included: Check whether a controller and HDMI cable are in the box. A console alone is only half the setup.
The price environment for new Xbox hardware is not going to improve any time soon — Microsoft's own language around component costs points to further pressure through 2027. Refurbished stock bought now, at pre-normalised pricing, is likely to look very sensible in hindsight.
Browse our current refurbished consoles to see what's in stock, or get an instant quote if you've got a console to sell.
