Xbox console prices are about to rise for the second time in a year, just before GTA VI launches — so you really don't want to miss this Xbox Series X deal at Walmart while it lasts

Microsoft has just announced that the price of the Xbox Series X and Series S consoles will increase "effective August 1, 2026" in a post on Xbox News Wire. Specifically, the company says that "The price of XBOX consoles will increase by US$100 for 512 GB models and US$150 for 1 TB models. We will also be sunsetting our 2 TB model."

We don't have confirmation on what this will mean in countries outside the US, but we know there will be changes worldwide; the question is how much.

This will make the prices of Xbox consoles in the US as follows:

So the Xbox Series S now costs the same as the Series X used to, and is the same price as the PS5 Digital Edition currently costs (though we'll see if that changes again too…).

Fortunately, you have a chance to beat the price rise at the moment — Walmart has a great discount on the 1TB disc version currently.

We're getting into a real crunch point when it comes to price rises caused by the AI-driven memory crisis.

Apple has just announced a huge suite of price rises having resisted as long as possible, and the price of the Steam Machine shocked people who were hoping for something more console-level — but Valve says the memory companies had them over a barrel, basically.

It's hard to say if the price rise coming just before the GTA IV launch is a cynical move by Xbox, or if letting us know six weeks in advance, during a sales event, just after GTA VI pre-orders went live is doing us a favor — I'm inclined to lean towards the latter.