Xbox Series consoles could face another price increase soon, with a leaker saying Microsoft has warned partners about serious RAM shortages and that it could affect the Xbox hardware very soon.
Xbox players have already watched prices climb more than once in 2025 alone. Back in May, Microsoft pushed the US price of the Xbox Series X from $499.99 to $599.99, moved the 512 GB Xbox Series S from $299.99 to $379.99, and set the 2 TB Galaxy Black model at $729.99.
Then, starting October 3, there was a second round of US hikes, with the 512 GB Series S rising again to $399.99, the 1 TB Series S to $449.99, the all-digital Series X to $599.99, the standard Series X to $649.99, and the 2 TB special edition jumping to $799.99, with some accessories also creeping up in price this year.
Subscription users got hit, too. Game Pass recently went through its biggest overhaul so far, with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate jumping from $19.99 to $29.99 a month, PC Game Pass going up as well, and the old tiers reshuffled under new names.
Now, a new claim suggests another price increase for Xbox’s current-generation consoles could be on the way, and it may not be far off.
Leaker claims RAM shortages are putting pressure on Xbox
The new claims come from a new video by tech YouTuber and leaker Moore’s Law Is Dead, who says he has spoken with multiple contacts at memory makers, retailers, and partners. The video focuses on OpenAI‘s huge long-term memory deals with Samsung and SK hynix that could lock in up to around 900,000 DRAM wafers a month, which some estimates say could be close to 40% of the world’s total DRAM output once it is fully ramped.
This massive deal led to panic buying of RAMs from other companies, creating a serious shortage that is already forcing up costs for everyone who needs large amounts of RAM or GDDR.
In short, the idea is that AI data centers are taking a huge chunk of the total memory supply. That leaves less room for more “normal” products like graphics cards, laptops, and yes, consoles. Vendors who did not secure long-term supply earlier now have to fight over what is left at much higher prices.
When it comes to Xbox specifically, the leaker claims that Microsoft’s console business is about to feel the pressure much sooner than expected. According to his sources, Microsoft has apparently warned certain partners that RAM shortages could impact Xbox Series consoles “very, very soon.”
“[Microsoft] didn’t plan ahead at all, apparently,” Moore’s Law is Dead said in the video. “If you still want an Xbox for some reason at their current pricing, those prices could go up soon, or supply could just entirely dry up because multiple sources of mine have apparently been warned by sales reps at Microsoft that this is going to affect the Xbox Series consoles very, very soon. Sooner rather than later.”
On the other side, the insider says PlayStation is in a stronger position for now. His claim is that Sony bought massive amounts of GDDR6 when prices were low, giving the PS5 more breathing room for the next couple of months.
“From what I’ve heard, Sony planned ahead, bought up gobs of RAM near the bottom of the pricing, and thus they should be fine for months,” he said. “They have plenty of GDDR6, at least that’s what I’m told. Prices could go up eventually; I could see that happening next year… but there is a reason Sony is cutting PlayStation 5 pricing for Black Friday.
“They aren’t just doing this as some extreme move or because sales are bad. They can afford to do it; apparently, they are not worried about the RAM shortage, at least in the short to mid term.”
The Game Post has reached out to Microsoft for a comment on these claims and will update this story if we receive a response. As always with this sort of thing, none of this is official, so it should be taken with a grain of salt until Microsoft or Sony comments.
All of this lands at the same time, Xbox president Sarah Bond is out there talking about what comes after the Series X and Series S. In a recent interview with Fortune, she said that “hardware is absolutely core to everything that we do at Xbox,” and said the team is working on a next-generation console that will be a “powerful experience” for players.
In a separate chat about the future console with Mashable, Bond described the next Xbox as “a very premium, very high-end curated experience,” hinting at a more PC like hybrid system that shares some of the thinking behind the ROG Xbox Ally handhelds and is built around Windows-style flexibility.
What do you think about the idea of RAM shortages pushing Xbox prices even higher than they are now? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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