Xbox backtracks on $80 pricing for first party games following fan backlash

In a move out of the blue, Xbox is reverting its $80 game pricing policy, much to fans' surprise. This will impact future first-party games, starting with the upcoming sci-fi RPG, The Outer Worlds 2. Considering how much backlash the company has received for this price raise until now, this move will no doubt delight fans looking forward to the Holiday 2025 season.

This article covers the green team's current stance on $80 pricing and what it means for upcoming games. Read on to learn more.

---

Xbox reverts $80 pricing starting with The Outer Worlds 2, offers refunds for pre-orders

This news was confirmed by various Xbox social media handles, including the official The Outer Worlds X page. Xbox will offer refunds to those who pre-purchased the upcoming hotly anticipated sequel to the acclaimed 2019 game at its original price of $79.99. In other words, players can now pre-order the game at its new base pricing of $69.99.

The official statement reads as follows:

“We’re focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99 – in line with current market conditions.”

For a franchise that is known for clearly poking fun at the pitfalls of modern capitalism, many fans found the egregious $80 price tag was a tad too on the nose. Interestingly, it hasn't even been that long since this price hike was announced back in May 2025.

After all, even the developers at Obsidian Entertainment were alarmed by this hike and wished the game was priced fairly; but ultimately, the decision is up to the publisher, Microsoft. Thankfully, it seems like the public backlash was loud enough to make a difference this quickly, in just two months.

Since the advent of the ninth generation of consoles with the PS5 and Xbox Series platforms, gamers have been vocal about price hikes to $70, which were bumped up even further to $80 recently. While publishers cite ballooning budgets as the reason behind these changes, the fact remains that such pricing diminishes the consumers' purchasing power.

While this move from Microsoft is a step in the right direction, the fight is not over yet. Other publishers continue to offer games at $80, with Nintendo's Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2 being a prominent hot-button topic in the industry right now. Here's to hoping this latest trend from Microsoft sets something significant in motion.