On the day Rockstar has opened GTA 6 pre-orders, Microsoft has announced Xbox Series X|S will be receiving price increases due to the hardware component crisis. ‘Effective August 1, 2026, we will be updating prices worldwide. 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’. States Xbox on their blogpost. Starting from August, the cheapest way to play GTA 6, the Xbox Series S, just got $100 more expensive.

Here is an overview of all the increased prices:

• Xbox Series S 512 GB: $399 ➡️ $499
• Xbox Series S 1 TB: $449 ➡️ $549
• Xbox Series X 1 TB: $649 ➡️ $799
• Xbox Series X 1 TB Digital: $599 ➡️ $749

Not only has the Xbox Series S become significantly more expensive, but it’s also the weakest hardware of the bunch by a long shot. Even though you will be able to play GTA 6 on the Series S, how it will run remains to be seen. Most games run at 1080p, often with upscaled resolutions and inconsistent frame rates. For context, the Series S originally debuted at $299, meaning a whopping $200 price increase since launch.

Why you may want to upgrade now

If you are still stuck on last-generation hardware, such as the PS4 or Xbox One, and want to play GTA 6, it would be wise to buy a PS5 or Xbox Series console before August, as prices are likely to spiral even further out of control. The RAM crisis is caused by AI-companies such as OpenAI and Microsoft buying almost the entire supply of RAM worldwide (including Microsoft itself), with rapidly rising prices as a consequence.

In other recent news, Rockstar Games have announced all of the pre-order info such as price and what’s included within the various editions. Plus, PlayStation announced GTA 6 will ‘play best on PS5’ in a conjoined marketing effort.

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