Console Prices Are Going Up: What to Buy Before September

Illustration by GamECLicKs.com, made with AI-assisted design tools.

If you have been putting off a console purchase, the next seven weeks are your window. Two confirmed price hikes land before fall: Microsoft raises the Xbox Series X disc model from $649.99 to $799.99 on August 1, and Nintendo lifts the Switch 2 from $449.99 to $499.99 on September 1. Sony already took its medicine back in March, which is why a standard PS5 now runs $649.99. Here is where every major system sits today, and where the smart money goes before the calendar turns.

The Price Board, July 2026

Update, August 2, 2026: The Xbox increase has now taken effect. Series X is $799.99, Series S is $499.99 (512GB) / $599.99 (1TB), and the 2TB edition is discontinued. The guidance below is preserved as originally published. See our follow-up on what the new pricing changes for current advice.

Correction, October 13, 2026: A September 6 update here said Sony reversed its PS5 price increase on August 21. That was wrong, and we have removed it. The PS5 prices in the table above, $649.99 disc and $899.99 Pro, are still correct. What we got wrong.

The Clock Is Loudest on Xbox Series X

A $150 jump is the largest single console price increase in recent memory, and it lands first. At $649.99 the Series X is a strong buy, offering true 4K hardware and the deepest subscription value in gaming through Game Pass Ultimate, which bundles over 400 titles, Day One access to every Microsoft exclusive, EA Play, and cloud streaming. At $799.99 it will sit just $100 below a PS5 Pro, and that comparison gets a lot less comfortable. If a Series X was ever in your plans, buy it in July.

→ Check current Xbox Series X pricing on Amazon

Switch 2: Take the Bundle, Beat Two Deadlines

Nintendo's hike is smaller, just $50, but there is a second deadline stacked in front of it. Through August 31, Nintendo's bundle promotion knocks up to $29.99 off a Switch 2 packaged with your pick of Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, or Pokémon Pokopia. Buy before September 1 with the bundle and you are effectively $80 ahead of an October buyer paying full freight plus a full-price game. The Switch 2 remains hard to discount because demand has not cooled, so waiting for a sale is not a realistic strategy here.

→ Check current Switch 2 availability on Amazon

PlayStation: No Deadline, But No Relief Either

Sony's March increases already pushed the disc PS5 to $649.99 and the Digital Edition to $599.99, with the PS5 Pro holding at $899.99. Nothing further has been announced, so there is no urgency, but there is also no reason to expect prices to come back down. The value plays in the PlayStation ecosystem right now are refurbished PS5 Slim disc bundles, which have been spotted around $590, and the software side: the PlayStation Store's summer sale has over 250 PS5 games at all-time lows through July 15.

The Bottom Line

• Buying for 4K performance? Grab a Series X before August 1, or accept the $899.99 PS5 Pro if the PlayStation exclusives are what you play.
• Buying for the family? Switch 2 bundle before August 31, which beats both the promotion deadline and the price hike.
• Buying on a budget? The $499.99 Series S 512GB plus a Game Pass subscription is still the cheapest way to play this generation's biggest library.
• Already own everything? Spend the savings in the PlayStation summer sale before July 15. See our live Hot Deals tracker for the current lows.

We will keep the price board on our Weekly Drop current every Tuesday. If either hike moves or a new promotion lands, you will see it there first.

As an Amazon Associate, GamECLicKs.com earns from qualifying purchases. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and it helps keep the site running and free. Prices reflect MSRPs and published announcements as of July 12, 2026. Always confirm the final price at checkout.