Microsoft has finally put a price on the Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition, confirming a $899.99 US MSRP — but for UK buyers, the more important number is still missing.
The 25th-anniversary console launches on 13 November 2026, with pre-orders opening to all players in select markets on 27 August. It arrives in translucent OG Green, comes with the matching X25 Special Edition Wireless Controller, includes a full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved, and every console is individually numbered.
That makes the Series X25 one of the most distinctive Xbox consoles Microsoft has produced. But for Tech Torque Media’s UK audience, the immediate question is not just whether the anniversary extras justify the premium — it is also how much Microsoft will actually charge in Britain once local pricing is confirmed.
What do you actually get for the confirmed US price?
Xbox Wire has confirmed that the Series X25 Limited Edition will launch for an MSRP of $899.99 in the US, with pricing varying by market.
The package includes:
- Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition console
- 1TB SSD storage
- Translucent OG Green shell
- Individually numbered engraving
- Xbox X25 Special Edition Wireless Controller
- Full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved
Xbox’s original announcement describes the machine as delivering the same power and performance as the existing Series X, with 1TB of storage. There is no announced CPU, GPU or storage upgrade hidden underneath the translucent casing.
In other words, the extra money is buying the anniversary treatment, collectability and bundled extras rather than a faster console.
The Series X25 is roughly a $100 premium over the standard console
That comparison is important because Xbox hardware has already become significantly more expensive this year.
Microsoft announced another worldwide console price increase effective from 1 August, adding $150 to its 1TB models in the US. That pushed the standard 1TB disc-drive Series X from $649.99 to around $799.99 at current US pricing.
Xbox attributed those increases to sharply rising storage and memory costs across the consumer-electronics industry.
Against that backdrop, the Series X25’s $899.99 MSRP represents roughly a $100 anniversary premium over the standard disc-drive machine rather than the enormous leap the headline price initially suggests.
That does not make $899.99 cheap. It simply changes the question from “why is this console almost $900?” to “are the anniversary extras worth another $100 on top of an already expensive Series X?”
The design is genuinely special
There is no denying that Microsoft has put more thought into the X25 than a routine colour swap.
The translucent OG Green casing is a direct callback to the experimental, slightly rebellious look of early Xbox hardware. The illuminated green ‘X’, anniversary markings and hidden design details turn the machine into something clearly different from the standard black tower.
Most importantly for collectors, every Series X25 is individually numbered. That immediately gives it a stronger sense of occasion than a mass-produced special colour.
Our look back at 25 years of Xbox explains why that original-era design language carries so much weight. This is not nostalgia attached to an arbitrary anniversary; it references the machine that launched Microsoft into console gaming in 2001.
The included X25 controller strengthens the package
The matching controller matters because it is not simply a standard pad thrown into the box.
The Xbox X25 Special Edition Wireless Controller uses the same translucent OG Green theme, coloured ABXY buttons and original-inspired detailing. It is also being sold separately, which gives us a useful benchmark for how much of the anniversary collection’s appeal can be bought without replacing a console.
If you already own a Series X and simply want the anniversary look, the controller is probably the smarter purchase. The console becomes more compelling for someone who was already planning to buy a new Series X or for a collector who specifically wants the numbered hardware.
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a fitting inclusion
Microsoft is also bundling a full-game download of Halo: Campaign Evolved, the modernised remake of the campaign that helped define the original Xbox.
That is a much better anniversary choice than including an unrelated current release. Halo and Xbox are inseparable from the story of the platform’s first generation, so the game completes the theme rather than feeling like a marketing extra.
It still does not change the underlying hardware proposition, but it does add tangible value to the package for buyers who were going to purchase the game anyway.
UK buyers still need the number that matters most
The $899.99 figure is confirmed for the US, but Xbox says pricing varies by market and its UK console page had not displayed a final Series X25 price at the time of writing.
That is important because a straight dollar-to-pound conversion would be misleading. Hardware pricing rarely maps neatly across markets once VAT, retail positioning and regional strategy are taken into account.
UK buyers should also remember that Microsoft has already increased Xbox hardware pricing in Britain this summer. That means the real question for UK pre-orders will not be “what is $899.99 in pounds?” but rather how much above the current UK price of a standard 1TB Series X Microsoft decides to pitch the X25.
Until that number appears, British buyers can only make a provisional value judgement. The US pricing suggests Microsoft sees the anniversary console as a premium collector’s version rather than a dramatically different machine, but the final UK MSRP will decide whether that premium feels reasonable or excessive.
Who should actually buy the Xbox Series X25?
The Series X25 makes the most sense for three groups.
- Collectors: the individually numbered shell and one-off anniversary design give it genuine long-term appeal.
- Long-time Xbox fans: if the original console means something to you, the OG Green treatment is more than just another colour.
- People already buying a Series X: if you were going to spend close to current flagship pricing anyway, another $100 for the controller, Halo and limited hardware is easier to justify.
It makes much less sense as an upgrade from a perfectly good Series X. Performance is not the reason to buy this machine, and our earlier look at whether the Xbox Series X is still worth buying remains relevant: the existing hardware is already capable of delivering the same core gaming experience.
For UK readers, it is sensible to hold fire until Microsoft confirms local pricing. The X25 may still make sense for collectors and long-time Xbox fans, but the final UK price will determine whether it feels like a tempting anniversary indulgence or a step too far.
Tech Torque Verdict
$899.99 is a huge headline price for an Xbox, and for UK readers it is not yet the number that matters most.
In the US, though, the picture is clearer than it first appears. Microsoft’s recent hardware price rises have already pushed the standard 1TB Series X close to the $799.99 mark, which means the Series X25 is effectively asking buyers to pay roughly another $100 for the translucent OG Green design, individually numbered shell, matching X25 controller and Halo: Campaign Evolved.
For collectors and long-time Xbox fans, that premium looks understandable. For everyone else, the smarter move is likely to be either sticking with a standard Series X or buying the X25 controller separately.
For UK buyers, the final verdict has one extra condition: wait for the British price. Until Microsoft confirms that figure, the Series X25 remains an appealing anniversary console with a value question that is only partially answered.
