Secure Microsoft’s next-gen consoles from day one right here.
After months and months of waiting, you can now pre-order the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Microsoft’s next-gen consoles aren’t scheduled for release until 10th November, but you can already ensure either of the new boxes will be arriving at your door as soon as possible right here.
Remember, the Xbox Series X will cost £449/$499, while the slightly lower-powered Xbox Series S will set you back £249/$299. There is also the Xbox All-Access program if you’d rather pay for the console over time instead of a single upfront cost. You can find more on that and all retailers currently taking pre-orders for the consoles, accessories and games below.
Latest: UK and Europe pre-orders are now starting to go live, while in the US and Canada you’ll be able to get involved from 8am PT / 11am ET. The Xbox Series X seems to be selling out a lot quicker than the Series S, but we’re doing our best to keep on top of all the latest stock.
If any more retailers offer an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S pre-order, we’ll be adding them to the page all the way up to launch on 10th November. We’ll also be sure to add any next-gen Xbox bundles if any become available. That seems unlikely at this stage, though.
Xbox Series X/S Consoles
An Xbox Series X costs £449/$499 – that includes the Xbox Series X console and the new Xbox Wireless controller. Aside from all the cables and perhaps a free trial for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, no other extras will be included.
If you want to go for an Xbox Series S instead, that’ll set you back £249/$299. Remember, though, that’s the less powerful version of the next-gen console. It’ll still comfortably run all upcoming Xbox games but it won’t run games natively at 4K, doesn’t feature a disc drive and has a smaller 512GB NVMe SSD. However, you’ll get support for 1440p at 120FPS and 4K upscaling, as well as the same raytracing and variable refresh rate features as with the Series X.
If you’re willing to sacrifice those additional features, you do save a considerable chunk of change on the console. Definitely worth it if you aren’t playing on a 4K TV or aren’t too fussed about all the extra performance benefits. For more help on making that decision, do take a look at our guide to the differences between the Xbox Series X and S.
Both consoles are also available to buy at a monthly fee through the Xbox All Access finance program. This package includes the Xbox console of your choice and 24 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The retailers offering this payment plan are listed below if you’d prefer to buy that way. It’s not a bad idea if you’re comfortable committing to the monthly payments for two years as you can make a small saving on your purchase according to our calculations.
In the UK:
In Europe:
In the US:
In Canada:
| Retailer | Xbox Series X Console | Xbox Series S Console |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon CA | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
| Walmart Canada | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
Xbox All Access:
If you don’t want to fork over all that cash in one go, you can also make use of the Xbox All Access finance option when purchasing either console at select retailers. Through this, you can pay £29/$35 a month for an Xbox Series X or £21/$25 per month for the Xbox Series S. This also includes two years of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving you a whole library of Xbox games to play straight away and access to online multiplayer. Not a bad deal!
Obviously, buying through the Xbox All Access finance scheme requires approval from one of Microsoft’s partners and comes with its own risks if you’re unable to keep up with the repayments, so do assess your financial situation before committing. We’ve crunched the numbers and seen that it does offer a small saving in most circumstances so, if it does suit, then this could help spread the cost of a new console significantly.
Xbox All Access is available through the following retailers:
| Retailer | Xbox Series X Console | Xbox Series S Console |
|---|---|---|
| Game (UK) | £28.99 per month | £20.99 per month |
| Smyths Toys (UK) | £28.99 per month | £20.99 per month |
| Microsoft Store | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
| Walmart | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
| GameStop | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
| Best Buy | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
| Target | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET | Coming 8am PT / 11am ET |
Xbox Series X/S Accessories
Alongside the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, a range of new accessories that are compatible with both consoles have also been made available to pre-order.
There’s nothing too significant here that you should desperately need from day one, but if you want to chuck in an extra controller or grab one of the storage expansion cards you can do so right here.
With regards to the extra storage, for example, the 1TB internal SSD in the Xbox Series X console should keep you going for a little while yet. The Xbox Series S does have a smaller 512GB SSD, though, so there’s a greater risk of filling that up first.
For those of you bringing over your library of backwards compatible Xbox 360 and Xbox One games, we’d suggest buying a more affordable external hard drive that’ll give you a lot more room for your money for now.
In the UK:
In the US:
Xbox Series X/S Games
At last, the games. Exactly what we will be playing on our Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S once they’re in our hands? Well, it certainly won’t be Halo Infinite anymore. The 343 Industries shooter and Microsoft’s big calling card was set to be the console’s major launch title but was recently pushed back to 2021. Other first-party releases – such as Fable, State of Decay 3 and Forza – will not make the launch window, either.
So, what does that leave us with, then? Um, well, not a whole lot of new games right off the bat. Of course, there are the various upgraded versions of previous Xbox One releases that you can play, but most of those will be free if you bought the current-gen version. You’ve also got the 100 or so games to work through on Xbox Game Pass. Without much else to go on, we’ve put a few of the biggest Xbox Series X releases announced so far below for you to peruse or pre-order. You can also look ahead to all the other Xbox Series X games announced so far.
In the UK:
| Amazon UK | Game | Game Collection | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War | – | £69.99 | £59.95 |
| Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla | – | – | – |
| Watch Dogs Legion | – | – | – |
| Far Cry 6 | – | – | – |
In the US:
How do you feel about that £449/$499 price point for an Xbox Series X pre-order, then? Still going to pick one up. Or, will you go for an Xbox Series S pre-order instead and accept the small performance hit for the much cheaper £249/$299 entry fee?
Perhaps, instead, you might be considering a PS5 pre-order? It could be wise to wait and see if Sony’s next-gen console comes back in stock before making a decision here – especially if you don’t have any particular allegiance to either side.
Need more info either way? Good news! We’ve lots of in-depth guides to various aspects of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Those clever clogs over at Digital Foundry have got stuck into all the finest details in their look at the Xbox Series X specs to get an idea of the console’s power. For further info on the new tech, you can check out our guides to the new Xbox controller and the Xbox Series X console design.
