Xbox Series X|S

Microsoft began work on the Xbox One's successor around 2016. From the start it planned two consoles, a high-end one and a cheaper one, built side by side so every game would run on both. The project was confirmed as Project Scarlett at E3 2019. At The Game Awards that December, Microsoft showed the design and the Xbox Series X name. The Series S, codenamed Project Lockhart, was announced on September 8, 2020.

Both went on sale on November 10, 2020, at $499 and $299. China followed on June 10, 2021. The global chip shortage kept them sold out for months. Reviewers liked the hardware jump, the short loading times and the backward compatibility. They missed exclusive launch games, though: Halo Infinite had been planned for launch but slipped because of the pandemic.

Microsoft chose a soft transition. Many games shipped on both Xbox One and the new consoles, and Smart Delivery downloads the right version for each machine. Both consoles run nearly all Xbox One-compatible games, including Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles. Quick Resume, Auto HDR and FPS Boost improve older games. Requiring every game to run on the Series S caused trouble for some studios, such as Larian with Baldur's Gate 3.

A black 1 TB Series S arrived in 2023. In October 2024 came a refresh: a white disc-less Series X, a 2 TB Series X and a white 1 TB Series S. Prices rose several times from 2025 because of tariffs and memory costs. In August 2026 Microsoft dropped the 2 TB Series X. The same year it announced the Xbox Series X25 Limited Edition for the brand's 25th anniversary.