Microsoft Drops the Price of its Upcoming The Outer Worlds 2 Game to $69.99

In a surprise announcement, Microsoft announced today that it was dropping the price of its upcoming The Outer Worlds 2 game from $79.99 to $69.99. The sequel to the original 2019 game from Obsidian Entertainment is set to launch Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 29, and it will also be available on day one on Game Pass.

“We’re focused on bringing players incredible worlds to explore, and will keep our full priced holiday releases, including The Outer Worlds 2, at $69.99 – in line with current market conditions,” an Xbox spokesperson explained in a statement shared with Windows Central. People who have already pre-ordered the game at $79.99 will be able to receive a refund, allowing them to pre-order the game at the new price.

Dear Galactic Citizens!⁰⁰We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing. As an organization devoted to making sure that corporations do not go unfettered, we at the Earth Directorate have worked with [REDACTED] to revise the price of The Outer Worlds 2. While this… pic.twitter.com/skOjxWBXIB

— The Outer Worlds (@OuterWorlds) July 23, 2025

Back in May, Microsoft raised the price of its Xbox consoles and accessories and said that some of its new first-party games released during the holiday season would get a price bump to $79.99. This applied to The Outer Worlds 2, which is much more ambitious than its predecessor, which launched at $60.

Microsoft backtracking on $80 games this holiday season means that the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 should also be priced at $69.99, just like its predecessor. Call of Duty is probably one of the rare blockbuster franchises that may have its fans accept to swallow a price increase, but a new franchise like The Outer Worlds doesn’t exactly have the devoted audience. It’s also possible that Microsoft looked at the pre-orders numbers for The Outer Worlds 2 and didn’t like what it saw.