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Microsoft Reverses $80 Pricing for The Outer Worlds 2, Issuing Refunds for Pre Orders

Microsoft Reverses $80 Pricing for The Outer Worlds 2, Issuing Refunds for Pre-Orders

The standard edition of The Outer Worlds 2 will now cost $70.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 24 July 2025 15:01 IST

Microsoft Reverses $80 Pricing for The Outer Worlds 2, Issuing Refunds for Pre-Orders

Photo Credit: Microsoft/ Obsidian Entertainment

The Outer Worlds 2 will be released on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on October 29

Highlights

Microsoft said its holiday releases this year will not cost $80
The Outer Worlds 2 standard edition was earlier priced at $79.99
Obsidian will issue refunds to players who have pre-ordered the game

Microsoft has made a heel turn on the pricing for The Outer Worlds 2, bringing it down to the industry standard $70 from the initially announced $80 price point. The Xbox parent said in a statement it would keep its full-price holiday releases, including the upcoming RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, at the standard pricing of $69.99. The price of the standard edition of The Outer Worlds 2 was set at $79.99 at Xbox Games Showcase in June, a month after Microsoft said it would raise prices for some of its first-party games.

The Outer Worlds 2 New Price

Obsidian confirmed the new price in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday and said it would refund the difference to players who had already pre-ordered the game across supported storefronts.

“We have received your SOS via skip drone about the pricing,” Obsidian said in an update on its website. “As an organization devoted to making sure that corporations do not go unfettered, we have worked it out with [REDACTED] to revise the price of The Outer Worlds 2. While this will not bring peace to the galaxy, or even your local colony, we assure you all that we are here to fight for all colonies in every way that we can.”

Microsoft Raises Xbox and Game Prices, Citing Rising Costs

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

In a statement (via IGN), Microsoft said: “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.”

Obsidian detailed the reimbursement process across Steam, Battle.net, Xbox/ Windows, and PlayStation in the post on its website. On Steam, transactions will be reversed and re-charged at the new $69.99 price point (Rs. 5,499 in India). On Battle.net, previous pre-orders will be cancelled, and players will have to manually pre-order the game again at the new price, if they choose to do so. On Xbox/ Windows and PlayStation, users will be refunded the $10 difference.

Borderlands 4 Won't Cost $80 After All; Pre-Orders Now Live

$80 The Next Industry Standard?

The Outer Worlds 2 received a Direct presentation following the Xbox Games Showcase on June 8, where the developer revealed that the standard edition of the game would be priced at $79.99. This followed Microsoft's announcement in May that it was raising prices for its Xbox games, consoles, and accessories. The company cited “market conditions” and the “rising cost of development” as the reasons behind the price hike. It said it would adjust prices for some of its first-party games from $70 to $80 this holiday season.

The debate around the $80 price point for AAA games has gathered steam over the past few months. Nintendo launched its Switch 2 flagship title Mario Kart World at $80 in June, but kept Donkey Kong Bananza, which was released this month, at $70.

Last month, after weeks of speculation and controversy around Borderlands 4's pricing, publisher 2K and developer Gearbox confirmed that the game would not cost $80 and instead maintain the $70 standard. Ahead of the confirmation, Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford had drawn criticism over for saying a “real fan” would be okay paying $80 for a game.

The Outer Worlds 2 will launch on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on October 29.

The Outer Worlds 2

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Genre RPG

Platform PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series S/X, PC: Windows

Modes Single-player

More Xbox Games

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Further reading: The Outer Worlds 2, Microsoft, Xbox, Obsidian Entertainment

Manas Mitul

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In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More