Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S pre-order: When, where, and how

The PlayStation 5 arrived yesterday to much fanfare, including early pre-orders. Microsoft, on the other hand, decided to give gamers a week or so to prepare for the pre-orders. Well, today, Microsoft outlined what time its pre-orders will take place and what stores to purchase it at. So, without further ado, let’s dive into when, where, and how to pre-order the Xbox Series X and Series S.

What time does the Xbox Series X and Series S go on sale?

Microsoft will be launching the Xbox Series X and Series S pre-orders on Tuesday, September 22. The country-based time breakdown is as follows:

• United States: 8 AM PT
• Canada: 8 AM PT
• UK: 8 AM BST
• Australia: 8 AM AEST
• New Zealand: 8 AM NZST
• Europe, Middle East, and Africa: 9 AM CEST

Microsoft is really trying to keep things tight with the timing here, launching pre-orders at essentially the same time in most major countries. However, you will need to do a bit of conversion depending on what time zone you’re actually in. For example, if you live on the east coast of the United States, the pre-order will be at 11 AM ET.

What retailer can I pre-order the Xbox Series X and Series S at?

For retailers, those are also dependent on the region that you’re in, according to Microsoft. We’ll break it down similar to how we did above.

• United States: Microsoft Store, Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, Newegg, and other participating retailers
• Canada: Microsoft Store, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, EB Games, The Source, and other participating retailers
• UK: Microsoft Store, GAME, Amazon, Dixons, Currys PC World, Argos, John Lewis, Smyths Toys, VERY, AO, Tesco, Simply Game, Shopto, and other participating retailers
• Australia: Microsoft Store, JB Hifi, EB Games, Telstra, Harvey Norman, and other participating retailers
• New Zealand: Microsoft Store, JB HiFi, EB Games, Spark, and other participating retailers
• Europe, Middle East, and Africa: Microsoft Store, Amazon, MediaMarkt, GameStop, FNAC, Elkjøp/Elgiganten, and other participating retailers

As you can see, most major retailers are included here. Some even have notification pages set up, like Best Buy, so if you want to get an email the moment it goes live, be sure to sign up. Other retailers, like Amazon, offer landing pages for the console, but no clear way to sign up for a notification, so you’re left to just refresh the page at launch. As for pricing, the Xbox Series S will be $299 and Series X will set you back $499.

What about Xbox All Access? How do I join?

If you’re wanting to take advantage of Microsoft’s Xbox All Access subscription program, the retailers where you can purchase that way are far more limited than you’ll find above. But, let’s first break down exactly what All Access gives. With your 24-month subscription, you’ll get to choose between the Series S at $24.99 per month or the Series X for $34.99 per month. Now, if you calculate that out, it’s much more than just buying the $299 or $499 system alone, right? It is. That’s because Microsoft includes its $15 per month Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription with it, so you’re essentially paying $10 or $20 per month over 24-months for the consoles, respectively. In the end, you’ll even pay a bit less than the overall cost of the Series S or Series X with 24-months of Game Pass Ultimate, but there’s one thing to keep in mind. Should you decide to upgrade anytime within the 24-months, Microsoft will require that you trade your current console back in. You will also have the option to finish out the 24-month contract (if you have one month left, paying that, for example), in order to keep the console. Does Xbox All Access sound like the best choice for you? Well, if so, you’ll be able to pre-order Series X and Series S at the same time we listed above at these retailers:

• United States: Best Buy, GameStop, Microsoft Store, and Walmart
• Australia: Telstra
• New Zealand: Spark
• UK: GAME and Smyths Toys
• Denmark: Elgiganten
• Finland: Gigantti
• Norway: Elkjøp
• Sweden: Elgiganten

9to5Toys’ take

Microsoft seems to be taking the longer approach to do pre-orders, giving gamers quite a bit of time between announcement and purchase. Sony, on the other hand, decided to launch pre-orders the day of the announcement. Which strategy do you prefer? Will you be pre-ordering the Xbox Series X or Series S? I know I’ll be up to grab a Series X myself, but what about you? Sound off in the comments below or on Twitter, you’ll find me @pcamp96 and we’re always available @9to5toys.

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