Best Buy brings Xbox Series X25 back to Drops on nov. 25

The Xbox Series X25 Special Edition will return to Best Buy Drops on Nov. 25, 2026.15

The program works only through the retailer’s mobile app, so shoppers cannot buy the console in stores or wait in line. Shoppers typically get about 30 minutes of notice before a drop begins. No time has been set for when the console becomes available, but Xbox or Best Buy are expected to share timing closer to the date, and buyers should get ready before the sale begins on Nov. 25.

Microsoft is limiting the run to 25,000 individually numbered consoles, and the restock offers collectors another shot at the anniversary hardware after the first limited release. It does not match the one-of-a-kind Xbox Series X-Bite for rarity, but demand is almost guaranteed to be high. Buyers should move quickly once the drop goes live, and missing the drop could lead to another chance later, but nothing is promised.

Preorders sold out in minutes at every retailer that carried the console, according to an Aug. 28 update. At Amazon, preorders had not yet gone live, though the retailer typically pushes listings live at random times on the day of release.

The console wears a translucent OG Green shell inspired by the original Xbox, with XBOX 25 on its front. Inside is a custom 1TB SSD, and each unit bears an individually engraved number while buyers can glimpse the metallic insides through the shell. It runs the same hardware under the shell. The bundle contains a matching Xbox Wireless Controller X25 Special Edition and Halo: Campaign Evolved.

The pack-in game remakes the original campaign and adds brand-new levels. IGN critic Michael Higham enjoyed the remake according to his review. The translucent green controller echoes details from the original Duke controller. Microsoft released the original Xbox hardware on Nov. 15, 2001, and the X25 serves as a homage to that hardware.

In June, Microsoft confirmed a special-edition Xbox Series X for the 25th anniversary, though it had not yet revealed a launch date or price. The company has been teasing the console since June without mentioning anything about the price.

It costs $899.99, $100 more than the current $800 1TB Series X that includes a disc drive, though another report puts the standard console at $799.99 following an August price increase. One insider with a truly impeccable track record reportedly pegged the price at EUR 899 and believes it will also sell for USD 899 in the United States. Microsoft has not confirmed the USD 900 figure directly, so treat it as a strong leak, not an official number. One report attributes the price to increasing prices.

Sources disagree on the launch date. IGN reports a Nov. 13 release date for the console, while Billbil-kun of Dealabs has indicated a Nov. 27, 2026 launch date lined up with Black Friday. One report says Microsoft might want to capitalize on Black Friday sales events. Pre-order timing for the X25 has not been announced yet.

Reports also disagree on whether the console includes a disc drive. One report says the console skips the disc drive that Sony’s PS5 Pro also leaves out, while another says the disc drive comes built in as standard. Most PS5 consoles do not include a disc drive, forcing separate purchases.

The matching controller is expected to ship separately in October, before the console arrives in November. Microsoft plans to sell the translucent wireless controller on its own, with no price set yet, after Billbil-kun of Dealabs revealed it earlier. Shoppers can preorder the controller on its own, and it sells out fast. The controller matches the console’s translucent OG green style.

Sony’s 2TB PlayStation 5 Pro carries the same price, and over the past year Microsoft has lifted Xbox hardware prices on multiple occasions, though Microsoft’s own lineup makes the gap look smaller. Across the industry, a memory and storage shortage has pushed component costs higher, as datacenter demand for RAM and NAND squeezes supply for consumer hardware, and one report connects that shortage to the console’s steep price. Console prices have been significantly inflated over the last year by repeated blows from RAMageddon. Earlier limited-edition launches this generation carried a premium of roughly EUR 50, and one report says that figure is worth noting beside the EUR 100 premium over the standard console.

PlayStation and Valve are also raising hardware prices, according to the report, which describes the pricing as unsurprising for major gaming hardware companies. Microsoft’s next-generation console, reportedly codenamed Project Helix, is due between 2027 and 2028 and would likely carry an even higher price as current trends continue.