Xbox consoles in order: the short answer
Xbox consoles in order are the original Xbox (November 15, 2001), the Xbox 360 (November 22, 2005), the Xbox One (November 22, 2013) and the Xbox Series X and Series S (November 10, 2020). Each of those four launches opened a new generation, and each had mid-generation variants. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wrote on November 12, 2026 that the company has "built four generations of XBOX consoles, with a fifth on the way."
Dates in this guide are North American launch dates unless stated, taken from Wikipedia's Xbox articles and Microsoft's own Xbox Wire anniversary post. Launch prices are US dollars where we could confirm them. Where a source did not give a clean figure for a model, we leave the price out rather than guess.
Original Xbox (2001): the PC in a console
The original Xbox launched in North America on November 15, 2001, in Japan on February 22, 2002 and in Europe on March 14, 2002, at a launch price of US$299.99. Wikipedia lists sales of more than 24 million units as of May 10, 2006. Microsoft's anniversary memo describes it as two to three times the size of rival consoles, with more than twice the processing power of the PlayStation and the GameCube.
Its origin matters for everything that followed. According to the memo, a small DirectX team in the mid-1990s proposed using PC architecture to power the first American video game console in decades, which became a secret project called Midway. Halo: Combat Evolved was a launch title, and Xbox Live arrived a year later. The original Xbox is the template Microsoft is still pointing back to in 2026: a PC-derived machine in the living room.
The Xbox was also a statement about distribution. It shipped with a built-in hard drive and an Ethernet jack, according to the anniversary memo, which prepared the ground for online play. That combination is why the original Xbox is usually described as a console built like a PC, and why its successors kept leaning on Xbox Live and, later, Game Pass-style services.
“We've built four generations of XBOX consoles, with a fifth on the way.”
Xbox 360 (2005) and its S and E revisions
The Xbox 360 launched on November 22, 2005 in North America, December 2 in Europe and December 10 in Japan. Wikipedia lists launch prices of US$299 for the Core model and US$399 for the Premium, and 84 million units sold as of June 9, 2014. Microsoft announced the end of new Xbox 360 hardware production on April 20, 2016.
It had two notable redesigns. The Xbox 360 S arrived in North America on June 18, 2010 and in Europe on July 16, 2010. The Xbox 360 E followed on June 10, 2013 in North America and June 20 in Europe. These are slimmer, cheaper-to-build revisions of the same console, not new generations. Kinect, the motion sensor, launched separately on November 4, 2010. Sources disagree on the exact 360 S date, which is why we cite a single reference for it.
The 360 is the generation where Xbox became a mainstream brand, and it is also the long tail of the family: more than a decade between launch and the end of production. Its sales figure of 84 million is Wikipedia's number as of June 9, 2014, so it undercounts the final two years of the console's life. If you are looking at a used 360, check the revision, because the S and E are later revisions of the same console.
Xbox One (2013) and the S, X and All-Digital models
The Xbox One launched on November 22, 2013 in North America, Europe, Australia and South America at US$499 (€499 in Europe). Japan followed on September 4, 2014 and China on September 29, 2014. It shipped with the second-generation Kinect, and Microsoft began selling bundles without it on June 9, 2014. Kinect for Xbox One was officially discontinued on October 25, 2017.
The mid-generation models are the Xbox One S, which launched worldwide on August 2, 2016 after being unveiled at E3 on June 13, 2016, and the Xbox One X, which launched on November 7, 2017. An Xbox One S All-Digital Edition without a disc drive followed on May 7, 2019 at US$249.99. Wikipedia lists the All-Digital and the One X as discontinued on July 16, 2020, as the Xbox One line wound down ahead of its successor.
The One generation is the clearest example of a mid-generation split. The One S was the smaller revision, the One X was the high-end model, and the All-Digital edition removed the disc drive. Microsoft's decision to sell bundles without Kinect in June 2014 is also a reminder that the launch concept did not survive its first year. Wikipedia gives 58 million units shipped for the One family as of June 30, 2023.
Xbox Series X and Series S (2020 to now)
The Xbox Series X and Series S launched together worldwide on November 10, 2020, at US$499.99 and US$299.99, with China following on June 10, 2021. They are the first Xbox generation to ship as two differently powered consoles at the same time. Wikipedia lists 21 million units as of June 30, 2023.
The line has since been reshaped by new models and repeated price rises. A 1 TB Series S arrived on September 1, 2023, and on October 15, 2024 Microsoft released a 2 TB Galaxy Black Series X, a 1 TB All-Digital Series X and a 1 TB white Series S. Wikipedia then lists US price increases in 2025, citing tariffs and a RAM shortage, taking the standard Series X to US$649.99 and the Series S to US$399.99. A further increase took effect on August 1, 2026, with steeper rises in Europe and the UK, and the 2 TB Series X was discontinued. For current numbers, see our Xbox versus PS5 pricing guide.
The two-console launch was a gamble that the cheaper Series S would widen the audience while the Series X served enthusiasts. Whether it worked is debated, and unit figures are thin. Wikipedia's 21 million is as of June 30, 2023, which is earlier than the other generations' snapshots, so do not compare the totals head to head.
How to read the sales numbers
The totals above are not directly comparable. The original Xbox figure is as of May 10, 2006, the 360 as of June 9, 2014, the One as of June 30, 2023 and the Series X and S as of June 30, 2023, so each is a snapshot taken at a different point in its console's life. The Series figure in particular is still growing, and the others are closer to final.
Manufacturers also report shipments to retailers rather than sales to players, and Wikipedia's table is only as good as the sources it cites. Use the numbers as scale, not as a league table: the original Xbox sold in the tens of millions, the 360 and One families in the high tens of millions, and the Series X and S is the youngest and still counting.
The fifth generation: what Microsoft has and has not said
The fifth Xbox is real, but almost nothing about it is public. Sharma's anniversary message says it is "on the way", and her stated goal is to "deliver great games, unmistakable hardware." Wikipedia's Xbox entry says the codename Project Helix was announced in March 2026 and that the console is expected to support both Xbox and Windows games. Microsoft has not announced a name, price or release date.
Wikipedia also cites an internal memo from June 2026 pointing to a likely late 2027 launch. We have not seen that document and Microsoft has not confirmed it, so treat the window as a rumour. If the pattern of the past holds, the next generation would sit at the end of this list, and the current Series X and S would become the "previous generation" for a few years of shared releases.
Which Xbox should you buy or collect
For playing new games today, only the Series X and Series S matter. They run current releases and the back catalogue, and Microsoft's anniversary post notes that its games reach more than a billion players a year. The Series S is the cheaper entry point, the Series X the more powerful machine, and the price gap should be checked against current retail rather than launch figures.
For collectors, the original Xbox and the Xbox 360 are the generation-defining machines, and the 360 S and E are the more reliable revisions of that console. For anyone who simply wants to keep a library, the Xbox One family still plays physical discs, but it has been discontinued since 2020. Whichever you pick, check the specific model: revisions that look similar on a shelf can differ in storage, drives and ports.
A last practical point is naming. Microsoft's naming has not been tidy, with the Xbox One following the Xbox 360 and the Series X and S following the One, and the 2024 models using the same name as the 2020 originals. If a listing does not state the storage size and drive type, it is not enough to identify the console.
Frequently asked
What are all the Xbox consoles in order?
The original Xbox (November 15, 2001), Xbox 360 (November 22, 2005), Xbox One (November 22, 2013) and Xbox Series X and S (November 10, 2020). Mid-generation variants include the Xbox 360 S and E, Xbox One S and X, and the 2024 Series X and S models. Microsoft says a fifth generation is on the way but has not named it. Halo: Combat Evolved was a launch title, and Xbox Live arrived a year after the console, which is where the platform's online identity began.
How many Xbox generations are there?
Four so far. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma wrote in her November 12, 2026 anniversary memo that Xbox has built "four generations of XBOX consoles, with a fifth on the way." The four are the original Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S. The fifth has no announced name, price or release date. Microsoft's own anniversary post gives the same four-generation count, so it is the cleanest official source for the framing.
When did the first Xbox come out?
The original Xbox launched in North America on November 15, 2001 at US$299.99. It reached Japan on February 22, 2002 and Europe on March 14, 2002. Halo: Combat Evolved was a launch title, and Xbox Live followed a year later. Wikipedia lists more than 24 million units sold as of May 10, 2006. Wikipedia lists the original Xbox as selling more than 24 million units by May 10, 2006, a figure that is a snapshot rather than a final total.
What is the difference between the Xbox 360 S and Xbox 360 E?
Both are redesigned versions of the same Xbox 360 console, not new generations. The Xbox 360 S launched in North America on June 18, 2010 as a slimmer revision. The Xbox 360 E followed on June 10, 2013 with a further simplified design. They play the same games as the original 360. Both play the same games as the original 360 and differ in design, noise and heat rather than in the software they run.
What is the newest Xbox console?
The newest are the Xbox Series X and Series S, which launched on November 10, 2020, plus 2024 variants including a 1 TB All-Digital Series X and a 2 TB Galaxy Black Series X. The 2 TB model was discontinued in a further price change on August 1, 2026. A fifth generation has been confirmed but not named. Microsoft has not announced the fifth generation's name, price or date, so the Series line is the newest hardware you can buy today.
When is the next Xbox coming out?
Microsoft has not announced a date. Its November 12, 2026 memo says a fifth generation is "on the way." The codename Project Helix was announced in March 2026, and Wikipedia cites an unconfirmed internal memo pointing to a late 2027 launch. Until Microsoft confirms a date, any window should be treated as a rumour. Treat any date earlier or later than that as a rumour until Microsoft states one.