Online Game Rental - How it Work

Select the video games you want to play and add them to your online queue. Most of the online game rental service providers have game selections of over 4,000 titles, so you can choose virtually any games that have been released for almost any consoles.

The game rental company will rush the games to you via United States Postal Service. Depending on where you live and service provider you sign up with, you can expect your games to arrive in 1 to 3 business days. The shipping is free.

When the games arrive, simply play at your own pace. You can keep the games for as long as you want. There are no due dates or late fees.

When you are done playing, just put the games into the prepaid envelopes and mail them back. Your next available games will be shipped to you as soon as the returned games are received.

You pay a flat monthly fee ranging from $8.95 to $21.95 depending on the plans. It allows you to rent unlimited games each month. There is no long term contract to sign, the service is on month-by-month basis. If you decide to cancel the service, you can do so online anytime. Some companies even allow you to put your account on hold for a certain period of time so that you don't get charged for the months that you decide not to rent games.

Just like online DVD rental, you only need to pay a flat monthly fee to get unlimited game rentals. However, most of the service providers only offer 2 plans - 1 game or 2 games out at a time. The monthly subscription costs more than that of DVD rental services. It’s understandable since each game costs 2 to 3 times the price of a DVD. However, games depreciate much faster than DVD movies. Used games can be bought at even greater discounted price. Unlike movie renters, most gamers keep the games longer, so the turnaround time of game rentals is much slower than that of DVD rentals. Majority the gamers have the tendency to keep playing the "good" or "hot" games over and over again. And you will end up just renting 3 to 4 games a month if you decide to take the time and beat each game.

Before you sign up with any of the online game rental services, be sure to check out game selections, prices, available plans, shipping centers, game system compatibility, and customer support. Most of the services offer 2 week free trials. Try them out and decide yourself if it’s worth renting games online.