Everyone has probably heard of NetFlix, the company that puts a DVD rental store in your mailbox. But, a little newer, and growing quickly in popularity, is a collection of online video game rental companies. They work much the same way as NetFlix. You sign up online, setup a list of games you’d like to play, and wait for them to show up in your mailbox. When your done playing, drop it the mailbox, and wait for your next one to show up. Shipping both ways is paid for by the game rental company. Convenient and cheaper than buying and renting from your local video / games store.

The are a variety of plans to consider, when you choose to rent video games online. The main factor distinguishing the plans, is the number of games you are allowed to have checked out at one time. The more games checked out, the higher your monthly fees. Plans usually allow from one to six games out at a time. The severity of your gaming addiction will of course determine which plan you sign up for. I would personally stay away from the one game out at a time plan. Having a two or more plan, guarantees you will always have at least one rental game in your console, even if one is in transit.

The other thing I should mention, is that console games are the only games you can rent. Due to illegal copying issues, PC games have never really found their way into the rental business. But, most companies do carry games for just about any console you might have. Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS, PS2, PS3,PSP, Nintendo DS, GameBoy Advance, and even the Nintendo Game Cube. Some companies do offer videos as well, but it’s best to browse their selection, and make sure they have the kind of titles you would be interested in.

Another safety net that most companies provide, is the free trial. That makes signing up a pretty easy decision. You could even sign up with more than one company at a time, and give them a real good comparison. It won’t cost you anything, and only make you a more informed consumer.

Storefront rentals had been to be the only dominating market for 12+ years now when you wanted to rent video games, ever since the conception of the VCR. Many businesses have taken their company online due to the fact that startup costs are remarkably lower compared to storefront costs and they can virtually expand their business to an entire nation or worldwide within a few short months. Why not expand the same concept for movies and game rentals? It was only a matter of time.

Depending on where you live and the geographics of that area, I can definately say that this will cause a great influence on where you choose to rent video games. Many rental companies can be found within a few miles of your home, but others are found at distances that you may not want to particularly travel everytime you need to return a game.

Fast and reliable service is a huge factor for most people living in the information age. Everything has to be now and fast these days. So lets look at a few factors that will help you make your decision a little easier. Convienance, games in stock, game formats, availability , pricing, and customer service are the general factors we take into consideration for any movie or game rental company. Lets look at each one:

CONVIENANCE- If you live in a rural location, then, online game rentals is without a doubt your best bet. To travel anymore than 8 miles out of your way to rent anything is more than most people have time for. Being able to recieve your rentals at your doorstep, in the country, is a huge benefit to online game rentals.

If you live in more a a urban or suburban neighborhood, then locations of your nearest branch will determine this for you, but you can never truly beat games delivered to your front door everyday, even if you have one mile to travel. Being able to pickup your game in your pajamas or bath robe without getting dressed to go to your local store is laziness and convienance at its best. WINNER: ONLINE RENTALS!

GAMES IN STOCK – This can vary from store to store, but for the most part they are all about the same. Most larger stores (Hollywood Video and Blockbuster) can carry a stock of 50-100 games at a time. This number doesnt even come close to the stock of games that are carried by online rental clubs. We are looking at 2000 games at the very lowest on up to 3500 + games at the high end of the table. You are also more likely to find more older and newer games available to rent at anytime. WINNER: ONLINE RENTALS!

AVAILABILITY- I’ve never really felt like i’ve had too much of a choice when it comes to renting at stores. It was more of a deduction of what was left to choose from at the time you made it there. When it comes to online rentals, you can practically play any game that you ever wanted to play at anytime. There, of coarse are a few games from time to time that you may have a short wait attached, but during those times, you will easily be able to choose another game from the thousands listed. Once that particular sought after game is available, you will know about it whenever you log into your account, instantly. WINNER: ONLINE RENTALS!

GAMES FORMATS- Even though I have always thought that having PS2, Xbox, and Gamecube games available was quite a selection at the local rental stores, I didnt even know how good it could get until online rentals introduced their selection. Not only does online rentals contain the 3 major consoles, but they also have such portable game rentals as Gameboy Advance, PSP, and Nintendo DS. Many of the larger online stores are offering XBOX 360 and PS3 games as well for the next generation as soon as the consoles come out. WINNER: ONLINE RENTALS!

PRICING- Renting games has always been somewhat cheap ($5-$8), but it can definately add up depending on your rental frequency. If you are renting more than 5-6 a month, on top of late fees, which is bound to happen from time to time, then you may be out-of-pocket sooner than expected. Online rentals make it easy for you. Rent X amount of games and keep them as long as you want for only X amount. Game prices fluctuate from game plan to plan, but these prices are still far more lower than you’ll ever find at your local store. Check out the pricing here. WINNER: ONLINE RENTALS!

CUSTOMER SERVICE- Waiting in lines and dealing with crowds and irritable employees to rent video games is enough to drive anyone mad. This in itself can make you not want to deal with your local rental store at any cost. On the other hand, online rentals do not have lines, crowded stores, or irritable employees to deal with, so that experience is elminated altogether! Just select a movie from your browser and wait 1-3 business days for delivery and thats it. If you ever have troubles or problems with recieving or returning games, email customer service and your inquiry will be returned within 24 hours. Some of these online rental companies even have phone support! WINNER: ONLINE RENTALS!

It amazes me how many console gamers out there don’t rent games online. I can’t seem to quite figure it out! These games release for around $60 a pop and you usually never really know how good they are. You can’t depend entirely on critic reviews because, just like the movies, they tend to be way off at times. As I sit here, I am desperately trying to figure out exactly why gamers haven’t jumped on to the online game rental services.

There are plenty of companies out there that rent games online. However, choosing the right company can be hard. You never know how good each company is, which is why you are probably reading this article. When you research the top companies for online game rentals, consider the companies that have been around the longest. A lot of the companies offer the same sort of pricing plan, the free shipping, unlimited rentals, etc. But what you’re really interested in is how fast is the shipping, are the games always available, and are they quick to process your next game (as in, will you have your next game a day later after sending it in). These are the vital parts to choosing a company to go with.

I have personally tried out all the top game rental services that rent games online like gamefly, blockbuster, gamemine, and a few others that aren’t mentioning. I have tried them all and I have my own opinion about them. Some are better than the others, but in the end, it all comes down to preference.

For instance, Batman: Dark Asylum released on August 25th, and I am guaranteed to have that game in my mailbox on August 25th. How amazing is that? So, if you’re renting 2+ games a month, you will save hundreds of dollars a year using these companies that rent games online! Think about it. Do it. Stop paying $60 bucks for a game that you’ll stop playing in 2 weeks.