They also have few interesting features, like the ability to keep the games you really like by paying a discounted “keep it” fee. They also encourage you to stay around by awarding $5.00 in GameFly dollars for every three months you’re a member.

GameFly also offers parental controls so parents can restrict their children’s access to video games with suggestive or inappropriate content. Their search also allows you to find the right video games easily. You can search by title, genre, and video game console while blocking specific words or ratings.

As for pricing, GameFly isn’t the cheapest but they are in line with all of the other options. The only obvious negative is the fact that the company doesn’t offer public telephone support, and instead handles customer inquiries via email. Not a big problem as I normally prefer email, but if you ever have a real issue, telephone support can generally solve it quicker for you.

Pricing:

1 Game – $15.95/month plus taxes.
2 Games – $22.95/month plus taxes.
3 Games – $29.95/month plus taxes. Requires an active account in good standing for at least 60 days.
4 Games – $36.95/month plus taxes. Requires an active account in good standing for at least 60 days.

Location: US Only

Shipping Centers: Four. Los Angeles, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Tampa, FL and Austin, TX. Game ship via the US Postal Service first class mail.

Free Trial: 10 Days

Game Selection: 9000+ Games. All current generation systems (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP) as well as last generation (Game Cube, PS2, XBOX, GBA). They seem to have the largest selection of newer titles on any site however.

If you want movie and game rentals in Canada, Canflix is probably your best bet.

Pricing:

3 discs: $21.95
4 discs: $24.95
5 discs: $29.95
6 discs: $36.95
8 discs: $49.95
10 discs: $54.95

Location: Canada Only.

Shipping Centers: Two. Calgary and Ontario.

Free Trial: 14 Day Free Trial.

Game Selection: 1000+ Games. Carries next generation games (360, PS3, Wii) and some last gen (PS2, XBOX, Game Cube).

The site functionality is impressive; not just displaying the standard title and synopsis, also publisher, platform, genre, release date, number of players, and ESRB rating. Entries also have screenshots, some third-party reviews, and also customer reviews and 1-5 star ratings.

The site also allows parental controls, so parents can sign their children up and allow them to manage the account, while keeping limits on ESRB rating levels so they play games intended for their age. On many games, you’ll also have an option to purchase the rental copy at a lower price. Their queue page also displays availability of given games with a “Stock Level” bar.

Games Access was founded by two enthusiastic gamers, Karl and Frank, “tired of being at the mercy of video stores and high game prices.” But it has certainly grown since then, now serving all Canada, with representatives and customer service numbers in six cities (Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary); this is a major plus if you have problems, the only Canadian game rental service with a customer service phone number. They also have email and instant messaging support to aid their customer service. We’ve also heard good things about their staff’s helpful attitude to customer service.

Pricing:

One Game At A Time – $17.95
Two Games At A Time – $24.95
Three Games At A Time – $32.95
Four Games At A Time – $39.95

10% Discount for three month prepaid.
20% Discount for six month prepaid.

Location: Canada Only.

Shipping Centers: Two. Based in Montreal, they also have a distribution center in Vancouver, the only purely game rental service to also serve the West directly.

Free Trial: 10 Day Free Trial.

Game Selection: 6000+ Games. Carries next generation games (360, PS3, Wii, PSP, DS) and some last gen (PS2, XBOX, Game Cube).

Visit Game Access

One of the most interesting features they have however, is a yearly rental option.

Pricing:

$17.95 monthly for one video game at a time
$24.95 monthly for two video games at a time
$49.95 monthly for three video games at a time
$59.95 monthly for four video games at a time

They also offer a one year gamer plan for $599.95. This plan includes the ability to rent up to four games at once without a monthly limit.

They also require a $75 refundable deposit for those signing up for the three and four game options. This deposit is to ensure all games are returned within seven days of your membership cancellation.

Location: US Only

Shipping Centers: Four – California, Oklahoma, New Jersey, Minnesota.

Free Trial: None. Offers a $14.95 Paid Trial.

Game Selection: 4000+ Games. All current generation systems (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP) as well as last generation (Game Cube, PS2, XBOX, GBA). Also has a small selection of PS1 games.

Gamerang Link

Another excellent aspect of Game Mine is their large PSP Movie selection. They include a good variety of old and new films, as well as TV and comedy specials.

There are two problems however. First, they do not have a trial membership option. This is offset though by the fact that if you signup for a monthly option, your second month is free. The biggest problem by far hough, is their lack of selection and quantity in games.

Pricing:

One Game Plans

Monthly $12.95 a month
6 months $71.70 prepaid ($11.95 per month)
12 months $119.40 prepaid ($9.95 per month)

Two Game Plans

Monthly $18.95 a month
6 months $99.00 prepaid ($16.50 per month)
12 months $168.00 prepaid ($14.50 per month)

Three Game Plans

Monthly $26.95 a month
6 months $147.00 prepaid ($24.50 per month)
12 months $276.00 prepaid ($23.00 per month)

Location: US Only.

Shipping Centers: Unknown.

Free Trial: None. Second month free.

Game Selection: 1000+ Games. Carries next generation games (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP and UMD Movies) and last gen (PS2, XBOX, Game Cube).

Game Mine Link

Additionally, Gottaplay has implemented a social network for its members. Similar to Myspace or Facebook, members can post messages to other gamers, send buddy requests and search for friends within the network.

Like most online game rental sites, Gottaplay does not have late fees, or due dates and offers free two-way shipping. They provides game summaries for most games and do not include reviews or parental control functions.

Perhaps our largest complaint with Gottaplay is their site’s organization. Although they provide a great search feature, you have to be specific, you cannot simply choose to browse through all the games offered on a particular platform.

Unfortunately, Gottaplay’s customer support could use a bit of improvement. Phone support was nothing more than a recording and email support was slower than expected.

Pricing:

1 Game- $12.95
2 Games- $20.95
3 Games- $28.95

Trading plans include:

2 Trades – $4.99
5 Trades – $11.99
Unlimited – $2.99 Per Game (This is a pay as you go feature and is billed $14.95 upfront)

The pricing of Gottaplay is definitely competitive. Just make sure you understand that the “three out at a time” subscription doesn’t offer a free trial and you have to pre-pay for that membership three months at a time. If you’re on a budget, the one-out or two-out plans will definitely be more affordable.

Location: US Only

Shipping Centers: Nine. Connecticut, California, Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Illinois, Maryland and Colorado. They advertise that 95% of subscribers get games in two to three days.

Free Trial: 10 Days

Game Selection: 4000+ Games. All current generation systems (360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP) as well as last generation (Game Cube, PS2, XBOX, GBA).

Gottaplay Link

Although most games include a summary they do not have reviews. They also do not offer any games for hand held systems.

Pricing:

Monthly

$13.95 for one game.
$19.95 for two games.
$27.95 for three games.

Annual Plans:

$119.40 for one game.
$191.40 for two games.
$263.40 for three games.

Location: US Only.

Shipping Centers: One – Texas. Rentals usually take one to five business days to arrive depending how far away you live from Houston. Rural locations can expect up to seven days.

Free Trial: Free fourteen day trial.

Game Selection: 5000+ Games. All current generation non hand held systems (360, PS3, Wii) as well as last generation (Game Cube, PS2, XBOX).