Japanese retailer GEO has released a new statement stating they’ve had great success renting out PlayStation 5 consoles across the country.
The company launched the rental service earlier this year, providing PS5 consoles to 400 of their retail outlets throughout Japan. These allow players to rent the console for ¥980 (approximately £5.19) for eight days or ¥1,780 (£9.43) for 15 days, before returning it to the store.
In an interview with IT Media, Yusuke Sakai from GEO’s Product Division 1 said the service was “more popular than we expected”.
“Geo also buys PS5s, so we have the know-how for maintenance and other aspects. There are no additional labour or training costs to start renting PS5s. We can offer them at the lowest prices in the industry,” says Yuki Tsukamoto, also a member of Product Division 1.
GEO began renting out the PS5 due to a shortage of the console in Japan. This was a major issue when the console first launched in 2020, with the PS5 often being in short supply and difficult to find at retail price. Combined with the dominance of the Nintendo Switch in Japan, this has led to the PS5 currently being the worst-selling PlayStation console in the country.
With that in mind, it makes sense that players may prefer to rent the console for specific games they want to play. Sakai believes the recent spike in rentals was likely triggered by the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds — a highly anticipated title from an immensely popular franchise, exclusive to the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC.
It should also be noted that since its initial release, the price of the PS5 has actually risen. In April 2025, the price of the digital edition of the console will change from £389.99 to £429.99 in the UK, an increase of £40. There will be similar price increases across the rest of Europe and Australia.
On the PlayStation Blog, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Vice President of Global Marketing, Isabelle Tomatis, said the price hike was due to “a backdrop of a challenging economic environment, including high inflation and fluctuating exchange rates.”
With this price increase — and the controversial high price of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 — renting consoles rather than buying them may become more common, and a more viable way for people to enjoy games during economically turbulent times.
Words by Alex Daud Briggs
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