Sony is leasing PS5, PS5 Pro and PS Portal consoles to UK players for a monthly fee
Players can rent a PS5 starting from £10.99 a month
PlayStation has teamed up with a UK leasing company to let players rent PS5 hardware for a monthly fee.
The leasing plan, which has been branded Flex, is a partnership between PlayStation and leasing firm Raylo (as spotted by Gamespot).
Players can choose to lease standard or digital PS5 consoles, PlayStation Portal handhelds, PlayStation VR2 headsets or PS5 Pro consoles on a rolling monthly contract.
They can also sign up for 12-month, 24-month or 36-month terms for lower monthly payments.
For example, a PS5 Digital Edition console costs £21.95 per month to lease, with the option to cancel at any time. By committing to 12, 24 or 36 months, this price is lowered to £16.49, £11.99 or £10.99 per month respectively.
The cost to rent each device is as follows:
Flexible monthly fee (cancel any time)
- PS5 Digital – £21.95
- PS5 Standard – £23.59
- PS5 Pro – £35.59
- PlayStation Portal – £13.99
- PlayStation VR2 – £51.49
36-month contract (per month)
- PS5 Digital – £10.99
- PS5 Standard – £11.99
- PS5 Pro – £18.95
- PlayStation Portal – £6.49
- PlayStation VR2 – £18.49
If players go with a 36-month contract, the total cost is slightly more than what it would cost to buy the console outright. For example, the total cost when leasing a PS5 Digital over 36 months is £395.64, versus the £389.99 retail price. Naturally, this option is designed for players who can’t afford the financial hit of a one-off payment.
As the FAQ states, players don’t own their device when they lease it through Raylo. When the lease ends, they have the choice to return their console, continue paying monthly or contact Raylo to discuss potentially buying it outright.
A slightly different PS5 rental service was launched in Japan last month by game retailer GEO. The service, which is provided by 400 stores across Japan, lets players rent a PS5 console for either 8 days for ¥980 ($6.62) or 15 days for ¥1,780 ($12.02), before returning it to the store.
Japanese players looking to rent a console will be in for a long wait, however. According to Automaton, the service is fully booked across Japan, no doubt due to a combination of its surprisingly affordable price and the release of Monster Hunter Wilds.
