Is Gamefly's Service Worth the Money?

Gamefly is nothing more than the Netflix of gaming. A simple concept where you sign up through their company, pay a monthly subscription and receive games that have no return dates and you can keep as long as you desire. But does Gamefly's service really offer an unbeatable deal versus going to your local video store to rent games? Here is a review of Gamefly's service and if it's really worth the money.

You can get a Gamefly subscription for $8.95 to start for your first month and will be $15.95 after that each month. You can choose between a one game and two game plan. Having two games out at a time will run you $22.95 a month. After your first month you will have the option of upgrading to a three game plan for $29.95 a month and a four game plan for $36.95 a month. Based on the amount of gaming you do and how long you keep whatever games you choose, the two game plan is a popular plan for most people which will run you around $24 a month after taxes. Payment each month is taken out of a checking account or credit card.

You can rent games with Gamefly's service across all the new systems like Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii. You can even rent games from the original Xbox, Nintendo DS, Playstation Portable, Gamecube, and Gameboy Advance. Your almost guaranteed to find any game that your looking which makes it easier then searching local video stores to see if there's any in stock. The games ship in an envelope very similar to what Netflix uses for their service. As soon as your done with a game, just place it back in the protective sleeve inside the cardboard holder and put inside the envelope and mail it back for free.

Depending on where the closest shipping center is, it can take anywhere from two days to five days. There are shipping centers in Pittsburgh PA, Los Angeles CA, Tampa FL, and Austin TX. You can sign up for text message alerts when Gamefly receives your game or ships you out a new one. There is also a new program Gamefly has with the US Postal service that speeds up delivery times. What happens is the post office scans your envelope when you ship it and a Gamefly shipping center will already count it as returned and start processing your next game.

With any service there's almost always a negative and Gamefly's service has a few themselves. Getting new releases or popular hits can be a very difficult task and it's almost easier to keep trying your local video store instead. Popular hits like Madden are still in low quantity almost two months after release and popular yearly titles like Call of Duty for instance will follow the same suit and Call of Duty 4 is still in low quantity most of the time, even after releasing almost two years ago. Every game with Gamefly has a quantity of course and they can't fill everyones request always. Older titles and less popular titles will be no problem to get most of the time or games on any older system. Gamefly just needs to work out getting more in stock of the new releases.

Shipping times are very inconsistent as well. Sometimes your game is received in just a few days and other times you will wait a week before you even get word they have it. Gamefly doesn't always ship out a new game in your list right away either. They can receive it one day and ship another game several days later, even if it's in high quantity. This can be frustrating if your eagerly awaiting a new title but most of the time the process is usually pretty smooth.

If you lose or damage any game from Gamefly's service, then you are completely responsible for the cost. If it gets lost in the mail, stolen, doesn't matter because you have to buy it. Make sure to treat the game as if it was your own so you don't get stuck with having to pay for it if it gets damaged. Just always keep it in the protective sleeve when not in use. If you lose your envelope, cardboard holder or sleeve, just submit a shipping problem on Gamefly's site and they will send you another one for free.

Other then a few shipping delays from time to time and the difficulty getting new releases, Gamefly's service is a reliable and easy way to be try out video games instead of buying right away or having to rent them and deal with late fees. The prices are pretty reasonable seeing that you can return them whenever you want as long as you pay your subscription fee. If you like a game enough, you can buy it from them for a set price listed on the website and Gamefly will ship you the case and instructions for it. Prices will reflect on how new a game is and older games will have a much lower price obviously.

Gamefly's service may not be ideal for the occasional gamer but If your into gaming quite a bit and hate renting games and having late fees, then Gamefly's service is something to check out. With a new account setup, you can get your first month for a reduced price with either the one game or two game plan. After your first month, the prices still are not that bad and a pretty good deal for the service you get. Make sure to refer your friends and family when you sign up to earn a $20 bonus for each new sign up.