Once you live in the U.S., you quickly notice one thing:
Games are really expensive. If a $69.99 USD AAA title bores you halfway through, you've basically burned $70.
Even worse:
Switch games basically never go on sale.
Big PS5 titles almost never get discounted in their first 6 months.
New Xbox games routinely start at $70.
No wonder gamers in North America have a saying:
“Buy less, play more.”
And the key to this strategy is:
You don't have to own a game;
you just need to have “played” it.
🎯 More and more people in North America are switching to “game rentals”: the reason is simple
1️⃣ Games keep getting pricier, but you won't finish every one
You pay $70 USD and three days later decide it's no fun → every gamer has been there.
2️⃣ Kids switch games so fast you can't keep up by buying
Parents know… today it's Mario, tomorrow Kirby, then Pokémon.
Buying them all is burning money.
3️⃣ Switch games simply don't “do discounts”
You'll always pay full price.
But most single-player Switch games are done in 1–2 weeks.
4️⃣ You want to play a new game but worry it's a dud
Wait for YouTube reviews? Wait for Reddit?
Better to just play it for a week and buy it if you like it.
5️⃣ Movie collectors need to borrow even more
A Blu-ray costs $20; renting it once is far cheaper than buying.
🕹 So how do North American gamers rent games?
The most common way isn't the library (small collection, old games),
it's GameFly.
Put simply, GameFly = the Netflix DVD-by-mail of gaming.
You pay a monthly fee, and they mail PS5, Switch and Xbox games straight to your home.
When you're done, mail it back and get the next one.
It's best for these people:
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You want to play lots of new games without buying a pile of them
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You want to “try before you decide whether to buy”
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You have kids who switch games quickly
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You only play single-player and don't need in-game purchases
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You want to save money without missing the latest big releases
💡 Why is this model so popular in North America?
Because it saves a lot of money.
Say a game costs $70.
With GameFly you play it for one, two, three weeks, until you're bored → mail it back and get the next one.
No worrying about duds, and no forcing yourself to finish.
And:
✔ The Switch problem is solved (because swapping is fast)
✔ You can rent big PS5 titles right at launch
✔ When the kids get bored, mail it back for a new one
✔ Movie fans can rent Blu-ray / DVD too
✔ Shipping both ways is free
No pressure, and no stack of physical discs piling up at home.
🔚 Lots of North American gamers end up saying:
“Buying games is too expensive; renting is just right.”
“A game disc isn't an asset, it's an experience.”
So if you're like me:
you play PS5, Switch, Xbox a lot, or you keep up with Blu-ray releases,
but don't want to pay for every disc,
a model like GameFly really does make life cheaper and saves you from duds.
👉 Want to see which games you can rent? Check here:
🎮 [Which Games Are Best for GameFly?] A Must-Read for PS5, Switch and Xbox Players: 6 Kinds of Games You Don't Need to Buy, Renting Is the Better Deal
Games in North America keep getting pricier; one routinely costs $69.99 USD.
But honestly:
are you really going to finish every game?
Some games are worth buying to keep, but some get old after a week, or simply aren't worth spending $70 on.
That's why many North American gamers (especially PS5 and Switch owners) pair up with a rental service like GameFly. The reason is simple:
Not every game is worth “buying outright”; some are a great deal to rent.
Below are the 6 types of games best suited to GameFly. You'll definitely relate.
1️⃣ Single-player games you can “finish in a week”
For example:
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The Tomb Raider series
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Final Fantasy Remake (not short, but most people finish in one to two weeks)
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Uncharted
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Resident Evil (perfect for renting)
What they have in common:
✔ Story games → playing once is enough
✔ You won't go back to them
✔ Not worth $70 to buy outright
These games are made for GameFly:
arrives, one week → finish it → mail it back → get the next one.
You pay only the monthly fee, yet you get to play the most expensive games on the market.
2️⃣ Divisive games you “might not like even after buying”
For example:
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Death Stranding
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Elden Ring (you might love it, or rage-quit after an hour)
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Cyberpunk 2077 (luckily they fixed it later)
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Forspoken
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Callisto Protocol
These games are the kind where:
you want to try them, but you're afraid they're a dud.
GameFly's advantage:
your cost of a dud = 0.
Play for two hours, don't like it → mail it back for the next one.
3️⃣ Switch games (never discounted → renting is the best deal)
You know how Nintendo games are:
They! Never! Go! On! Sale!
For example:
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The Mario series
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Zelda
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Pokémon
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Animal Crossing
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Kirby
What Switch games are like:
✔ 1–2 weeks is enough to get the core main-story experience
✔ Kids switch games super fast
✔ Whether it's been out 3 years or 5 → still $59.99
Renting really saves a lot.
4️⃣ Sports games (a new edition every year)
For example:
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NBA 2K
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FIFA / EA FC
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Madden NFL
You know these games get replaced every year,
and some people play only a few matches and quit.
Buying a game outright and paying again every year really isn't worth it.
Rent → play for a while → switch to next year's edition → best deal.
5️⃣ Games you want to try before deciding whether to buy
Everyone's usually excited about these games, but they may not suit you:
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New Final Fantasy titles
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Starfield
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The Horizon series
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The God of War series
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Hogwarts Legacy
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The Star Wars series
GameFly lets you play first / test the pacing / see whether it clicks for you.
Buy it only if you like it; no money wasted.
6️⃣ Families with kids who switch games super fast
Anyone with kids knows:
Today it's Mario Kart
tomorrow Pokémon
the day after, Kirby
next week they want Zelda
You can't spend $60–70 to buy every one.
GameFly lets you:
✔ Swap discs without limit
✔ Keep the kids from getting bored
✔ Keep spending fixed so it doesn't get out of hand
This family pattern is the most common reason North American parents use GameFly.
🧮 Rent vs. buy: the simple math
Say you play 10 new games a year:
Buying outright (average $70)
👉 70 × 10 = $700 USD
GameFly monthly fee ($9–17/month depending on the plan)
👉 About $120–180/year
That's a huge difference, and you get to play more games.
🔚 Final thoughts: not every game is worth buying; renting makes more sense for many
If you:
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play lots of single-player games
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often play new releases
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don't like being held hostage by $70 prices
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are a Switch player
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have kids at home
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want to try before deciding whether to buy
then GameFly fits the way you play.
You'll rack up more gaming experience faster and hit fewer duds.
🎮 See which games are available to rent right now:
https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101611168-12500877