The used gaming market has been dominated by GameStop for quite some time. They normally can save you quite a few bucks on used older titles, though when it comes to newer titles, going used only saves around $5 off new MSRP.
GameStop’s latest program features the ability to rent all the used games your heart can desire, within a 6-month period. Power Pass, as GameStop calls this program, features the ability to check out one game at a time, and you can keep it for as long as you want. When you’re finished, just simply walk back into your local GameStop and swap it for another game. You are limited to what your local GameStop has in stock, which depending on your location, could be lots or not. This also means that if there is no GameStop close to you, it will be hard to participate in this venture. Obviously, returned titles must be in the same condition as when you picked them up.
Once the 6-month term ends, you can choose any game you played during the term to keep at the end. One stipulation that GameStop sets on the program, is that you must be a PowerUp Rewards member. This membership has two tiers, a free and paid. The free membership should work just fine for Power Pass. The service is set to cost $60 per 6-months and is a fairly good deal if you ask me.
I love to play games. That’s evident by my custom-built gaming PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. One thing I hate is when I finish a game (no matter how good) I will rarely go back and play it later. I might revisit the online multiplayer, but I generally don’t go back and go through stories again. Some do, I don’t. For people like me, this program is perfect. I could walk into GameStop, get a game I really want to play (once they have a used copy), and beat it. When I’m done, be it in 1-week or 3-months, I just go back and swap for another. At the end, if I really liked the game, I can always choose that one to be the one I keep.
This would work great if you’re just wanting to try out a game, but you know it’ll take more than the normal 14-day return period to know if you love it or not. Recent titles would fit great in this section. Take Super Mario Odyssey, for instance. It’s $60 new right now, which isn’t a ton for a single game for some people, but others that’s really hard to spare. Used this game will be $54.99, as are most new-titles that are used when it comes to GameStop. At a $5 savings, I likely wouldn’t go used, but I would gladly rent the used game for a few weeks to see if it was worth buying.
This program is slated to start the week of November 13th. The fine print states that Power Pass must be activated by 1/31/2018. This can be taken two different ways; this is the official starting date of the program with the November date just being the purchase starting date, or this could be the last chance you have to get into the program. More details on that will be available once the program officially launches.
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