You cant rent a copy of Astro Bot though (Sony)Sony has brought its PlayStation 5 rental service to the UK, which offers temporary leases on consoles and other accessories like the PSVR2.Theres no denying that the PlayStation 5, and consoles in general, are an expensive piece of hardware. Even at its cheapest, it costs 389.99 and thats the version that comes without a disc drive, so youre sacrificing the ability to play physical games.The more powerful PS5 Pro is even costlier, at a whopping 700, which didnt seem to hurt its launch but could be a contributing factor to its dwindling sales in the US.Now Sony appears to be recognising that not everyone is able or willing to purchase a PlayStation 5, as it has established a new service here in the UK one that lets you temporarily rent out the console.How to rent a PlayStation 5 in the UKThe new rental service only went live this week on the PlayStation Direct website and applies to all models of the PlayStation 5, including the PS5 Pro.The cheapest option is for the digital-only PlayStation 5, which comes with a single controller and, if you commit to a 36-month rental, is 10.99 a month. At a grand total of 395.64, thats only slightly more expensive than buying the console outright.There are options for a 24-month rental at 11.99 a month and a 12-month rental at 16.49 a month. Otherwise, a single month on its own costs 21.95.More TrendingAside from all three PlayStation 5 models, the service is also offering leases on the PlayStation Portal handheld and PlayStation VR2 headset. Although both of these are clearly meant for established PlayStation 5 owners, since neither of them work without the console.How much is the new PlayStation rental service in the UK?The following items are whats available for rental on the PlayStation service. For simplicitys sake, we have listed how much they cost for a 36 month period, according to Sonys website:PlayStation 5 Pro console 18.95 per monthPlayStation 5 digital edition console 10.99 per monthPlayStation 5 console 11.99 per monthPlayStation 5 digital edition console with two DualSense controllers 13.49 per monthPlayStation 5 console with two DualSense controllers 15.49 per monthPlayStation Portal 6.49 per monthPlayStation VR2 Horizon Call Of The Mountain bundle 19.99 per monthPlayStation VR2 18.49 per monthDualSense Edge controller 7.49 per monthThe service launched in Japan last week and has quickly proven very successful. According to Automaton, its currently fully booked across the whole country, thanks to the launch of Monster Hunter Wilds where the series is exceedingly popular.Its a smart move by Sony, since even if the service doesnt convince customers to fully invest in a PlayStation 5, it can still make extra money from more casual gamers. Well have to wait and see if this is has any major effect on console sales, for better or worse.The one downside is that customers obviously have to purchase the games themselves. But its an ideal service for those who arent interested in long term commitments, like live service games, but are content to play through single-player titles like Spider-Man 2 or God Of War Ragnark only once. Are you tempted to rent a PlayStation 5? (Sony)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy