UK • PlayStation Direct
Sony is now offering PS5 hardware for rent in the UK — including PSVR2 and PlayStation Portal
A new “Flex” leasing option brings monthly rentals to PlayStation hardware with 12, 24, or 36-month terms — plus a higher-priced Monthly Rolling plan for people who want to avoid long commitments.
Quick facts
- What launched: “Flex” leasing for PlayStation hardware on PlayStation Direct UK.
- What’s included: PS5 consoles (including bundles), controllers (including DualSense Edge), PSVR2, and PlayStation Portal.
- Entry pricing: Official catalogue “from” pricing starts at £9.95/month for a PS5 Digital Edition listing on the longest term.
- Terms: 12 / 24 / 36 months or Monthly Rolling (cancel any time; typically priced higher).
- Big catch: It’s a lease — you don’t own the hardware unless a separate purchase option is offered at checkout or later.
Sony is taking a page out of the smartphone and laptop playbook: instead of paying for a PlayStation 5 upfront, UK customers can now lease PS5 hardware as a monthly subscription. The program sits inside PlayStation Direct UK under the name Flex, and it’s positioned as a “no upfront cost” alternative for anyone who wants to jump into the PS5 ecosystem without the usual one-time purchase hit.
What makes this rollout notable is the breadth of the catalogue. This isn’t limited to a single console SKU. The Flex lineup spans PS5 consoles (including multi-controller bundles), premium accessories like the DualSense Edge controller, and newer hardware that sits adjacent to the console itself — including PlayStation VR2 and the PlayStation Portal. In other words: it’s not just a “rent a console” program. It’s a full hardware leasing lane designed to keep you inside PlayStation’s orbit.
There are two broad ways to pay. If you want the lowest monthly price, you pick a fixed lease term (12, 24, or 36 months). If you want flexibility over price, you can pay a higher amount on a Monthly Rolling basis that can be cancelled without a long-term commitment. The key is to treat these as different products: fixed-term leasing behaves like a traditional contract, while Monthly Rolling behaves more like a subscription.
Why this matters
Console buying has been drifting toward “service-like” models for years — game subscriptions, cloud saves, and digital libraries all reduce the importance of owning physical media. Hardware leasing is the next logical step: lower the entry barrier, keep players active, and make upgrades feel routine rather than expensive.
What is “Flex” and who is it for?
Flex is a consumer hire (leasing) option presented through PlayStation Direct UK and managed by a third-party leasing partner. The promise is simple: pay monthly, get hardware delivered quickly, and choose a term that matches how you actually use your console. If you’re the type who buys a console once and keeps it for 7–8 years, leasing may look pointless. But if you upgrade often, move between platforms, or prefer lower upfront spend, leasing can be appealing — especially for a second console in the house or a temporary setup (e.g., a school break, a long holiday, or a single must-play release window).
The most important mindset shift is ownership. Leasing is not instalment buying. With instalments, you typically end up owning the device once you finish paying. With leasing, the device is rented for a monthly fee. At the end of your term you generally choose one of three paths: upgrade, keep paying monthly, or return the device. That means the best way to evaluate Flex isn’t “How cheap is it per month?” It’s “How long do I expect to keep this hardware — and do I care about owning it afterwards?”
Flex in one sentence
Flex turns PlayStation hardware into a subscription-like lease: lower upfront cost, predictable monthly payments, and end-of-term options — but ownership is not the default outcome.
What PlayStation hardware can you lease?
Flex isn’t a tiny test catalogue. The official UK listing includes multiple PS5 console options and add-ons. Here’s the practical breakdown:
- PS5 consoles: standard PS5 and digital PS5 listings, plus multi-controller bundles and a PS5 Pro listing in the same catalogue.
- Controllers: including the DualSense Edge premium controller as a standalone lease item.
- PSVR2: available both as a standalone headset listing and as a bundle (including “Horizon Call of the Mountain” bundle listing).
- PlayStation Portal: listed as a lease option — useful as a “second screen” style device for remote play, but not a standalone console.
If you’re considering Portal specifically, remember what it is: a remote player designed to stream compatible games from your PS5 over Wi-Fi. It’s best viewed as an accessory that extends your PS5 to another room rather than a device that replaces the console. Flex including Portal is a strong hint that Sony is treating “adjacent” devices as part of the platform — not just optional extras.
Pricing: the headline numbers — and what they actually mean
The attention-grabbing hook is the entry price: in the official UK Flex catalogue, the PS5 Digital Edition listing is shown from £9.95 per month (the “from” figure reflects the cheapest monthly rate available, typically associated with a longer term). That’s the number that will get shared around social media — because psychologically, “under a tenner” reframes what a console costs.
The second number that matters is Monthly Rolling. Coverage of the launch has highlighted a flat payment around £19.50/month for a base PS5 configuration on a rolling basis. This is the trade: you pay more each month to avoid a long commitment, and you keep the option to cancel when you no longer want the hardware.
Official catalogue “from” prices (UK)
These are the lowest advertised monthly prices shown in the Flex catalogue and can vary by lease term and availability. Always check the live listing for your exact monthly rate.
| Hardware | Advertised “from” monthly price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PS5 Digital Edition Console (listed 825GB / Slim model group) | £9.95/mo | Entry point that gets the most attention; typically tied to longer terms. |
| PS5 Console (1TB) | £11.59/mo | Disc-capable console listing; price depends on term. |
| PS5 Pro Console (2TB) | £16.99/mo | Higher-tier console listing; monthly rate rises with more expensive hardware. |
| PS5 Digital Edition + Two DualSense Controllers Bundle | £10.99/mo | Bundle pricing can be a better fit for households that immediately need a second controller. |
| PS5 Console + Two DualSense Controllers Bundle | £12.49/mo | Disc console + two controllers; for couch co-op or shared setups. |
| PlayStation Portal Remote Player | £7.49/mo | Accessory that streams from a PS5; not a standalone console replacement. |
| PSVR2 Horizon Call of the Mountain Bundle | £10.99/mo | Bundle listing can look surprisingly close to PSVR2 standalone pricing depending on term. |
| PSVR2 (standalone) | £11.99/mo | VR remains premium hardware; monthly rates depend heavily on term length. |
| DualSense Edge Wireless Controller | £6.49/mo | Premium controller as a lease item — unusual but consistent with “hardware as a service.” |
The phrase to watch here is “from.” A “from” price is not a guarantee — it’s an entry point that may depend on the term you pick and what’s in stock. If you choose 12 months instead of 36, you should expect the monthly payment to rise. If you choose Monthly Rolling, you should expect it to rise again. That doesn’t make the offer misleading; it’s standard leasing math. But it does mean you should treat headline pricing as a starting signal, not the full story.
How Flex works (the practical version)
Flex is designed to be fast. You choose your device and term, sign up online, and the listing claims free next-day delivery in the UK. The signup flow uses a soft credit check (as described on the Flex pages), which is positioned as having no impact on your credit file. After you’re approved, you pay monthly under the lease terms you selected.
The end-of-term path is where leasing becomes different from buying. At the end of your chosen term you typically get choices:
- Upgrade: move to another eligible device and return the old one.
- Keep paying monthly: continue on a monthly basis if you want to keep using the same hardware.
- Return and leave: exit Flex by returning the device.
The product pages also surface consumer-friendly policies that are easy to miss in social chatter. There’s a free return window within the first 14 days, a “fair wear and tear” policy (so normal use marks aren’t automatically punished), and optional insurance that can cover accidental damage, loss, and theft. These aren’t tiny details — they’re the difference between a low-friction rental and a stressful contract.
The part you should not gloss over
Leasing only feels “cheap” if you treat it as temporary access. If you keep paying month after month for years, the total spend can approach — or exceed — what you’d pay to buy the same hardware outright, while still ending up with nothing to resell.
A quick reality check: what does “£9.95/month” add up to?
Monthly pricing is persuasive because our brains are wired to evaluate small recurring costs as “manageable.” But consoles are big-ticket items, so it’s worth doing one simple step: multiply the monthly payment by the number of months you expect to keep the device.
For example, a 36-month term at £9.95/month totals £358.20 over three years (before any insurance add-ons). That can look reasonable if you want access without upfront cost — but it’s also close enough to “purchase money” that you should compare it with retail prices and seasonal discounts. And if you pick Monthly Rolling at around £19.50/month, three years of payments would be dramatically higher.
Cost check calculator
Enter a monthly price and term length to see the total paid. Use this to compare against a buy price.
Tip: totals don’t include optional insurance add-ons or any fees for damage/loss beyond fair wear and tear.
Tip: leasing totals don’t include any optional insurance add-ons or potential fees for damage/loss beyond fair wear and tear. Always read the live lease terms before committing.
None of this is meant to scare you off — it’s just the correct way to evaluate the offer. Leasing can be sensible if you want access, not ownership. It becomes less sensible if you end up paying “ownership money” for long enough that you could have simply bought the hardware and retained resale value.
Who should consider renting — and who should avoid it
Flex makes sense if you…
- Want to avoid upfront cost and prefer predictable monthly spending.
- Expect to upgrade and don’t want to worry about selling hardware later.
- Need a second console for a temporary period (shared home, long stay, short-term living setup).
- Want to try “adjacent” hardware like PSVR2 without a full purchase commitment.
Flex is a bad fit if you…
- Keep consoles for the long haul and want to own and resell later.
- Prefer physical discs but are considering the Digital Edition mainly because the monthly price looks lower.
- Are sensitive to total cost and are likely to keep paying monthly for years without reassessing.
- Dislike contracts and know that you’ll feel trapped by a fixed term (Monthly Rolling may still be expensive).
If you’re on the fence, make your decision based on timeline. Ask yourself one question: How many months do I realistically expect to keep this hardware? If your answer is “years,” you should compare the total lease cost to the best retail price you can find over that same period — including sale seasons. If your answer is “I’m not sure,” Monthly Rolling may be the least stressful route — but it tends to be the most expensive way to stay in the program.
What to watch next
Flex has a clear strategic goal: lower friction, broaden the base, and normalise the idea that PlayStation hardware can be “subscribed to” the same way games and services are subscribed to. If the UK program performs well, there are a few obvious expansions Sony could pursue:
- More bundles: console + PSVR2 bundles, Portal bundles, or extra controller bundles tuned for families.
- Promotional pricing: “from” pricing often becomes more attractive during retail campaigns; leasing could follow the same pattern.
- Wider regional rollout: UK is a strong test market; expansion would be the next headline if uptake is strong.
For now, the key takeaway is simple: Flex reframes what it costs to get into the PS5 ecosystem. It’s not automatically cheaper than buying — but it can be easier, and for some players, “easier” is the entire point.
FAQ: the questions readers keep asking
Do I own the console after I finish paying?
Flex is a lease, not a standard instalment purchase. In most leasing setups, you pay for access and return the device at the end of the term (or keep paying monthly). If a buyout option exists, it would typically be presented separately and would be governed by the lease provider’s terms.
Is Monthly Rolling the same as “no contract”?
Monthly Rolling is designed to avoid long fixed commitments, but it’s still a leasing agreement with terms. It’s best thought of as a subscription-like lease: you can cancel, but you still have obligations around returns and device condition.
What happens if the console gets scratched or shows normal wear?
The Flex product pages describe a “fair wear and tear” policy that allows visible signs of normal use — such as light scratching or small dents — without automatically triggering penalties. Damage beyond fair wear and tear may be charged as repair costs under the agreement.
Is there insurance?
Yes. Optional insurance is offered at checkout on the Flex pages, and it can cover scenarios like accidental damage, loss, and theft (check the live policy for exclusions and excess).
Is this available outside the UK?
This Flex leasing option is presented on PlayStation Direct UK pages and the UK Flex catalogue. Availability can change by region, so the safest move is to check the PlayStation Direct store for your country.