Gottaplay is one of the top US game rental companies, boasting no less than five shipping centers. However, their recent stock falls (down to $.37 in mid-January 2008, from a high of $2.27 a year earlier) make us a bit wary about suggesting people sign up with them at present. We have no other information to suggest Gottaplay are in financial trouble, but the investors might know something we don't, so we'd still be wary.

Again, from a service point of view, Gottaplay is excellent; mailing from the Distribution Center nearest you (see map below) can shave days off of transit times. They even ship on Saturdays, a rarity among game and DVD rental companies alike, and a good reason to sign up on its own. They also track where their games are in the shipping process for you, so you know when they'll arrive, and as soon as your post office scans a returned game in, they dispatch the next title.

Gottaplay's claim their library consists of every single game released for all the major platforms and they make a specific effort to judge demand and have extra copies of hot new titles in stock. There is not as much advertising for Gottaplay as some of the other top companies, and it has generally grown by word-of-mouth among gamers. The company was originally known as DeepShark, but has since acquired several rival firms enabling it to offer this 9-distribution center service

The website itself is fast-loading and the search engine powerful. We would prefer a bit more detail on individual titles, but this is a minor criticism. They call your list of game preferences a "Q" (how many people can spell the British "queue" anyway?), just one of several minor quirks which set GottaPlay apart. For instance, you can even purchase gift certificates for membership for 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months--great gift for a gamer.

Despite being a large company, Gottaplay have phone support, unlike most competitors, which is a big plus. They even have a tagline under the phone number "We won'\t hide this on you"--relevant as many companies bury a contact number deep within the FAQs, if they have them at all. Continuing in this vein, they have extensive FAQs and Terms of Service, so there should be no surprises, which is how it should be. There are plenty of little extras, like a vacation feature to suspend your account when away and a trading system for swapping games with other users.

Prices: GottaPlay does not offer a free trial, but does give you your first 10 days for only a buck, during which you can cancel. Game plans are a very competitive $12.95 per month for 1 game out, $20.95 for 2 games out, and $28.95 for 3 games out.

A couple things to be wary of--you have 7 days after cancellation to return any outstanding games or you will be charged $50 for outstanding titles.. Note that according to their FAQ, Gottaplay will authorize the full subscription amount on your card even during the 10-day free trial, but this is not a charge, and will be removed if you cancel during the free trial.