PlayStation hardware sales in Japan are not what they used to be, but that doesn’t mean interest in PS5 and its range of games has completely petered out. In fact, business is actually booming… in the PS5 console rental scene.

Japanese retailer GEO has confirmed its PS5 rental service is proving “more popular” than expected, and stores offering rentals are almost completely sold out for the next six weeks. The PS5 service launched in tandem with Monster Hunter Wilds, one of the most popular gaming series in Japan, so it is believed that many Japanese players are paying the 980 yen (~$7) purely to gain access to the Capcom hit for eight days.

As revealed by IT Media News, the rental service is available in 400 stores across Japan, and every one has roughly five units available to rent to customers.

For years now, full purchases of the PS5 haven’t compared favourably to past PlayStation systems. The latest Famitsu data reveals the console has sold just over 5.6 million units in Japan, which means even the Switch Lite has it beat by almost one million units. The base Nintendo Switch has sold best in Japan at over 20 million units, though it did have a three-year head start on PS5. However, the Switch OLED model came out a year after PS5 and it’s sold 8.9 million units.

While the service isn’t an official offer from Sony, it does at least mean the PS5 has become an in-demand product in a sense. As Sony raises the price of select PS5 models in certain countries, a rental service may become more appealing for potential purchasers.

A PS5 console rental service is also offered in the UK, where you can pay as little as £11.99 per month (on a 36-month contract) to rent a console.

Would you ever use a console rental service? Let us know in the comments below.