Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is finally set to launch, marking the storied franchise's debut on the PlayStation 5, and serving as the first Ratchet & Clank game released in nearly five years. However, there once was a time when Insomniac Games released new Ratchet & Clank titles on a near-annual basis, and those constant releases has seen it become one of the biggest video game franchises produced to date.
Of course, not all Ratchet & Clank games are created equal. Some entries in the series have been critically-acclaimed, but other titles haven't done nearly as well. With Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's launch imminent, it's time to take a look back at all of the Ratchet & Clank games, from the worst of the bunch to the ones that represent the absolute best that the 3D platforming series has to offer.
Here is a comprehensive tier and ranking list of all the Ratchet & Clank games released so far.
F Tier
Secret Agent Clank
Secret Agent Clank was the second attempt at a Ratchet & Clank PSP game, though it was a big swing and a miss. Secret Agent Clank puts Clank in the starring role, but still features Ratchet for arena sections and some tedious levels with Captain Qwark as well. Its story is confusing as it makes it seem as though it's meant to be an episode of the in-universe Secret Agent Clank show, yet the events seem to be "really" happening to the characters involved. It also forces stealth, which is the exact opposite of what fans expect from Ratchet & Clank, and uses QTEs as a crutch. Secret Agent Clank is also home to one of the most infuriating final boss fights in the entire franchise.
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault
Insomniac Games had a near-perfect record with the Ratchet & Clank series until Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault. Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault is the lowest-rated game in the series in terms of average review score, with critics taking aim at its disappointing story and bizarre focus on tower defense gameplay. It's one of the shorter Ratchet & Clank games at least, so fans don't have to spend too much time with it.
D Tier
Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile
Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile is an oddity in the Ratchet & Clank series. It's not necessarily a bad game, but it only lasts about an hour and many aspects of it haven't exactly aged well. Case in point, Going Mobile has virtually no audio at all, though that may not be surprising when one realizes that it was developed for 2000s-era mobile phones. A side-scrolling platformer, Going Mobile does deserve some credit for translating the basic Ratchet & Clank experience to a 2D space and staying true to the franchise's established canon and sense of humor, but its scope is just way too small when compared to other games in the series to rank any higher.
Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus
Endless runners have been dominating the mobile space for quite some time now, and there's been plenty of endless runners made based on existing franchises. Ratchet & Clank got into the action with Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus, an endless runner where players were able to earn content for the console game Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus is not a spectacular game by any stretch of the imagination, but it is inoffensive and can be as entertaining as any of the other endless runner games on the market.
C Tier
Ratchet: Deadlocked
After the original Ratchet & Clank trilogy on PS2, Insomniac Games went in a different direction with Ratchet: Deadlocked. Taking place after the events of Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet: Deadlocked strips away most of the 3D platforming to focus almost exclusively on combat. Ratchet & Clank's combat has always been top-notch, so this isn't inherently a bad thing, though the game does have repetitive objectives and is noticeably less polished than its predecessors.
Ratchet: Deadlocked is notable for being the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series to offer 2-player co-op through the entire campaign, which can be a lot of fun with the right person. There is also a competitive multiplayer aspect to it as well, though Ratchet: Deadlocked's online has since been shut down. An HD version of the game is available on the PS3 that improves the graphical resolution if anyone is interested in checking it out for themselves.
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
With Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One, Insomniac itself tried its hand at making a Ratchet & Clank spin-off game. The result was a 4-player co-op game that played like an isometric action-RPG mixed with classic Ratchet & Clank style combat and platforming. The game can be a lot of fun with the right group of people, but it only has a few tricks up its sleeve and so the stages, while visually distinct from one another, become repetitive from a gameplay standpoint. It has a very strong start and turning Dr. Nefarious into a hero character is an interesting twist on the formula, but it can't quite keep the momentum going throughout the whole experience.
B Tier
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
To bolster the lineup for its PlayStation Portable handheld device, Sony created PSP versions of its popular PS1 and PS2 home console franchises. This included Ratchet & Clank, with High Impact Games taking the reigns from Insomniac to develop Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters. A classic Ratchet & Clank adventure in handheld form, Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters is great fun when it sticks to the traditional R&C gameplay, but it has some bizarre difficulty spikes, unforgiving checkpoints, and annoying forced side activities that are more frustrating than they are fun. Size Matters has one of the more interesting stories in the series, though, and it also has some of the more creative levels as well. It's still worth playing to this day, so Ratchet & Clank fans that haven't checked it out yet should be sure to do so.
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus
After the poorly-received Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault, Insomniac Games got things somewhat back on track with Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus. A continuation of the Ratchet & Clank Future storyline, the game played more like a traditional Ratchet & Clank game. It was a little on the shorter side, but it had some rather starting developments in regards to some of Ratchet & Clank's recurring characters that helped make it a bit more memorable than it would have been otherwise.
A Tier
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Insomniac found great success with Ratchet & Clank on the PS2, and so it makes sense that it wasted no time making a new R&C game for the PS3. Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction kicks off a new saga for the series, one with a bigger focus on storytelling and deeper characterization. Gameplay-wise, Tools of Destruction is what fans would expect from a Ratchet & Clank game after playing the PS2 titles, and it also boasts some rather impressive visuals for the time. As far as Ratchet & Clank games go, Tools of Destruction is pretty great, though it is somewhat held back by its forced motion controls and for having some of the most annoying hacking mini-games in the entire series.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
The sequel to Tools of Destruction, A Crack in Time is one of the most highly-polished Ratchet & Clank adventures ever released. It has some of the highest stakes in the entire franchise story-wise, and takes the gameplay into some bold new directions. There are certain elements of A Crack in Time that have been divisive, like the puzzle-heavy Clank sections, but the game deserves recognition for still being entertaining while keeping the title heroes Ratchet and Clank apart. Throw in some expanded space exploration and plenty of challenging platforming sections and it's easy to see why A Crack in Time is many fans' favorite.
Ratchet & Clank
The original Ratchet & Clank game started it all on the PlayStation 2 in 2002, and in many ways, plays like a natural extension of Insomniac's Spyro the Dragon games on the PlayStation 1. In the game, players take on enemies that tend to stick to one spot, trying to him them from afar with ranged enemies. And in place of gems, they collect bolts that make similar noises and roll on the ground in an almost identical fashion.
While it shares some things in common with Spyro, Ratchet & Clank is otherwise an incredibly original game, introducing the world to Lombax Ratchet and his robotic companion Clank as they attempt to save the galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek. It establishes the blend of platforming and third-person shooting that still defines the series to this day, as well as features some of the franchise's most recognizable characters.
The original Ratchet & Clank game still holds up for the most part, offering players an engaging platforming adventure with exciting moments and challenging battles. However, it does have some drawbacks when compared to future games. The writing is not nearly as sharp, and as a result, the relationship between Ratchet and Clank is insufferable. Players also have to deal with inverted camera controls, poorly-placed checkpoints, and difficulty spikes as well. But while it's not the best Ratchet & Clank game, it's still a fantastic platformer overall.
Ratchet & Clank (2016)
With the Ratchet & Clank re-imagining on PS4, Insomniac Games essentially remade the original, adding some new content while also trimming the fat here and there. The entire game is told from the perspective of Captain Qwark and therefore fails to add anything meaningful to the Ratchet & Clank canon, but it has the best graphics in the series (up until Rift Apart) and is a great nostalgia trip for fans of the original Ratchet & Clank game. It's essentially a better-looking and arguably better-playing version of the original game, and so it's definitely worth seeking out, even if it's story is ultimately inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
S Tier
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
Insomniac Games hit it out of the park with Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, which takes everything fans loved about the original game and amplifies it. The story and writing are significantly improved, plus there are plenty of interesting new gameplay mechanics to give the game added replay value. There's a leveling system this time around that levels up Ratchet's health, plus every weapon in the game can be upgraded as well. The difficulty has been ratcheted up, but it's far more tolerable since it doesn't come in spikes, but rather is a gradual incline.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando is an example of the Ratchet & Clank series at its near-best, but it isn't perfect either. While the core gameplay is wildly entertaining, some distractions like the space battles and the hacking mini-games detract from the experience somewhat. Luckily, Going Commando has players spending most of their time platforming and blasting away enemies, so these small blemishes don't do much to hurt the game's overall quality.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is the peak of the Ratchet & Clank series on the PlayStation 2. It features all of the improvements from Going Commando, but takes everything to the next level. It has one of the best storylines in the entire Ratchet & Clank series, introducing fans to the Ratchet and Clank's archenemy, Dr. Nefarious, who remains a key figure in the franchise to this day. And not only does it offer a lengthy and engaging story mode, but Up Your Arsenal gives players some of the most bang for their buck in the entire series, stuffed with side content like the exciting Annihilation Nation arena and side missions that players can complete for various rewards.
One of the main reasons why Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal players would want to participate in the game's side activities is to level up Ratchet's weapons to make the story's more difficult challenges a little easier. The weapon upgrade system from Going Commando has been revamped for Up Your Arsenal, giving each weapon 10 levels for players to go through in the first playthrough. This makes it so players aren't just constantly leveling up and abandoning their weapons like they may have done in Going Commando, making it a more worthwhile and engaging feature.
On top of all that, Up Your Arsenal also features a multiplayer mode. Up Your Arsenal's online multiplayer has since been shut down, but fans can still play it offline in split-screen to get a taste of what it was like. All around, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is the best of Ratchet & Clank from the PS2 era, offering a ton of high quality content and ridding itself of many of the slight annoyances that plagued previous titles.