The surprising reveal of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart saw the return of two iconic PlayStation mascots, with the Lombax and robot surrounded by visuals more advanced than the series had ever seen before. Those detailed and smooth graphics clearly came at a cost, however, as Insomniac has confirmed that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is exclusive to the PlayStation 5.
Despite Insomniac recently showing love to PS4 players by confirming they would be able to access to PS5's Spider-Man Remastered suits, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will not be playable for gamers on the PlayStation 4. The game was likely built specifically for the PlayStation 5 to utilize the features exclusive to the platform, which could be part of the reason a last gen version was not considered. While DualSense technology and 3D Audio are likely used by the game, though, the visuals are the probable cause of the PS5 exclusivity.
With Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart utilizing ray tracing and running at 60 FPS, it is likely that the game simply could not run properly on the current gen console. It is worth noting, however, that Insomniac has yet to provide fans with an official reason as to the PS5 console exclusivity. The new came from the studio’s Twitter account replying to a user who asked if the latest Ratchet and Clank game would come to the PS4 as well. Insomniac’s brief reply of “it’s a PS5 exclusive” is all players were given in response, leaving fans to come up with their own assumptions as to why this is the case.
This news, while not completely unexpected, could be seen by fans as Sony abandoning the PS4 for the PS5 despite the company’s CEO explicitly saying this would not happen. However, with another PlayStation higher up saying that they “believe in generations,” it seems like the company is approaching their exclusives on a case by case basis. Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Sackboy: A Big Adventure may be cross-platform, for example, but games like Ratchet and Clank: A Rift Apart will utilize the full power of the PS5 and only be playable on the new console.
While it is unclear how fans will respond to this decision, Ratchet and Clank fans who are purchasing a PlayStation 5 clearly have a lot to look forward to. With the gameplay shown for Rift Apart at Gamescom highlighting the new combat system and portal-focused traversal, and the original reveal introducing a new Lombax to the story, longtime fans of the series should be happy to see how the game is evolving alongside the PlayStation platform. While no release date is confirmed, fans will likely get more updates on the sequel soon.
For players looking to kill time until the release of Rift Apart, now is the perfect time to play the other Ratchet and Clank games. With the newest entry in the series likely to reference past games as well, catching up on the previous adventures of the duo seems like a wise move.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is currently in development for the PlayStation 5.