Long-running franchises are some of the biggest sources of overzealous fandoms and the nostalgia they give can have many players sinking a lot of their money into impressive collections dedicated to the franchises they love.
Ratchet & Clank has been one of Insomniac Games’ most successful and beloved series with its buddy cop-style game duo featured as far back as 2002. The franchise has gone on to spawn many mainline sequels, mobile games, and even a feature film.
10 Ratchet & Clank (2016)
This game was meant to serve as a reboot for the franchise and tie into the feature film adaptation of the same name. The gameplay is solid, and it is still fun, but having the story revolve around someone recalling the events of the movie, including reusing the same cutscene sequences, made the whole thing feel very awkward.
This game might be a great experience for newcomers, but some hardcore fans could not get over this direction, despite the actual gameplay still being solid.
9 Quest For Booty
Quest For Booty brought all the combat, platforming elements, and puzzle-solving that the franchise is known for in a bite-sized enjoyable experience. This game had a significantly lower price tag due to its purpose being to only bridge the gap, story-wise, between the previous and upcoming entries in the game.
This game explored a lot of fun and engaging ideas to tickle the enjoyment of the players despite it being a game that could be completely played out in a single sitting.
8 All 4 One
When it comes to gameplay, All 4 One took the franchise in a very different direction. This entry allowed players to play through the game with up to 3 friends in an isometric camera that looked at a large area of the map for players to freely move around and play together. All 4 One saw Ratchet and Clank working alongside Captain turned Galactic President Copernicus Qwark, as well as long-time antagonist Dr. Nefarious.
While you play with friends, this game will consist of several areas that need to be completed with the use of teamwork in order to progress. While not as highly rated as other titles, this game is a lot of fun when played with friends.
7 Ratchet & Clank (2002)
The first game in the franchise and a crown jewel of PS2-era console platforms. The original Ratchet & Clank took everything that Insomniac Games had learned over the years and produced a refined platforming experience that rivaled Jak & Daxter.
This game introduced many of the staples still used in the franchise to this day. Such as periodic weapon vending stations, flying between worlds, various means of traversal for different parts of maps, and acquiring permanent upgrades as you progress through the game.
6 Going Commando
Going Commando was the first direct sequel in the franchise, keeping everything that players loved about its predecessor and building upon it. The game featured a whole new galaxy of planets, a new story, and plenty of new weapons.
While the first game featured a corporate executive villain building a new planet by destroying existing ones, this one saw Ratchet and Clank revered as heroes and asked to help in a crisis with a rogue new product causing chaos throughout the galaxy. This game is the first one to feature different armors as you progress.
5 Deadlocked
Deadlocked tells the story of when Ratchet and Clank are captured and forced to compete in a series of deathmatches — all broadcast live. Their captors would continue to profit off of broadcasting their ordeal throughout the galaxy, and dragging their names through the mud while doing so.
This game dropped the semi-open world feeling of planets for more mission-goal-orientated gameplay. Deadlocked was also the first in the series to fully incorporate a co-op experience, so players could finally enjoy the franchise together.
4 Up Your Arsenal
This was the third game in the original trilogy of titles before Deadlocked came with its different formula. This game also gave players their first true evil villain in the form of Dr. Nefarious. Players would amass a special team of heroes to take on this incredibly fearsome foe.
Up Your Arsenal would establish keystone lore elements for the entire franchise going forward, and is easily the best PS2 entry the franchise has ever had thanks to its range of weapons, amazing minor character roster, and devilishly delightful mini-games.
Tools Of Destruction was the first game in the franchise to grace the PS3 console and would be a monumental step forward in the franchise’s storytelling. Previous games really leaned into being wacky and filled with tropes, but this game wanted players to feel raw emotions and would also explore elements of Ratchet’s past.
It introduced not just a new enemy, but an entire new species that saw Ratchet as their sworn enemy. Tools Of Destruction utilized new features available too, thanks to a more powerful console and Sixaxis technology featured in the PS3 controller.
2 A Crack In Time
A Crack In Time would be the last full-scale mainline entry until 12 years later. There were some smaller entries in between such as mobile games, a tower defense game, All 4 One, Into The Nexus, and the 2016 reboot. Besides the reboot, these other titles would still be considered canon and add to the progression of the story.
This game was very similar to Tools of Destruction but with so much more. Gameplay would alternate between Ratchet and Clank, each with their own mechanics and means of progressing the game. Spaceship fights were added and even the base of a boss fight. This is one of the best PS3 era games and some fans might even say this should be the number one entry.
1 Rift Apart
The latest entry to the Ratchet & Clank series, Rift Apart, is arguably one of the greatest games to grace the PlayStation 5. Rift Apart makes full use of the PS5’s powerful hardware and DualSense gaming controller. Not only is this game a massive treat for long-time fans, but its choice of setting to take place in another dimension allows newcomers to come in and love every moment of it.
Important information they may need to know the backstory of is covered in the early moments of the game by having a celebration that pays homage to the duo’s past adventures, whilst also mentioning everything newcomers might not be aware of.