Ratchet & Clank: Complete Series Ranking
For me, few series capture that childhood magic quite like Ratchet & Clank. Since their debut in 2002, the lombax and his trusty robot have blasted, jumped, and wisecracked their way through galaxies full of chaos, charm, and ridiculous weaponry. Over the years, Insomniac’s duo has evolved from PS2 icons to full-blown modern mascots, giving us everything from heartfelt space adventures to explosive arena shooters.
So, in true completionist fashion, I decided to do the impossible: rank every single Ratchet & Clank game: from the cosmic highs to the “what were they thinking?” lows. Grab your wrench, load up the RYNO, and let’s see which entries truly deserve a spot among the stars.
Just a small note before we begin: this ranking will be made according to my personal preference and won't be just a compilation of ordering the games based on the scores our team gave them during our review series.
14th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault (aka Q-Force) (2012)
This one tried something different, and maybe a little too different. Full Frontal Assault mixed the series’ classic third-person shooting with tower defense mechanics, and while that sounds somewhat cool on paper, the result felt more like a confused and worthless spin-off than a true Ratchet adventure. The core gameplay loop gets repetitive fast, the story barely matters, and the small maps make everything feel oddly cramped. It’s not bad, just... hollow. It's an experiment not worth revisiting anytime soon.
Size Matters was the series’ first big jump to handhelds, and it kinda shows. For a PSP game, it does a commendable job capturing the look and feel of a mainline Ratchet & Clank, but it never quite shakes that “shrunken down” vibe. The controls are clunky, the camera is a true nightmare, and the pacing feels off compared to the console entries. Still, there’s some bits of charm here: the weapons are fun, the humor lands occasionally, and it scratches that portable Ratchet itch. But compared to the big-screen adventures, this one’s more pocket-sized than planet-sized.
The one that started it all: Ratchet & Clank (2002) is a PlayStation classic through and through. It laid the foundation for everything the series would become: wild weapons, witty dialogue, colorful worlds, and that perfect blend of platforming and chaos. It’s a bit rough around the edges today (Ratchet’s attitude was more “snarky jerk” than lovable hero back then and the lack of a "strafing"), but the charm and creativity shine through. Every gadget, every planet, every bizarre enemy screams early-2000s personality. Without this bold, scrappy debut, there’d be no Lombax legacy to rank in the first place.
Up Your Arsenal is the moment the series hit full stride: fast, funny, and firing on all cylinders. It took everything great about the first two games and cranked it up to eleven: tighter shooting, smoother controls, an actual lock-on system (finally!), and some of the best weapon variety in the series. Add in hilarious writing, Dr. Nefarious’s iconic debut, and a surprisingly solid online mode, and you’ve got peak PS2 energy. It’s polished, endlessly replayable, and oozes personality. If the original defined what Ratchet & Clank could be, Up Your Arsenal defined what it should be.
Going Commando is where everything clicked. The platforming, the combat, the humor, it all came together in glorious chaos. It took the solid foundation of the first game and leveled it up with RPG-style upgrades, smoother shooting, and a perfect balance between exploration and action. The planets are diverse, the weapons are absurdly fun, and the pacing is near flawless. It’s the sweet spot of the entire franchise, ambitious without overreaching, funny without forcing it, and endlessly satisfying to replay. Two decades later, Going Commando still feels like the gold standard for intergalactic mayhem.
13th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (2007)
Size Matters was the series’ first big jump to handhelds, and it kinda shows. For a PSP game, it does a commendable job capturing the look and feel of a mainline Ratchet & Clank, but it never quite shakes that “shrunken down” vibe. The controls are clunky, the camera is a true nightmare, and the pacing feels off compared to the console entries. Still, there’s some bits of charm here: the weapons are fun, the humor lands occasionally, and it scratches that portable Ratchet itch. But compared to the big-screen adventures, this one’s more pocket-sized than planet-sized.
12th Place - Secret Agent Clank (2008)
Secret Agent Clank had a clever concept: finally giving Clank a chance in the spotlight. but the execution never quite hits the target. The spy theme is fun, with its tuxedo flair, gadgets, and stealth missions, yet the gameplay feels uneven, bouncing between solid platforming and awkward rhythm or QTE segments. Clank just doesn’t have the same punch (literally and figuratively) as Ratchet, and the pacing suffers because of it. It’s charming in that “Saturday morning cartoon” way, but ultimately feels like a wasted opportunity for a great story in Clank's shoes.
11th Place - Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One (2011)
All 4 One is the series’ “party genre experiment”, a four-player co-op adventure that trades tight platforming for some good old-fashioned chaotic teamwork. It’s colorful, funny, and packed with personality, but it also feels slower and more restrictive than a traditional Ratchet & Clank game. The camera’s zoomed-out chaos doesn’t help, and solo players get the short end of the wrench. Still, it’s hard not to appreciate the sheer ambition of it all. When everything clicks (and you got a great group of friends to play it with), it’s sheer dumb fun, just not the kind of fun that made the duo famous.
10th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty (2008)
Quest for Booty is short, sweet, and kind of feels like Ratchet & Clank: The Lost Episode. It picks up right after Tools of Destruction with a charming pirate twist, giving Ratchet a more focused mission and a few clever gameplay tweaks, like light-based puzzles and a magnetized wrench. The problem? It’s over before it really gets going. At barely a few hours long, it feels more like premium DLC than a full adventure. Still, it’s a fun little snack between meals, a breezy, treasure-hunting detour that leaves you wanting more. Besides all of this, the "reasoning" behind why this game came to be in the first place kinda sours my experience of it and so it easily ends in the bottom of the pack for me.
The 2016 "reboot" is gorgeous, like, “Pixar-level” gorgeous, and mechanically smooth as butter. It modernized the original with slick shooting, great controls, and a dazzling arsenal. The problem is… it also lost most of the soul that made the original game one of the most charming platformers of its generation. The story, tied awkwardly to the movie, strips Ratchet and Clank of their personality and replaces witty banter with bland characterization. It’s still a blast to play and a technical showcase for the PS4, but it feels more like a forced remaster rather than the chaotic, character-driven adventure that started it all. Beautiful? Absolutely. Memorable? Not quite.
Into the Nexus was a return to form, and a solid farewell to the PS3 era. It brought back the single-player focus, classic humor, and that trademark mix of shooting and platforming, all wrapped in a darker, moodier tone. This is the closest to a Ratchet horror game we'll ever get. The gravity mechanics were a neat touch, and the weapons? As wonderfully absurd as ever. But like Quest for Booty, it’s over way too soon, feeling more like a “mini-sequel” than a full-blown finale. Still, for its short runtime, it nails that Ratchet & Clank spark, a compact but satisfying reminder of why this duo works so well.
Tools of Destruction was the big leap into the HD (and PS3) era, and what a leap it was. It looked stunning back in 2007, bursting with color, detail, and that "already famous" Insomniac chaos. The weapons were creative as ever, the story took a surprisingly emotional and more dramatic turn, and the humor still hit all the right notes. The downside? It plays it a bit too safe. There’s no real innovation beyond the visuals, and the lack of challenge makes it feel more like an opening act than a full adventure. Still, as the start of the Future saga, it set the stage beautifully: big, bold, and unmistakably Ratchet.
A Crack in Time is where the series finally attempted to deliver the most ambitious game yet, and it paid off. The story dives deep into Ratchet and Clank’s origins, giving real emotional weight to the titular duo. The gameplay splits between Ratchet’s open space exploration and Clank’s clever time puzzles, creating one of the most balanced entries in the series. It’s cinematic, heartfelt, and full of inventive ideas. The only reason it’s not higher? Some pacing issues and repetitive combat sections hold it back from true greatness. Still, it’s one of the most complete Ratchet experiences out there, epic, funny, and surprisingly moving.
9th Place - Ratchet & Clank (2016)
The 2016 "reboot" is gorgeous, like, “Pixar-level” gorgeous, and mechanically smooth as butter. It modernized the original with slick shooting, great controls, and a dazzling arsenal. The problem is… it also lost most of the soul that made the original game one of the most charming platformers of its generation. The story, tied awkwardly to the movie, strips Ratchet and Clank of their personality and replaces witty banter with bland characterization. It’s still a blast to play and a technical showcase for the PS4, but it feels more like a forced remaster rather than the chaotic, character-driven adventure that started it all. Beautiful? Absolutely. Memorable? Not quite.
8th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (2013)
Into the Nexus was a return to form, and a solid farewell to the PS3 era. It brought back the single-player focus, classic humor, and that trademark mix of shooting and platforming, all wrapped in a darker, moodier tone. This is the closest to a Ratchet horror game we'll ever get. The gravity mechanics were a neat touch, and the weapons? As wonderfully absurd as ever. But like Quest for Booty, it’s over way too soon, feeling more like a “mini-sequel” than a full-blown finale. Still, for its short runtime, it nails that Ratchet & Clank spark, a compact but satisfying reminder of why this duo works so well.
7th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (2007)
Tools of Destruction was the big leap into the HD (and PS3) era, and what a leap it was. It looked stunning back in 2007, bursting with color, detail, and that "already famous" Insomniac chaos. The weapons were creative as ever, the story took a surprisingly emotional and more dramatic turn, and the humor still hit all the right notes. The downside? It plays it a bit too safe. There’s no real innovation beyond the visuals, and the lack of challenge makes it feel more like an opening act than a full adventure. Still, as the start of the Future saga, it set the stage beautifully: big, bold, and unmistakably Ratchet.
6th Place - Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (2009)
A Crack in Time is where the series finally attempted to deliver the most ambitious game yet, and it paid off. The story dives deep into Ratchet and Clank’s origins, giving real emotional weight to the titular duo. The gameplay splits between Ratchet’s open space exploration and Clank’s clever time puzzles, creating one of the most balanced entries in the series. It’s cinematic, heartfelt, and full of inventive ideas. The only reason it’s not higher? Some pacing issues and repetitive combat sections hold it back from true greatness. Still, it’s one of the most complete Ratchet experiences out there, epic, funny, and surprisingly moving.
5th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (2021)
Rift Apart is the series at its flashiest, a visual showcase that feels like playing a Pixar movie on turbo mode. The SSD-powered rift jumping is pure spectacle, the combat is silky smooth, and the addition of Rivet and Kit gives the franchise a much-needed fresh spark. It’s polished to near perfection, with stunning worlds and an emotional story that hits all the right notes. The catch? It’s a bit too streamlined, more rollercoaster than playground, and over before you’re ready to leave. Still, as a love letter to fans and a jaw-dropping PS5 showpiece, Rift Apart absolutely delivers. The biggest reason for it being 5th is me having a bigger emotional connection to the first four games of this top.
4th Place - Ratchet & Clank: Gladiator (aka Deadlocked) (2005)
Gladiator (or Deadlocked) is the black sheep/first experiment that turned out to be a beast. Stripping away platforming for pure, arena-style combat, it doubles down on brutality, explosions, and attitude, and somehow, it works perfectly. The tone is darker, the stakes higher, and the gameplay brutally addictive. Customizing weapons, juggling bots, and surviving wave after wave of chaos feels endlessly satisfying. Sure, it’s not the most “Ratchet” Ratchet game out there, but as a bold experiment in controlled mayhem, Gladiator absolutely slaps.
3rd Place - Ratchet & Clank (2002)
The one that started it all: Ratchet & Clank (2002) is a PlayStation classic through and through. It laid the foundation for everything the series would become: wild weapons, witty dialogue, colorful worlds, and that perfect blend of platforming and chaos. It’s a bit rough around the edges today (Ratchet’s attitude was more “snarky jerk” than lovable hero back then and the lack of a "strafing"), but the charm and creativity shine through. Every gadget, every planet, every bizarre enemy screams early-2000s personality. Without this bold, scrappy debut, there’d be no Lombax legacy to rank in the first place.
2nd Place - Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (2004)
Up Your Arsenal is the moment the series hit full stride: fast, funny, and firing on all cylinders. It took everything great about the first two games and cranked it up to eleven: tighter shooting, smoother controls, an actual lock-on system (finally!), and some of the best weapon variety in the series. Add in hilarious writing, Dr. Nefarious’s iconic debut, and a surprisingly solid online mode, and you’ve got peak PS2 energy. It’s polished, endlessly replayable, and oozes personality. If the original defined what Ratchet & Clank could be, Up Your Arsenal defined what it should be.
1st Place - Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (2003)
Going Commando is where everything clicked. The platforming, the combat, the humor, it all came together in glorious chaos. It took the solid foundation of the first game and leveled it up with RPG-style upgrades, smoother shooting, and a perfect balance between exploration and action. The planets are diverse, the weapons are absurdly fun, and the pacing is near flawless. It’s the sweet spot of the entire franchise, ambitious without overreaching, funny without forcing it, and endlessly satisfying to replay. Two decades later, Going Commando still feels like the gold standard for intergalactic mayhem.
And that wraps it up, every blaster shot, gadget toss, and lombax one-liner from this wild ride through the Ratchet & Clank universe. What started as a simple nostalgia trip turned into a full-blown adventure across galaxies, and it wouldn’t have been half as fun without everyone who tagged along.
To everyone who’s read, commented, shared, or just quietly followed this series over the past year, thank you. Your support kept this project going through every late-night write-up and every “wait, which RYNO was that again?” moment. It’s been a blast revisiting one of PlayStation’s most iconic duos with all of you. We might return in 2026 to cover the movie but that's a whole different beast.
Now, as Ratchet and Clank would probably say, time to holster the wrench, recharge the blaster, and look forward to the next big adventure. Lombax out.
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