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Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
game
•5/30/2026

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

byInsomniac Games, Nixxes Software
Steam
9.2
The Verdict
"Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a rare example of a technical showcase that doesn't forget to be a game. It is a loud, colorful, and relentlessly fun experience that justifies the hardware required to run it. While its brevity might frustrate those looking for a "forever game," the density of quality found in its short runtime is a refreshing change of pace. It’s a masterful port of a PlayStation classic that feels right at home on the PC."

Gallery

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Key Features

The Rift Tether: A high-speed traversal mechanic that pulls the player through dimensional tears, effectively repositioning Ratchet or Rivet across the battlefield instantly.
Dual-Protagonist Narrative: The introduction of Rivet provides a fresh perspective on the series' lore, offering a more vulnerable, gritty counterpoint to Ratchet’s veteran optimism.
The Arsenal of Absurdity: Features creative weaponry like the Topiary Sprinkler, which turns enemies into decorative garden hedges, and the Negatron Collider, a high-intensity beam of destruction.

The Good

Spectacular "playable film" visual fidelity
Inventive and satisfying weapon variety
Excellent PC port with wide scaling options

The Bad

Main campaign is relatively short (10-12 hours)
Platforming challenges remain fairly basic
Requires high-end hardware for the full experience

In-Depth Review

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Review: The Multiverse’s Most Polished Tech Demo Finally Hits PC

Bottom Line: A visually arrestive triumph of technical engineering that translates its interdimensional magic to PC with surprising grace, proving that even a twenty-year-old franchise can still set the gold standard for spectacle.

The core of Ratchet & Clank has always been its weaponry, but Rift Apart elevates the combat from a simple shooting gallery to a sophisticated dance of area denial and mobility. It isn't enough to just pull the trigger; success on higher difficulty settings requires a constant cycling of the arsenal. You might lead with the Topiary Sprinkler to freeze a mob of goons, switch to the Mr. Fungi for automated fire support, and then finish the job with a charged shot from the Headhunter. The feedback loop is exceptionally tight, with every explosion and impact feeling tactile and earned.

The Kinetic Language of Combat

The movement set has seen a significant overhaul. The Phantom Dash introduces a dash of invulnerability that changes the tempo of encounters, allowing you to phase through projectiles rather than just hopping over them. When combined with the Hoverboots, the game takes on a momentum that rivals modern high-speed shooters. You aren't just moving between cover; you are skating through environments, chaining rifts to stay ahead of the enemy's line of sight. This fluidity is where the game truly shines, transforming the traditional platformer into something far more aggressive and rewarding.

Interdimensional Narrative Flow

While the "multiverse" trope is currently being milked to death by various film franchises, Rift Apart uses it with surgical precision. The dimensional shifts aren't just background dressing; they are integrated into the level design. One moment you're platforming across the neon-lit rooftops of Nefarious City, and the next, a crystal hit triggers a shift into a desolate, mining-ravaged version of the same space. These transitions are instantaneous on PC, provided you have a competent NVMe drive. This isn't just a technical flex; it keeps the pacing at a fever pitch, preventing the environmental fatigue that plagues many titles in this genre.

Rivet herself is a masterclass in character expansion. It would have been easy to make her a simple "gender-swapped Ratchet," but Insomniac gave her a distinct history of failure and isolation. Her interactions with Clank—who finds himself separated from Ratchet—provide some of the game's most poignant moments. The writing manages to be genuinely funny without the cynical edge that often infects modern "meta" humor. It respects the characters' history while making the world accessible to someone who hasn't touched the series since the PlayStation 2 era.

The SSD Question

On PC, the "instant loading" narrative faces its toughest test. While the PS5 had the advantage of a unified architecture, the PC version must contend with everything from SATA SSDs to the latest PCIe Gen 5 monsters. Nixxes has done an admirable job here; the dimensional shifts remain jarringly fast, though users on older hardware may notice the occasional micro-stutter during the most intense transitions. However, the fact that this experience exists at all on the PC platform is a testament to how far storage technology has come.

Editorial Disclaimer

The reviews and scores on this site are based on our editorial team's independent analysis and personal opinions. While we strive for objectivity, gaming experiences can be subjective. We are not compensated by developers for these scores.