# Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
**Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal** is a 2004 third-person shooter platform game developed by [Insomniac Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/insomniac-games) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the [PlayStation 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-2), and the third installment in the [Ratchet & Clank](https://www.edgepedia.org/ratchet-and-clank) series. It was released on November 2, 2004 in North America, though GameSpot and Metacritic list November 3, 2004 as the first release date.[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2021/06/04/celebrating-the-evolution-of-ratchet-clank-on-playstation/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433623/releaseinfo/) • [3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/reviews/) In Europe and Japan the game is known as *Ratchet & Clank 3*, and in Australia as *Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal*.[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) It was the first game in the series to include competitive multiplayer, with online matches for up to eight players, and it received a Metacritic score of 91 based on 65 critic reviews.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | November 2, 2004 (North America, PlayStation 2); November 12, 2004 in Europe, Australia, and France[1](https://blog.playstation.com/2021/06/04/celebrating-the-evolution-of-ratchet-clank-on-playstation/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433623/releaseinfo/) |
| Developer / publisher | Insomniac Games / Sony Computer Entertainment[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) |
| Regional titles | *Ratchet & Clank 3* in Europe and Japan; *Ratchet & Clank 3: Up Your Arsenal* in Australia[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) |
| Multiplayer | Offline split-screen for up to four players; online matches for up to eight[6](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Up_Your_Arsenal_multiplayer) |
| Weapons | 20 weapons, each with 8 upgrades except the RY3NO; Mega weapons available only in Challenge Mode[7](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal/Weapons) |
| Critical reception | Metacritic 91 (universal acclaim) from 65 critic reviews; user score 8.9 from 770 ratings[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/) |
| Later release | Remastered at 1080p in the Ratchet & Clank Collection for PlayStation 3, August 28, 2012, with online multiplayer included[8](https://blog.playstation.com/2012/07/16/ratchet-clank-collection-hits-august-28th-with-sly-cooper-demo/comment-page-4/) |
## Single-player gameplay
Up Your Arsenal is a third-person three-dimensional action game with platforming and shooting, in which the player controls Ratchet, a lombax mechanic carrying a broad arsenal of weapons and gadgets, with his sidekick Clank worn as a backpack to enable the Heli-Pack and Thruster-Pack.[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) The story returns to Planet Veldin, which is invaded by the Tyhrranoids, and the invasion turns out to be driven by the manipulations of the villain Dr. Nefarious.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/) • [9](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-ps2-games-all-time/)
**Weapon progression.** The game contains 20 weapons, each with 8 upgrades except the RY3NO, and Mega weapons are available only in Challenge Mode, which is unlocked by completing the game.[7](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal/Weapons) In challenge mode, Ratchet's health can be increased to 200.[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) Reviewers noted that the game refined the series' combat, with battle challenges that task the player with surviving waves of enemies, sometimes under restrictions such as a single weapon or a time limit.[10](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-review/1900-6112331/)
**Vid-comics and the hub.** A distinctive addition is a set of five vid-comic titles found as the game progresses, each offering around 20 minutes of 2D side-scrolling gameplay starring Captain Qwark, who between the previous game and this one has lost his mind and assumed the identity of a jungle witch doctor.[11](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-hands-on-impressions/1100-6097911/) The game's writer created the Starship Phoenix, the star-cruiser Ratchet visits throughout the game, which served as a hub world and a grounding point for the story where the supporting cast develops in real time.[12](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_February_2005.pdf) The cast includes the robotic pop singer Courtney Gears, a riff on [Britney Spears](https://www.edgepedia.org/britney-spears) created by Insomniac.[13](https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2012/11/05/behind-the-classics-ratchet-clank/) A player experienced with the earlier Ratchet & Clank titles could finish the single-player game in about 12 hours.[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2004/12/26/reviews/d9b0936e-836f-45ee-8e92-6aeaf2a53846/)
## Multiplayer
Up Your Arsenal features a competitive multiplayer mode supporting offline split-screen for up to four players and online matches for up to eight.[6](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Up_Your_Arsenal_multiplayer) Players can join through "Quick Play" or host a custom lobby that defines the game mode, map, and which weapons or vehicles are permitted.[6](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Up_Your_Arsenal_multiplayer) GameSpot's review judged the multiplayer fun but not deep, since much of the on-foot combat strategy reduces to sideways strafe jumps to avoid being hit.[10](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-review/1900-6112331/) The complexity of the mode is reflected in the game's printed manual, whose online multiplayer instructions run fourteen pages, placed after the story, items, and weapons sections.[15](https://dspacemainprd01.lib.uwaterloo.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/2345791b-4cf2-44df-84fb-af26bfbb39ae/content)
## Development
Insomniac Games saw multiplayer potential in the series early on, owing to its distinct weapons and gadgets, and multiplayer was included after Sony requested it.[6](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Up_Your_Arsenal_multiplayer) • [4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) The production timeline was 13 months, and the game shipped one week ahead of schedule.[12](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_February_2005.pdf) Multiplayer shaped the single-player game in both directions: a few sections were cut, and its inclusion was a significant factor in adding lock strafe mode.[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) Mike Stout, a former Insomniac designer who worked as a Designer on Up Your Arsenal, said in an interview that racing missions and space combat were removed from the single-player game because of multiplayer resources.[16](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank_Wiki%3ABulletin_board/Interview_with_Mike_Stout) The game's technology revisited that of the predecessor *[Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando](https://www.edgepedia.org/ratchet-and-clank-going-commando)*, with larger locales added on top.[17](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/1100-6093780/)
## Reception
The game received universal acclaim, with a Metacritic score of 91 based on 65 critic reviews, 97 percent of them positive, and a user score of 8.9 from 770 ratings.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/) GameSpot's review by Jeff Gerstmann scored it 8.7 (Great), calling it great fun that combines solid platforming action with exciting combat, while observing that the single-player at times feels like a mission pack for the previous game and that the all-new development effort went into multiplayer.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/reviews/) • [10](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-review/1900-6112331/) Computer Games Magazine called it one of the best character-action-platform games ever made, alongside *Mario 64*.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/)
**Commercial performance.** Up Your Arsenal became Insomniac's fastest selling game up to that time, which the studio attributed to Sony's marketing.[4](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal) In its first month of North American sales it outpaced [Naughty Dog](https://www.edgepedia.org/naughty-dog)'s competing PlayStation 2 platformer *Jak 3*, and it earned higher critical acclaim than its predecessor.[12](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_February_2005.pdf) GamesRadar later placed it 17th on its list of the best PS2 games, crediting its extra polish and large range of weapons.[9](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-ps2-games-all-time/)
## Remasters and later availability
The game was remastered by Idol Minds, working with Insomniac, for the Ratchet & Clank Collection, released August 28, 2012 for [PlayStation 3](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-3) at $29.99 with 1080p HD, trophies, and Up Your Arsenal's online multiplayer included.[8](https://blog.playstation.com/2012/07/16/ratchet-clank-collection-hits-august-28th-with-sly-cooper-demo/comment-page-4/) • [18](https://blog.playstation.com/?p=71892) The collection was also released on [PlayStation Vita](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation-vita), and the game appears on [PlayStation](https://www.edgepedia.org/playstation) platforms as PS2, PS3, and Vita versions.[3](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/reviews/) In 2026, speedrunners found that the PS3 port behaves unusually when quitting the game, allowing a hacked save file to warp the run to the credits from the start of the game in under one second, a trick credited to the runner Joaof and not executable in real time.[19](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/ratchet-and-clank/because-the-ps3-port-is-strange-ratchet-and-clank-speedrunners-can-now-beat-up-your-arsenal-in-under-1-second/)
## References
1. [Celebrating the evolution of Ratchet & Clank on PlayStation, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/2021/06/04/celebrating-the-evolution-of-ratchet-clank-on-playstation/)
2. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal (2004) Release info, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0433623/releaseinfo/)
3. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Reviews, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/games/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/reviews/)
4. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet & Clank Wiki (Fandom)](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal)
5. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/)
6. [Up Your Arsenal multiplayer, Ratchet & Clank Wiki (Fandom)](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Up_Your_Arsenal_multiplayer)
7. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal/Weapons, StrategyWiki](https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank%3A_Up_Your_Arsenal/Weapons)
8. [Ratchet & Clank Collection Hits August 28th With Sly Cooper Demo, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/2012/07/16/ratchet-clank-collection-hits-august-28th-with-sly-cooper-demo/comment-page-4/)
9. [The 25 best PS2 games of all time, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/best-ps2-games-all-time/)
10. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Review, GameSpot (Jeff Gerstmann)](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-review/1900-6112331/)
11. [Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal Hands-On Impressions, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal-hands-on-impressions/1100-6097911/)
12. [Game Developer Magazine, February 2005 postmortem (PDF)](https://media.gdcvault.com/GD_Mag_Archives/GDM_February_2005.pdf)
13. [Behind the Classics: Ratchet & Clank, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/archive/2012/11/05/behind-the-classics-ratchet-clank/)
14. [Reviews, The Washington Post (December 26, 2004)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/2004/12/26/reviews/d9b0936e-836f-45ee-8e92-6aeaf2a53846/)
15. [University of Waterloo thesis on game manuals (Up Your Arsenal manual analysis)](https://dspacemainprd01.lib.uwaterloo.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/2345791b-4cf2-44df-84fb-af26bfbb39ae/content)
16. [Interview with Mike Stout, Ratchet & Clank Wiki (Fandom)](https://ratchetandclank.fandom.com/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank_Wiki%3ABulletin_board/Interview_with_Mike_Stout)
17. [First Look: Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-ratchet-and-clank-up-your-arsenal/1100-6093780/)
18. [The Ratchet & Clank Collection Going 1080p on PS3, Multiplayer Included, PlayStation.Blog](https://blog.playstation.com/?p=71892)
19. [Because "the PS3 port is strange," speedrunners can now beat Up Your Arsenal in under 1 second, GamesRadar+](https://www.gamesradar.com/games/ratchet-and-clank/because-the-ps3-port-is-strange-ratchet-and-clank-speedrunners-can-now-beat-up-your-arsenal-in-under-1-second/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PlayStation-platform game titles › Fighting, platforming, and horror games*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license