Ratchet and Clank is free on PS4 and PS5: grab yours now

Ratchet and Clank free
(Image credit: PlayStation)

PS5 and PS4 owners have a new game ready to download thanks to PlayStation's Play At Home initiative. Users can now download Ratchet and Clank free of charge, sans PS Plus membership. 

The Play at Home initiative is a way to keep gamers entertained during the Covid-19 pandemic. And 2016's Ratchet and Clank is a good primer for its PS5 sequel, Rift Apart, which is set to launch this June. Hurry though, as users can only grab their free digital copy via the PlayStation Store until March 31 at 8PM PT / 11PM EST.

Ratchet & Clank is an action platformer video game franchise. The series was created and developed by Insomniac Games, the studio behind well-known titles like Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Spyro. 

The game takes place in a cartoonish sci-fi world, where the main characters, a feline mechanic named Ratchet and a robot named Clank, team up to battle enemies using various imaginatively tech-y gadgets.

This particular game was released on PS4 back in 2016 as a remake of the original PlayStation 2 game from 2002. 

Ratchet & Clank was previously featured on the PlayStation Plus Collection list as one of the PS4 classics that became available to PS5 owners at the launch of the new console. However, this time, PlayStation doesn't require you to have an active PS Plus subscription as the game will be yours to keep. 

Anime fans will also be able to partake in a separate promotion later this month. On March 25, new subscribers to Funimation will get extended access. How much more has yet to be detailed.

Last year's Play at Home initiative included Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection and Journey. The former gave players the first three Uncharted games to sink their teeth into, and the latter was a short, but emotionally moving game about human connection. Both felt apt during the heat of lockdown.

Sony plans to offer free-of-charge games to all PS4 and PS5 owners on a monthly basis until June 2021.

Denise Primbet
News Writer

Denise is a Life Reporter at Newsweek, covering everything lifestyle-related, including health, relationships, personal finance, beauty and more. She was formerly a news writer at Tom’s Guide, regularly producing stories on all things tech, gaming software/hardware, fitness, streaming, and more. Her published content ranges from short-form news articles to long-form pieces, including reviews, buying guides, how-tos, and features. When she's not playing horror games, she can be found exploring East London with her adorable puppy. She’s also a part-time piano enthusiast and regularly experiments in the kitchen.