Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal is a 2004 platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was re-released for the PlayStation 3 as part of the Ratchet & Clank Collection in 2013, developed by Idol Minds. It was released on the PlayStation Vita in 2014, remastered by Mass Media Inc.. It is the third main installment in the Ratchet & Clank series and the sequel to 2003's Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal takes place in the "Solana" galaxy inhabited by various humanoid, anthropomorphic and beastly alien species. The game follows protagonists Ratchet and Clank as they fight the robotic scientist Dr. Nefarious, who seeks to destroy all organic life in the galaxy. It is the first game to introduce the villain, who serves as major antagonist in later entries. The game is presented from a third-person perspective, in which players primarily control Ratchet as he and Clank travel across planets. Ratchet has access to a large array of futuristic and exotic weapons and gadget he can use to combat enemies or complete puzzles with. Several mini-games such as racing exist outside the main story. In contrast to its predecessors, Up Your Arsenal includes more combat-focused game segments and offers a revamped control scheme. It is also the first game in the series to offer a multiplayer mode, supporting up to eight players.
During development, Insomniac Games focused to make Up Your Arsenal their most ambitious title yet. Key aspects of the development were to create a richer and different experience that would push the Ratchet & Clank series forward, and the team aimed to create a game that would appeal to several kinds of players.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal was released to universal acclaim upon its release, and was considered one of the best games of 2004 and an improvement over its predecessors; it is the highest-rated game in the series according to MetaCritic. It was received praise for its visuals, combat and weaponry, audio and multiplayer modes, though it also received minor criticism for not being significantly different from its predecessors. It has been since been acclaimed as one of the best platform video games of all time. A sequel, Ratchet: Deadlocked, was released in 2005.