Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC – Performance Analysis, Graphics Settings Guide, and Port Critique

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, originally a PS5 exclusive by Insomniac Games, has arrived on PC courtesy of Nixxes Software. Known for their solid porting work, Nixxes continues Sony’s push into the PC space with one of PlayStation’s most visually impressive titles. On PC, this dimension-hopping adventure brings along stunning Pixar-like visuals, intricate environments, and blazing-fast transitions. But how well does this port hold up? Let’s dive into the strengths, problems, and optimal settings for getting the best out of your hardware.

Seamless Transitions and DirectStorage

One of Rift Apart’s hallmark features is its instantaneous dimensional shifting—made possible on PS5 through high-speed SSD architecture. On PC, this is replicated using GPU-accelerated DirectStorage 1.2, allowing the GPU (not the CPU) to handle decompression and streaming of game assets. In theory, this delivers the same seamless experience—if your setup supports it.

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UI and Upscaler Support

The graphics menu on PC is clean and robust. It includes real-time previews of each setting, making tuning visual fidelity much easier. Players can choose from:

DLSS / DLAA (NVIDIA)
FSR (AMD)
XeSS (Intel)
IGTI (Insomniac’s Temporal Injection)

In terms of visual clarity, DLAA remains the best looking but carries a performance cost. XeSS and DLSS offer competitive quality and solid performance gains. FSR is serviceable, but visually inferior. IGTI suffers from shimmer and flicker, particularly during motion.

Initial Issues and Bugs

Unfortunately, the PC port has its share of launch issues:

Low resolution textures sometimes fail to load even at very high settings.
Frame pacing problems arise frequently with very high textures or when using ray-traced reflections.
Low GPU usage during specific sequences, particularly when using weapons, results in sudden frame drops.

A temporary workaround: drop texture quality to High and reduce ray tracing intensity. Additionally, switching resolutions briefly (e.g., 1080p > 1440p) sometimes resets the frame pacing irregularities.

These issues suggest optimization shortcomings and will hopefully be resolved in future patches.

Recommended Upscaling and Anti-Aliasing Options

For upscaling and anti-aliasing:

DLSS or DLAA: Best image quality for NVIDIA users.
XeSS: Offers slightly better visuals than FSR, but may perform slower.
GAA / SMAA / LAA: Light on performance; LAA slightly costlier (~2%) but cleaner results.

Avoid turning AA off unless you need every frame.

Texture & Texture Filtering

Texture Quality: Very High can introduce stutter; High is recommended.
Texture Filtering: 8x strikes a balance—16x impacts performance by up to 8%.

Shadows & Ambient Occlusion

Shadow Quality:

From Very Low to Ultra, performance hit ranges from 3% to 15%.
Recommendation: Medium or High regular shadows offer the best balance.

Ray-Traced Shadows:

Visually inconsistent.
Sometimes static or missing animated transparency.

Ambient Occlusion:

Options include SSAO, HBAO+, and XeGTAO (Intel).
RT AO boosts realism but tanks performance: from SSAO to Very High RT AO costs up to 50%.
Recommendation: Stick with SSAO for balance.

Reflections

SSR vs Ray-Traced Reflections:

Very High SSR costs ~3%.
RT Reflections (High): up to 22% cost; Very High: up to 50%.
Recommendation: High SSR or RT Reflections on “High” with moderate object range (~5–6).

Geometry & Crowd Settings

Level of Detail (LOD):

Ultra costs ~20%, Medium only ~13%.
Recommendation: Medium is a sweet spot for most builds.

Traffic Density:

Impacts crowd and flying car visuals.
Very High can cost up to 9% CPU-bound.
Recommendation: High or Medium.

Hair Quality:

Minimal performance difference.
Recommendation: High or Medium depending on taste.

Particle, Weather & Post-Processing

Weather Particle Quality:

Volumetric clouds (on High/Very High) can cost up to 20%.
Otherwise, going from Low to High is ~6%.
Recommendation: Medium.

Phantom Dash Effects:

Visually engaging; no measurable performance hit.

Depth of Field / Motion Blur:

Both are safe to leave on—minimal performance impact.

Performance Comparison: Optimized vs Very High Preset

Running with optimized settings (no ray tracing, balanced textures, Medium LOD, SSAO, DLSS/XeSS Ultra Quality) compared to the Very High preset results in:

Up to 35% improvement in performance.

Ideal for 1440p gaming with consistent frame pacing and more stable frame times.

Final Verdict on the PC Port

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart on PC is a beautiful but imperfect port. Visually, it holds up against the PS5 original and offers impressive upscaling options and configurability. But technical inconsistencies—especially stuttering, frame pacing, and ray tracing instability—hamper the experience.

Pros:

Excellent graphics options and UI.
Strong upscaling options (DLSS/XeSS).
Mostly faithful to the PS5 version.

Cons:

Texture loading bugs.
Ray tracing implementation is inconsistent.
Frame pacing and GPU utilization issues.

This port clearly needed more optimization time, but with patches and careful tweaking, it can still shine. Let’s hope Nixxes addresses the rough edges soon—because at its core, this remains one of the most creative and visually engaging platformers in recent memory.

If you’re jumping into the game on PC, follow the optimized settings above to enjoy the smoothest, most visually striking experience without melting your hardware.