Ratchet & Clank had some deliberate improvements on a galactic scale.
- When Ratchet & Clank released, a recurring complaint among critics was Ratchet's characterization (acting like a selfish Jerkass towards the much more sympathetic Clank). When Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando was in development, Insomniac made sure to include several cutscenes where Ratchet defends Clank and worries for him, all with the explicitly stated purpose of "fixing" Ratchet's character. As well, the re-imagining that covers the events of the first game has Ratchet's characterization in line with his later appearances, i.e. having a strong desire to be a hero.
- In Going Commando the Lava Gun, a weapon that sprayed long tendrils of hot magma, upgraded into the Meteor Gun, which fired large meteor chunks at a slower rate of fire and with much less range. Due to fan feedback, when the weapon returned in Up Your Arsenal as an Old Save Bonus, it now upgraded to the Liquid Nitrogen Gun, which works just like the Lava Gun only if it fired long tendrils of liquid nitrogen.
- Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time are this to those disappointed with the releases of Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank. They have original storylines with new fan-favorite weapons and characters including Mr. Zurkon, Alister Azimuth and Emperor Tachyon and expand on Ratchet's origins.
- In A Crack in Time, it is revealed that Angela Cross from Going Commando is indeed a Lombax like Ratchet and that female Lombaxes don't have tails. This makes them and Alister Azimuth the remaining Lombaxes in the universe.
- After Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault were released in the early 2010s, Insomniac developed Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus as an apology for those unhappy with the different gameplay and forced humor.
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart went back to the timeline of the original games after the release of the 2016 game.
