Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP ISO ROM Download [Compressed]

The PSP got two Ratchet & Clank games, and both came from High Impact Games, a studio formed by former Insomniac developers. Size Matters arrived in 2007 as a full Ratchet adventure: planets, upgradable weapons, armor sets and skyboard races. Secret Agent Clank followed in 2008 and put the robot in the lead.

This Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP guide covers backing up your own UMDs and getting both games running in PPSSPP on Android, Windows, macOS and Linux.

Scope note: Written against PPSSPP 1.20.4, the latest release on the project's GitHub in October 2026, and checked against PPSSPP's official docs. The settings below are starting points I've reasoned through, not benchmarked results. This guide doesn't cover where to download game files. It assumes you own the UMDs.

The two PSP games

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters plays like the console games on a smaller budget. You hop between planets, buy and level up weapons, and collect armor pieces that combine into suits with their own effects. Clank gets side sections, including space combat as Giant Clank.

Secret Agent Clank is a spin-off. Clank works through levels as a tuxedoed spy,, mixing stealth sections with combat. Ratchet and Captain Qwark get their own segments in between.

I'd start with Size Matters, and here's the reason: it's the closer match to the main series, and Secret Agent Clank reads better once you know the cast. You don't need to have played the PS2 games to follow either.

A legal shortcut worth knowing

Before you dump anything, check whether you need to. Size Matters came to PS4 and PS5 in July 2024 as part of the PlayStation Plus Premium classics catalogue, and Secret Agent Clank followed in September 2024. Both are listed on the PlayStation Store. That version is emulated by Sony and adds trophies, save states and rewind.

If you own a PS4 or PS5 and no UMDs, that's the clean route. The rest of this guide is for people who own the PSP discs and want to play on a phone or computer.

What you need before starting

• Your Size Matters or Secret Agent Clank UMD
• A PSP running custom firmware, a Mini-USB cable and a computer, to make the backup
• PPSSPP on the device you'll play on
• A controller, ideally. Touch controls work, but strafing while aiming is easier with physical buttons

PPSSPP doesn't need a BIOS or firmware file.

Backing up your UMD

PPSSPP's dumping guide covers this. It needs a PSP running custom firmware, because the option that exposes a UMD over USB doesn't exist on stock firmware.

1. Insert the UMD into your PSP.
2. Connect the PSP to your computer with a Mini-USB cable.
3. Set the USB device to UMD. On the main menu, press Select to open the custom firmware menu and set the USB device to UMD.
4. Start USB Connection from Settings. A drive opens on your computer showing an .iso file for the disc.
5. Copy the ISO to your hard drive and rename it, for example Ratchet and Clank Size Matters.iso.

Optional: compress it. PPSSPP plays ISO, CSO and CHD directly, with no need to unzip anything. CSO is a compressed PSP image that PPSSPP loads at least as fast as ISO, and the docs recommend maxcso to make one:

bash

maxcso "Ratchet and Clank Size Matters.iso"

CHD compresses slightly better and works in PPSSPP 1.17 and later. Watch the command here. PPSSPP's docs say to use createdvd, not createcd or createraw. The CD modes produce a file PPSSPP won't read.

bash

chdman createdvd -i "Ratchet and Clank Size Matters.iso" -o "Ratchet and Clank Size Matters.chd"

Keep the original ISO until you've confirmed the compressed file boots.

Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP setup on Android

1. Install PPSSPP from Google Play. There's also PPSSPP Gold, a paid version that supports the project. Both run the same games.
2. Copy your ISO, CSO or CHD to a folder on your phone, such as Download/PSP. PPSSPP's getting started docs include a guide to moving games from a computer to your phone.
3. Pick a storage folder if PPSSPP asks on first launch. On Android 11 and later, PPSSPP keeps saves and settings in a folder you choose, because of Android's storage rules.
4. Open the game. On the Games tab, browse to your folder. The game should appear with its icon. Tap it, and you should reach the PlayStation logo and then the game's intro.

Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP setup on Windows

1. Install PPSSPP from the official download page. The installer and the zip version both work. The zip version keeps everything in its own folder.
2. Load the game. Use File, then Load, and pick your ISO, CSO or CHD. You can also set a games folder so it shows up on the Games tab.
3. Check it booted. You should reach the game's intro and title screen.

Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP setup on macOS

1. Install PPSSPP from the official download page and drag it into Applications. If you use Homebrew, brew install --cask ppsspp does the same.
2. Open it. If macOS blocks the first launch, go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click "Open Anyway".
3. Load the game from the Games tab or the File menu.

Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP setup on Linux

1. Install PPSSPP from Flathub. It's the most consistent route across distros:

bash

flatpak install flathub org.ppsspp.PPSSPP flatpak run org.ppsspp.PPSSPP

1. Give it access to your games if they sit outside your home folder. Flatpak apps are sandboxed, so a game on a second drive needs a permission override, or you can move it into your home folder.
2. Load the game from the Games tab.

Your distro's own package works too, but it can trail the current release by several versions.

Settings worth changing

These are starting points, not tested results. Both games run in fairly open 3D levels with lots of enemies and effects on screen, so a steady frame rate matters more here than in a menu-driven RPG.

Setting

Starting value

What it does

Backend

Vulkan

Usually the fastest on Android and Windows. Try OpenGL if you see glitches

Rendering resolution

2x on phones, 3x–4x on desktop

Sharper image. Drop it first if you see slowdown

Frame skipping

Off

Keeps aiming and jumps readable

Texture filtering

Auto

Leave the default unless textures look wrong

Frame skipping is when the emulator stops drawing some frames so game logic keeps full speed. In a platformer, that makes jump arcs look choppy and landings harder to judge.

Controls on a controller

The PSP has one analog nub and no second stick. Both games were designed around that, with strafing and weapon handling on the shoulder buttons. On a modern controller, the left stick moves Ratchet or Clank and the right stick has no camera job to do.

PPSSPP lets you remap every button under Settings, then Controls. Spend a minute there before your first level, so the strafe button sits somewhere you can hold comfortably.

Saves and moving devices

PPSSPP stores in-game saves in the memory stick folder under PSP/SAVEDATA. Back that folder up before moving to a new phone or computer, and copy it into the new install's memory stick folder.

Save states are separate. A save state is a snapshot of the emulator at one moment, and it can break across PPSSPP versions. Keep a real in-game save as well.

Troubleshooting the usual failures

The game doesn't appear in the Games tab. The file is in a folder PPSSPP can't see. On Android, check you picked the right folder. On Linux Flatpak, check the sandbox permissions.

Black screen on boot from a CHD. The CHD was made with createcd. Rebuild it from the ISO with createdvd.

Graphical glitches in a level or cutscene. Switch the backend between Vulkan and OpenGL first. Then check you're on the latest PPSSPP release, since fixes land often.

Slowdown on Android. Lower the rendering resolution before anything else. Leave frame skipping off unless nothing else helps.

A save state won't load after an update. Load your last in-game save instead. This is why the in-game save matters.

FAQ

Does Ratchet and Clank run on PPSSPP? Yes. Size Matters and Secret Agent Clank are PSP games, and PPSSPP is a PSP emulator. Use an ISO, CSO or CHD backup of your own UMD.

Which Ratchet & Clank games are on PSP? Two: Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (2007) and Secret Agent Clank (2008).

Is downloading a Ratchet and Clank ISO legal? Downloading a copy of a game you don't own is copyright infringement in most countries, including India, the US and the EU. PPSSPP's own docs point you to dumping your own UMDs. The emulator itself is legal.

Do I need a BIOS for Ratchet and Clank on PPSSPP? No. PPSSPP doesn't need a PSP BIOS or firmware file.

Can I play Size Matters without a PSP? Yes, on PS4 or PS5. It's in the PlayStation Plus Premium classics catalogue and listed on the PlayStation Store.

Can I play Ratchet and Clank multiplayer on PPSSPP? PPSSPP has ad hoc networking, which is how the PSP handled local wireless play. The original online servers are gone, so only local-style ad hoc play is an option. Expect some trial and error.

Should I use PPSSPP or PPSSPP Gold? Either. Gold is a paid version that funds development. Both run these games the same way.

ISO, CSO or CHD? ISO is the raw backup. CSO saves space and loads as well or better. CHD saves slightly more but needs PPSSPP 1.17 or later and the createdvd command.

Version compatibility

Checked against PPSSPP 1.20.4 and the official PPSSPP documentation, October 2026. CHD support needs PPSSPP 1.17 or later. Android storage behaviour described here applies to Android 11 and later.

Where this leaves you

If you have a PS4 or PS5 and no UMDs, buy the PlayStation Store version and skip emulation. If you own the PSP discs, back them up and load them in PPSSPP on whatever you play on. Your Ratchet and Clank PPSSPP setup follows the same pattern on each platform: install, point it at your backup, boot. Start with Size Matters if you're picking one.

More PSP and emulator guides are on the modfuze blog.