Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart had an even better second week in the UK boxed charts than it did during its launch weekend.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launched during E3 weekend, showing PS5 owners what the console is truly capable of. The sequel makes the best use of the PS5's bells and whistles to an extent that no other game has done so far and its success in the charts reflects that. Rift Apart unsurprisingly debuted at number one in the UK boxed chart and kept that momentum going into its second week.
In fact, according to GamesIndustry.biz, Rift Apart enjoyed an even better second week than its first. Physical sales of the game in the UK were 2% higher in week two than they were in week one. This is an incredibly rare phenomenon with sales of new releases usually dropping off significantly after its launch weekend.
The only games that tend to buck that trend are titles like Just Dance. The type of games that have little-to-no pre-order market and almost exclusively appeal to casual players. While Rift Apart is certainly a game that will appeal to a very wide audience, it certainly isn't one specifically aimed at casual console owners. That makes its week two improvement something of an anomaly.
There are a few things that could have caused Rift Apart's sales to improve week on week. Another batch of PS5s hitting the UK, some of which were bundled with the game itself. Whenever retailers get a fresh batch of PS5s its games surge back up the chart. A similar scenario resulted in Spider-Man: Miles Morales returning to the top spot for a second time earlier this year.
Elsewhere in this week's chart there was also a surprise at number two. Minecraft Dungeons, which usually sits in the top 20, is all the way back up to number two. There were no new entries whatsoever in the top ten, while Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade fell out of the top 40 entirely. Rift Apart will have a tough time staying at the top of the chart for a third straight week. Scarlet Nexus, Mario Golf: Super Rush, and the official Tokyo Olympics game will all be vying for its crown.