Ratshaker Spins Into PS5 With Gyro-Powered Pest Control And a Side of Existential Dread
The bizarre pest control simulator Ratshaker will officially launch on PlayStation 5 on May 28, 2025, publisher Dark Product and developer Sunscorched Studios have confirmed. Rebuilt entirely for console, the cult PC hit will use the PS5 DualSense controller’s gyroscope to deliver an experience that is equal parts ridiculous and disturbing.
In Ratshaker, players are tasked with solving problems the old-fashioned way: by grabbing a rat and shaking it senseless. Now, thanks to motion controls, players can do exactly that in real life, turning pest removal into a kind of frantic upper-body workout with just a hint of moral ambiguity.
“For the first time ever, players can physically shake their controller to shake the rat – an absurd, satisfying mechanic brought to life with detailed motion input and hyper-reactive feedback,” the companies jointly said in a press release.
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The Controller is The Weapon
For the first time, PS5 users will be able to physically shake the DualSense controller to interact with the game’s rodents. According to the developers, the motion system is tuned for tactile feedback, translating every flick of the wrist into a flurry of on-screen chaos.
The rat in question responds dynamically to the controller’s movement, meaning no two shakes play out the same way. It might flop, squeal, or resist in ways that are as hilarious as they are unsettling. The end result is a system that blurs the line between gameplay and performance art.
While many titles use motion input sparingly, Ratshaker places it at the core of its gameplay, inviting players to engage physically in what may be the most unconventional pest control simulator ever released.
Precise Laws of Rat Physics
Sunscorched Studios has emphasized its commitment to realism, at least where rodents are concerned. Ratshaker on PS5 features what the team calls “hyper-realistic rat physics,” a phrase that is both intriguing and slightly worrying.
Every animation has been carefully tuned for believability, from the way the rat dangles mid-air to the moment it gives up entirely. The DualSense’s haptic feedback adds another layer, ensuring players feel each twitch, twist, and squeak. According to the press release, traps are unnecessary and cleanup is minimal. Regret, however, is not off the table.
This attention to detail delivers a strangely immersive experience. One that is humorous on the surface, yet darkly contemplative beneath the fur and flailing limbs.
Satire Meets Sadism in a Rat Physics Sandbox
At its core, Ratshaker is a satirical experience that plays with the absurdity of video game logic. It is designed to entertain through dark humor and exaggerated mechanics, offering a form of catharsis that few titles attempt.
The game leans heavily into its premise, providing players with a single absurd objective and the tools to execute it in the most dramatic fashion possible. While the concept may raise eyebrows, it has already developed a strong following on PC for its unapologetic weirdness.
On PS5, the added physicality of motion control only enhances the chaos, turning each session into a kind of comedy routine gone rogue.
A Cult Oddity Goes Console
With Ratshaker, Sunscorched Studios and Dark Product are not trying to deliver a conventional horror title, despite their backgrounds in psychological storytelling. Instead, they are offering something deliberately strange, blending dark humor with unpredictable gameplay mechanics.
Whether players view it as a stress reliever, a commentary on control, or simply an excuse to swing a controller like a maniac, Ratshaker is poised to become one of the strangest releases on PlayStation 5 this year.
The exclusive PS5 version of Ratshaker is said to cost less than $5. However, respect for rodent life, it seems, is sold separately.
