The cat adventure game Stray by developer BlueTwelve Studio and publisher Annapurna Interactive took the world by storm when it was released in July last year. Launching as a PlayStation and PC exclusive, Xbox players haven’t been able to jump into the game so far. Now, the indie darling has pounced on Xbox consoles.
The cat game that took the world by storm
In July last year, a small orange cat became an internet sensation: When BlueTwelve Studio’s indie game Stray launched, it won over both players’ and their feline companions’ hearts, with videos of real cats interacting with the game taking over social media. But it wasn’t just the cat videos that made Stray such a huge success. The game itself, an intricately designed adventure played from the perspective of a stray cat, took the world by storm and even swept up a number of nominations and awards. As one of the best-rated games of the year, it won Best Indie and Best Debut Indie at the 2022 Game Awards and was nominated for the Best Game of the Year category.
That’s how much players loved the cat adventure that lets you jump into the velvet paws of a cute ginger cat that gets lost in a cyberpunk city inhabited by robotic “companions.” Lost and separated from his family, he needs to solve puzzles, make his way through the city’s surprisingly scary underbelly, and uncover the many mysteries of the long-forgotten cybercity to find his way home. The game lets you explore all the nooks and crannies of this immensely detail-rich world while behaving like a true cat. From scratching sofas to knocking things off shelves and taking naps in strange places, Stray truly lets players be a cat. So far, however, Xbox players have only been able to watch from the sidelines – until now.
Feline adventure on Xbox
When Stray was released last year, it launched on PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam exclusively and came to the Extra and Premium tiers of Sony’s game subscription service, PlayStation Plus, day and date. However, Xbox and Switch players haven’t been able to jump into the celebrated game. This just changed. At the Annapurna Interactive Showcase 2023 in June, the publisher announced that Stray would finally be coming to Xbox consoles. When the game launched, it was rumored the timed PlayStation exclusivity deal would last for one year, and this seems to have been the case: since August 10, 2023, players can experience the cat adventure on their Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. Even though the game was taken off the PS Plus catalog in July, Stray will seemingly not come to Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, so players will have to pay for the title.
Furry friends taking over the gaming space
While the ginger cat in Stray has been the feline garnering the most attention, many other furry friends have been taking over the gaming space as more games feature cats as their main protagonists. Titles such as Gato Roboto, Blacksad: Under The Skin, and Cat Quest are just a few of the many cat games out there that have been stealing cat-loving gamers’ hearts. Cat Quest, the cute RPG that sees cats put on their armor to fight it out on the battleground, has a sequel on the horizon, with Cat Quest Pirates of the Purribean setting sail next year. Similarly, cats have even made it into the realm of casino games. Online casino platforms feature a wide variety of online slots, many of which have taken inspiration from our feline friends. To help new players get started and try games out for free, many platforms offer free spins which have been reviewed and listed by experts. Among them, players find slots such as Feline Fury and Cats of the Caribbean that see felines take on the roles of knights and pirates, respectively, on the games’ reels. More games with furry friends are jumping on the feline bandwagon, with Revenant Hill, Little Kitty Big City, and more announced for next year. Cats have certainly clawed their way into the world of games, and now Xbox players can finally embark on the cat adventure game Stray.
BlueTwelve’s indie darling, Stray, has launched on Xbox consoles. Owners of Microsoft’s console who have been waiting to play the highly acclaimed game now have the chance to embark on the exciting adventure of a stray cat lost in a fascinating cyberpunk city.
