Stray has only been out for a very short while, but the modding scene for the popular indie game's PC version is already starting to buzz. It might not be as extensive as, say, Skyrim's - but it does show the beauty of choice.
stray trailer
As reported by PlayStation Lifestyle, Stray players on PC have had access to around 80 mods for the game now - and the game only came out last July 19th. Much of the Stray mods out there are replacing the game's titular feline with other species of cats, from hairless sphynxes to black and white cats, tabby cats, calico cats, and Siamese cats, to name a few.
If you actually have a pet cat like any of these, then you'll havve a literal choice to put your own pet into the game and control him/her, which is something that you'll never think possible in any game from the last several decades. There is now a very popular Twitter thread of Stray players showing off cat mods based on their real-life furry friends at home, and it is just absolutely adorable:
But the best Stray mods don't stop there, of course. A few mother Stray modders have worked on mods that let you play as Garfield, for instance. What could be better than playing this game with the so-called "America's laziest cat?" Here's a gameplay video for you showcasing the mod, as uploaded by IGN:
Of course, the absolute freakiest out of these Stray mods is the one that replaces the cat with GTA San Andreas' CJ. We at GameNGuide reported on this mod earlier this month, and we simply found it downright terrifying. But then again, that's the reality of PC modding. Mods like these were created for harmless fun, basically allowing players to play the game however they want.
Annapurna Interactive and BlueTwelve Studio's puzzle platforming indie title came out to critical and fan acclaim this month, perhaps to a lot of people's surprise. But maybe that's just a testament to the game's refreshing atmosphere, and how it starkly differentiates from an industry whose offerings have gone stale.
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The Best Stray Mods To Try
As previously mentioned, there's roughly 80 mods for Stray already at this point. And they offer far more than just replacing the titular cat with another one, or even your own cat at home. Here are some of the best Stray mods we spied on Nexus Mods that you can try out on PC:
- PlayStation Buttons: This mod is perfect for those who are playing Stray using either a DualShock 4 or a PS5 DualSense controller. For some reason, the game only uses Xbox button prompts which can be confusing for inexperienced players, so installing this mod will make things far easier.
- Photorealistic Preset: Currently at version 1.0, this mod by creator JPTHEHERO uses ReShade to color-correct the game and give it a more photorealistic look. It doesn't change a lot of deeper things in the engine, but the results are undeniable. Here's an entire playthrough of the game with the ReShade preset applied, to show you just how good it makes Stray look:
- Latin Alphabet: If all those gibberish-looking letters in Stray are a little annoying for you, then use this mod to make them readable. All it does is replace the characters with readable Latin characters, so you know what they're saying. It can be a very helpful mod because it's going to actually warn you whether a new environment is full of danger, or if there's a dead end.
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