The gaming industry can trace its roots all the way back to the 1950s, and in that time, just about every new and original idea conceivable has been used in one form or another in a video game. With games about war, about post-apocalypses, about the medieval era, about dragons, andabout Norse mythology, it can seem as though everything has been done before in some capacity. But every once in a while, a game comes along with such a unique, fun idea, that it gets an instant following. BlueTwelve’sStraymay be one such game.
Announced on June 20, 2025 by PlayStation,Strayis a third-person adventure game where players control a stray cat. With environmental puzzles and platforming at its core,Stray, on paper, is nothing all that new, and animal-centric games have been done since the early days of mascot platformers. However,Strayhas one, big hook that sets it apart from the competition: its cyberpunk setting.
RELATED:Stray Should Have Went With Legitimate Platforming Rather Than Button Inputs
A Cyberpunk Future Through a Cat’s Eyes
In the last few years, the cyberpunk genre has had plenty of exposure. FromCD Projekt Red’s high-profileCyberpunk 2077, to smaller Indie titles likeRuiner, the cyberpunk aesthetic has gone from something quite niche in the gaming industry, to one of the most used overlays in the last few years. Despite the genre reaching dangerously high levels of oversaturation, a game about a stray cat trying to calmly navigate his way through a neon-soaked world might be the one stand out from the crowd.
Set in a world populated by robots,Strayis very much a cyberpunk game, with the environments taking a great deal of inspiration from the walled city of Kowloon. Assuming the role of the titular stray, players will have to navigate their way around these large city environments, pulling aside crates to climb up, and solving other calm environmental puzzles. To make the game even more cyberpunk-y, the stray is accompanied bya drone companion, B-12, who is capable of translating robot dialog for the player.
Nothing aboutStray’s cyberpunk aesthetic or settingis necessarily original, but the game’s unique perspective is what makes it stand out. While other cyberpunk games put players in the shoes of an unkillable mercenary, with mantis blades for hands and unrivaled hacking abilities,Straystrips that all back, allowing the player to traverse each environment at their leisure, allowing them to truly take in the futuristic setting.Stray’s art style enhances this a great deal, with the perfect amount of realism being applied to elements such as the cat’s fur coat and the weather effects, while enough stylization is given to the more cyberpunk elements.
In a year filled with third and first-person action games,Strayreally stands out, presenting itself as an atmospheric adventure above all else. That being said,Straystill has plenty of tense moments for those who aren’t huge fans of entirely peaceful games. ThroughoutStray,players will encounter Zurks, who will hunt the stray down. While this will undoubtedly lead to some intense chase sequences, the gameplay won’t be quite as action-heavy or intensive as something likeElden Ring, offering a unique experience.
Straylaunches July 19 for PC, PS4, and PS5.
