Playable on PS5 and PS4, Stray follows a cat who finds themselves falling into an unknown city, revealed to be run by robots. Alongside navigating its deteriorating corridors and alleyways with the drone, B-12, they must also evade the Zurk, a mysterious bacteria that feasts on organic and inorganic matter.

Released in 2022, Stray received positive reviews from critics and bagged a few awards, including Best Independent Game and Best Debut Game at The Game Awards.

As for the other titles, EA Sports WRC 24 is playable on PS5. It’s packed with the usual Career, Championship, and Time Trial modes while featuring cars from the 2024 season of WRC, WRC2 and Junior WRC. Then there’s Totally Accurate Battle Simulator for PS4 and PS5, which allows for simulating battles involving hundreds of comical wobblers. It even has online multiplayer.

After they go live, these three titles will be available until December 1st. In the meantime, you have until next week to subscribe to Essential (and higher tiers) for Alan Wake 2, Cocoon and Goat Simulator 3.

BlueTwelve Studio’s Stray is allegedly one of the free titles available next month for Essential subscribers (and all subsequent tiers). It will be available on November 4th, though interestingly, the leaker hasn’t ascertained the other two games. An announcement is expected on October 29th, so it won’t be long before we find out.

Released in July 2022 for PS4, PS5, and PC, Stray is a narrative adventure from the perspective of a cat. After ending up in a city of robots seemingly lost to time, they navigate the ruins alongside a drone known as B-12 to escape and reunite with their kin. Check out our review for more details. It’s also available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.

Taking to Twitter, Nintendo has announced that Stray is releasing for the Switch on November 19. Stray has players playing as a cat separated from their pack, following which players must navigate a dystopian society populated by robots and androids, with not a single human in sight. A fascinating setting and being able to play as a cat come together in a solid experience.

In our review of the game upon its original release, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “Stray has a unique premise, a rich world, an engaging story, fun gameplay, and it lets you play as a cat. It’s a good game.” Read the full review through here.

Stray is currently available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. An animated movie based on the game is also in the works.

One of those came in the form of Stray, Annapurna Interactive and BlueTwelve Studio’s acclaimed adventure game, which has been officially announced for the Switch. Due out for the console this Holiday season, it will have players playing as a cat in a dystopian cyberpunk city. Check out the trailer below for a glimpse of what the game will look like running on the Switch.

In our review of Stray upon its original release, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “Stray has a unique premise, a rich world, an engaging story, fun gameplay, and it lets you play as a cat. It’s a good game.” Read the full review through here.

Last August, Stray also launched for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One. It is also available on PS5, PS4, and PC. An animated movie based on the game is also in the works.

The company hasn’t yet revealed a release window for the movie, and the team working on adapting Stray is likely still in the pre-production phase of making the movie.

Stray puts players into the paws of a stray cat that is trying to make its way home and reunite with its family in a dystopian cyberpunk world. Players will befriend a small robot along the way as they explore the game’s depiction of a world populated with nothing but robots.

The game was recently released on Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One—a launch which was celebrated by the Xbox Twitter account with an amusing picture of the Stray protagonist chilling atop an Xbox Series X/ The game was previously released on PC, PS4 and PS5, and was praised thanks to its visual fidelity, environmental story-telling, and atmosphere. Check out our review of Stray for more details.

News of Stray making its way on to Xbox consoles was announced a little over a month ago back in June. The announcement was made with a trailer showing off the game’s protagonist casually nudging an Xbox controller off a coffee table.

Taking place in a cyberpunk setting, Stray puts players into the paws of a stray cat that is trying to make its way home and reunite with its family. Along the way, players will befriend a small robot as they explore and puzzle their way through the game’s depiction of a cyberpunk future populated with nothing but robots.

Stray was originally released on PC, PS4 and PS5, and on launch, got quite a bit of acclaim for its visual fidelity, environmental story-telling, and atmosphere. Of course, the fact that the game stars a cat as a protagonist certainly didn’t hurt. For more details, check out our review of Stray.

Stray is now on Xbox! pic.twitter.com/HpKoMensEE

— Xbox (@Xbox) August 10, 2023

Stray takes place in a post-apocalyptic future, as players control a cat that stumbles into an ancient city populated by robots. Navigating the environments with some light platforming, they’ll need to collect items, solve puzzles, sneak through different environments and avoid some strange creatures out for blood. Why was the city hidden away, and can the cat reunite with its family? You’ll have to play and find out.

Currently available for PS4, PS5 and PC, Stray received extensive critical acclaim for its visual fidelity, atmosphere and environmental story-telling. Check out our official review for more details, and stay tuned for more updates on titles announced at the recent Annapurna Showcase.

BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive’s adventure title Stray, which released last year for PC and PlayStation consoles, might be headed to Xbox. The game was recently rated for Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One by the ESRB, suggesting that a port for the post-apocalyptic cat-starring adventure game might be announced in the near future.

Presumably, this means, Stray’s timed PlayStation exclusivity period is coming to an end. Of course, if the game does come to Xbox, it should be interesting to see if it also joins the Game Pass library right out the gate, especially since it was available via PlayStation Plus at launch.

In our review of Stray upon its launch, we awarded it a score of 8/10, saying, “By constantly keeping the player’s attention, be it either via gameplay or its unique setting and atmosphere, Stray makes a very compelling case for itself, and for the player to stick with it beyond just the initial curiosity that the elevator pitch incites. ‘A cat in a cyberpunk city’ is no low-effort ploy to generate conversation and interest- it’s the foundation of a genuinely good game with a lot of heart.” Read the full review through here.

Stray is currently available on PS5, PS4, and PC.

The biggest category is, of course, Game of the Year, and there’s some strong competition here, with the nominees including A Plague Tale: Requiem, Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, Horizon Forbidden West, Stray, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3. 

All six of those games have received nominations in multiple other categories as well. Of them, the most highly represented game is God of War Ragnarok, which has ten nominations across 9 categories (two in Best Performance), followed by Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West, and Stray with seven nominatons each, A Plague Tale: Requiem with five nominations, and Xenoblade Chronicles 3 with three.

The “Most Anticipated” category also features some of the biggest upcoming heavy-hitters of 2023, with Final Fantasy 16, Hogwarts Legacy, Resident Evil 4, Starfield, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. 

You can check out a selection of the categories and their nominees below. For all 31 categories, head here.

GAME OF THE YEAR

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

BEST GAME DIRECTION

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Immortality
• Stray

BEST NARRATIVE

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray

BEST ART DIRECTION

• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Scorn
• Stray

BEST SCORE AND MUSIC

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Metal: Hellsinger
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

BEST AUDIO DESIGN

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Elden Ring
• God of War Ragnarok
• Gran Turismo 7
• Horizon Forbidden West

BEST PERFORMANCE

• Ashley Burch as Aloy (Horizon Forbidden West)
• Charlotte McBurney as Amicia (A Plague Tale: Requiem)
• Christopher Judge as Kratos (God of War Ragnarok)
• Manon Gage as Marissa (Immortality)
• Sunny Suljic as Atreus (God of War Ragnarok)

GAMES FOR IMPACT

• A Memoir Blue
• As Dusk Falls
• Citizen Sleeper
• Endling – Extinction is Forever
• Hindsight
• I Was a Teenage Exoconolist

BEST ONGOING

• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• Genshin Impact

BEST INDIE

• Cult of the Lamb
• Neon White
• Sifu
• Stray
• Tunic

BEST MOBILE GAME

• Apex Legends Mobile
• Diablo Immortal
• Genshin Impact
• Marvel Snap
• Tower of Fantasy

BEST COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Apex Legends
• Destiny 2
• Final Fantasy 14
• Fortnite
• No Man’s Sky

INNOVATION IN ACCESSIBILITY

• As Dusk Falls
• God of War Ragnarok
• Return to Monkey Island
• The Last of Us Part 1
• The Quarry

BEST VR/AR

• After the Fall
• Among Us VR
• Bonelab
• Moss: Book 2
• Red Matter 2

BEST ACTION GAME

• Bayonetta 3
• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• Neon White
• Sifu
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

BEST ACTION-ADVENTURE

• A Plague Tale: Requiem
• God of War Ragnarok
• Horizon Forbidden West
• Stray
• Tunic

BEST ROLE PLAYING

• Elden Ring
• LIVE A LIVE
• Pokemon Legends: Arceus
• Triangle Strategy
• Xenoblade Chronicles 3

BEST FIGHTING

• DNF Duel
• JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure: All Star Battle R
• The King of Fighters 15
• MultiVersus
• Sifu

BEST FAMILY

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Nintendo Switch Sports
• Splatoon 3

BEST SIM/STRATEGY

• Dune: Spice Wars
• Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
• Total War: Warhammer 3
• Two Point Campus
• Victoria 3

BEST SPORTS/RACING

• F1 22
• FIFA 23
• NBA 2K23
• Gran Turismo 7
• OlliOlli World

BEST MULTIPLAYER

• Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
• MultiVersus
• Overwatch 2
• Splatoon 3
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

BEST DEBUT INDIE

• Neon White
• Norco
• Stray
• Tunic
• Vampire Survivors

BEST ADAPTATION

• Arcane: League of Legends
• Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
• The Cuphead Show!
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2
• Uncharted

MOST ANTICIPATED

• Final Fantasy 16
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Resident Evil 4
• Starfield
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Stray was, of course, a game that had been on many radars for quite some time. The adventure title instantly grabbed attention when it was first revealed, and since then, general interest in the game has grown significantly as time has gone on. When it launched last month, it launched to plenty of hype and anticipation, which, thankfully, were reflected in the reception for the game once people actually got their hands on it. Stray has seen widespread critical success, being praised by reviewers and its players alike, and in our review, we, too, came away delighted with the game. Here, we’re going to dive deeper into why it struck a chord with us.

It’s worth mentioning, of course, that Stray’s premise has a big hand in its success. “You play as a cat” is the sort of elevator pitch that is bound to turn heads, and when you look at pre-launch gameplay clips that show the cat scratching up carpets and walls, knocking things off ledges, and having a dedicated meow button, you can’t help but be enamoured by that central premise. BlueTwelve Studio and Annapurna Interactive really hammered that home in the lead-up to the game’s launch, and from cat lovers to people on the lookout for something unique and fresh, Stray instantly became a game worth keeping an eye on.

What makes Stray truly work though – work as a game and not just as an elevator pitch to grab your attention in the short-term – is the fact that it backs up its premise with actual, proper substance. Yes, Stray does use its premise and surreal setting to pull you in, but it doesn’t rely on that stuff more than it should- because once it has grabbed your attention, it is perfectly aware of the fact that it has to work to keep hold of it. And it does that in more ways than one.

There’s a lot going on with Stray that keeps players engaged right up until the credits roll. The fact that you’re playing as a cat is, of course, front and center throughout the experience, but it’s more than just a cutesy marketing tactic. Stray boasts excellent animations and attention to detail that go a long way towards making it feel like an authentic experience. From curling up and going to sleep while the DualSense’s haptic feedback syncs with your purring to having actual core gameplay mechanics and activities that revolve around the fact that you’re a cat, this is a game that commits to its premise on more than just a surface level.

The game’s post-apocalyptic cyberpunk setting is another one of its biggest strengths. Playing as a cat would have been unique and intriguing enough, but playing as a cat in a neon-drenched cyberpunk world where all humans are long gone and robots are the primary inhabitants takes the game to a whole another level. Right from the get go, Stray piques your curiosity, and it keeps doubling down on that right up until the very end. Uncovering new details about the world and its state, about how it got to this point, and of course, about how it ties into the past of your flying drone companion B12 forms the heart and soul of the experience, and it’s all very well executed. Add to that some personal stakes with the cat itself and the relationship and growing friendship between the two leading characters, and you get a story that also tugs at the heartstrings. From its setting and the larger questions the story poses to the more personal aspects of the narrative and the many personable NPCs you meet throughout the game, Stray has more than a few narrative strengths that make sure you’re always engaged.

The actual gameplay is another one of Stray’s strengths. It’s a textbook example of “simple yet effective”. Stray is an adventure title, with very little combat and a core loop that’s focused on exploration and solving environmental puzzles, but even though it’s not the sort of game that demands a ton of skill or asks you to pay attention to the minutest of details, it’s still the sort of experience that has actual depth in its gameplay. Environments are excellently crafted and can be a joy to explore, especially given how vertical they can be, while side activities and optional collectibles like memories and what have you are always fun to engage with.

Stray is also a rare example of a modern game that knows exactly how long it needs to be. At 6-8 hours in length, it’s got the perfect runtime- it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and yet it doesn’t feel like it’s over too soon. Sure, you do want it to run a little longer when you’re done with it, but that’s because of how much fun there is to be had in the game, rather than it not doing everything it could have with its ideas. In a medium that’s brimming with games that are full of bloat and unnecessary padding, Stray feels like a rare example of a game that knows exactly when it should end.

It also helps, of course, that Stray looks and sounds great. The lower budgets of indie games are often part of the reason why they so frequently fail to attract larger audiences- the fact that they don’t have the sort of production values that people so often expect from games can be a bit of an impediment for them. Stray, however, doesn’t have that issue, seeing as it’s a game that combines its strong art style with technically proficient visuals. No, it’s not a technical masterpiece, obviously- but it looks and sounds great nonetheless, especially for a lower priced game such as this one.

Of course, Stray probably won’t see massive mainstream success- by its very nature, it’s a niche product. But it’s a shining example of a developer coming up with a fascinating core premise, expanding that core premise with depth and substance in mechanics and narrative, and then actually implementing all of those ideas well. You’d think that things like that are the bare minimum for game development, and on paper, you’d be right- but it’s no secret that that’s often not the case. That Stray does all of that and more to deliver an experience that has its own unique identity and personality is something that developer BlueTwelve Studio deserves a lot of credit for.

Now, how about a sequel where you play as a dog, right?

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.