Best Stray mods: our top picks and how to install them
Clawsome mods you need to try out
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Stray launched on PC alongside PlayStation consoles just a couple of weeks ago. This means there are already countless mods out there waiting for you to install them. To help narrow down your options, we’ve rounded up some of our favorites for you.
Of course, first things first: you need to knowhow to install Stray mods. Happily, it’s a fairly straightforward process. Once you’ve got to grips with that, the world of Stray mods is your oyster. Or something more cat appropriate, like a juicy dead mouse.
There are tons to peruse, fromputting your own cat in the game, orswapping it out for Spyro, to playingsplitscreen multiplayer. Some Stray mods are verging on outright creepy, so of course, we’ve included those.
Before you start tinkering, you might want to double-check where tofind the Stray save file locationon your PC. Once you’ve readied yourself, dive into the list of mods below and enjoy the benefits of playing Stray on PC.
If you’re onPS4orPS5, you may be missing out on mods, but there’s aPS Plustrick that’ll let youplay Stray for freethat you should take advantage of if you can.
Stray mods: best community mods
First-person POV
ThisStray first-person POV modby Jessica Natalia does exactly what it says on the tin. And it even gets a whole trailer to give you a taster before you download it. It’ll make the game more immersive, that’s for sure.
Of course, it might be a bit jarring, operating at cat-level and the switch up in POV. Especially when it comes to platforming gameplay. But as Stray developer BlueTwelverevealed, “all the jumps are going to work and you cannot fall in the game.” Otherwise, where’s the fun in playing as a cat?
CJ from GTA: San Andreas
Yep, you read that right. You can turn the cat from Stray into CJ fromGTA: San Andreas. Why you’d want to do that are your reasons and your reasons alone. I don’t think we need – or want – to dig any deeper. But it’s possible, thanks to Sirgalahad172 over on Nexus Mods.
TheStray CJ mod pagedoes state that this is “intended as a joke as CJ needs to be modded into any game that exists.” And we applaud someone taking on that responsibility, regardless of how creepy the outcome. We’re still waiting on that Stray Thomas the Tank Engine mod…
Pick of the Litter
There are a bunch of mods that let you swap out Stray’s ginger protagonist for a cat of a different color or breed.Pick of the litteris one of them, and currently includes hand-painted alternative textures for black, white, brindle, grey, ghost tabby, and tuxedo cats, as well as a brown point Siamese.
Of course, you can browse pages of mods for individual traits, but creator SpaceD0lphin’ssaystheir all-encompassing mod is for your convenience. The page says they’ll be adding more variants in the future, and people in the comments are taking the opportunity to make specific requests based on their own cats. So if you’re struggling to find one that perfectly captures your feline friend’s likeness, you can always ask as well.
Garfield
Stray’s cat is transformed into the lasagna-loving, sarcasm-spewing Garfield courtesy ofChris Rubinoon Nexus Mods.
This iteration of the mod is dubbed the ‘cartoon edition’. Chrissaysthey’re working on a high-res ‘movie edition’, but it’ll be very GPU-intensive. While we wait for that, Garfield fans will be ecstatic to discover that the character’s “adult voice-over” has been added; but it comes with a warning to avoid it if you have young kids.
What could be so egregious – aside from his attitude and nonstop pithy comments? Chris lists “funny adult talks” and fart sounds, to name a few. His signature “lazy meow” is another optional extra you can opt to try out if you want to commit to the bit.
Happy Puppy
Like cats, but you’re more of a dog person? Chris Rubino is swooping to the rescue with yet another mod, just for you. Dubbed’happy puppy', the mod swaps out Stray’s cat for (what I’m almost certain is) a French bulldog. And I have to say, it looks incredibly adorable with its little backpack on.
Apinned postsuggests Chris hasn’t gotten around to switching out the meows for barks. But they’re probably too busy mediating the comments section, which has devolved into cat people and dog people going to war. Because this is the internet, after all.
If French bulldogs aren’t your cup of tea, there’s aDisney’s Bolt modthat turns the cat into the titular Bolt. It’s not been slapped with a cease and desist yet, so enjoy that one while you can.
Decipher Stray’s Language
Some people out there might like the idea ofdecoding Stray’s android languagenow that the code has largely been cracked. But others would rather skip the fuss and have the translations appear in-game, as if by magic. And that’s just what thisLatin alphabet modclaims to do.
“This mod replaces the seemingly unreadable characters in the game with Latin characters,” reads the description.One posterdoesn’t seem to have had success, while the other appears to have had a smooth enough experience.
Obviously, the mod will only swap out the font in chapter titles and the like. But you can translate in-game assets like graffiti etc using the original font file, as mod creator awberrypoints out.
PC gamers are spoiled for choice when it comes to Stray mods, but there are a couple we haven’t included that are worth highlighting. ThisJason modreplaces meows with Heavy Rain’s infamous “Jason!”. A Sean mod has yet to appear, but it’s only a matter of time.
TheMinecraft pig modgets an honorable mention. And if you’d prefer your cat to be au naturel, the invisible backpack and drone mod strips away all accouterments. They’re still there, they’re just toggled off.
Stray’s cat is also popping up outside of its own game. ThisStray Doom modturns Doomguy into a butt-kicking cat, for example.
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Shabana has been writing about games for almost a decade now, as well as covering tech, politics, food, and other random tidbits at Gizmodo UK. She’s stepped outside of news every now and then to write game guides, and always appreciates a DM if she’s helped get you out of a pickle. During her time freelancing, you may have spotted her words at VG24/7, GamesRadar, and IGN. She’s also held the position of news editor at Gizmodo UK, T3, and The Sun Online.
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