Annapurna Interactive’s adventure game Stray, featuring an open cyberpunk world players can explore as a cat, sets a new record for its PC launch.
Stray, the latest offering from Annapurna Interactive where players control a stray cat through a lushly designed cyberpunk world to find its way home, set a new PC launch record for the video game publisher on its very first day of release.
According to a tweet reported on by Video Games Chronicle, Stray demolished Annapurna’s previous record for a PC game release by a massive margin. About 12 hours into its launch date, the adventure game had logged over 50,000 concurrent players on Steam. The previous peak record had been held by the 2021 game Twelve Minutes at a mere 8,021, meaning Stray racked up over 6 times more plays. Rounding out Annapurna’s top five games are Outer Wilds at 7,936, Neon White with 3,277 and Journey bringing in 1,757. Stray’s numbers got even higher by the end of the day.
The player count also put Stray at number 13 when VGC‘s report came out, with AAA titles like Grand Theft Auto and free-to-play hit Apex Legends topping the indie game by tiny French developer BlueTwelve Studio. Stray was released for both PC and PlayStation on July 19 at a price point of $29.99 but is also free for PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium subscribers.
Reviews for Stray have been filled with praise. Polygon has called it a “triumph.” Kotaku found the game introspective as well as entertaining, writing, “I went into Stray expecting a platformer about a cat. I did not expect a deeply profound meditation on what it means to be alive.” IGN never grew bored of the “wonderfully rich world.” And CBR’s own review called the game “fresh, charming, and stunning.”
The success of the so-called “cat simulator” should come as no surprise as it became Steam’s most wishlisted game in early July, taking the top spot away from survival game The Day Before. Buzz had been building for Stray for some time, but the news leaking that developer Fntastic used unpaid “volunteers” to make The Day Before and the backlash that followed also helped to unseat it from the top spot.
While Stray is on the shorter side when it comes to gameplay, the immersive open world and rich design have made it a quick fan favorite. One key feature is the feline protagonist’s ability to pet, or rather nuzzle, other cats in-game. Following in the footsteps of the ever-important question of, “Can you pet the dog?” BlueTwelve has included a snuggling ability complete with purrs and affectionate grooming between the player cat and those found around the game world.
Stray is available now for PC via Steam and on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
Source: Twitter, via Video Games Chronicle