Stray, despite being such a short game, is full of colorful characters and intriguing subplots. Stray contains nearly every mechanic you would want from a cat role-playing game. You can steal, knock things off high shelves, take naps, and meow nonstop whenever you want.
Games are always better with mods, though, and Stray already has some great ones available, including modders putting their own cats into the game. If you’re looking for something new to add to the game while you chase achievements, look no further than the best mods you can find for Stray.
Updated on August 19, 2023, by William Quick: Before Stray came out, we were already excited about it. Of course, there had been cat games before this one, but this was THE cat game, and it was in a cyberpunk world with robots to boot. When it finally did come out, very few of us were disappointed in what we got.
It's a lovely-looking game full of adventure, mystery, danger, and lore as we experience it all through the eyes of a stray cat just trying to get home. There's a certain level of challenge to it, but once you've found everything thing, you may not feel the urge to revisit it any time soon. Enter the modders who have come up with ways to transform the game, with the main focus being the cat. we've added even more mods for Stray for you to use.
14 Puss In Boots
DreamWorks may not have the best track record for animated films, but they surprised many of us with their sequel to Puss In Boots with one of the best villains they've ever had. With popularity surrounding it and a surge of interest in the character, it makes sense to want to bring the beloved feline to a beloved feline game.
With the Puss In Boots Over Stray mod, you can be the titular character running through this cyberpunk world. While not possessing the capacity of speech or skill with a rapier as the original character, it's still fun to imagine what Puss would be like in such a situation. It may actually be so daunting that he'd just revert to default cat mode.
13 Warehouse Map
Stray is not a long game, and that's perfectly fine. It does exactly what it needs to do in the time provided, with a lot of variety in environments, interactions, characters, and dangers to mix up the excitement. But some of us want more and once the game is done, so we'll just add in mod levels.
With the Warehouse Map, you get a whole new map to explore that looks like it could've been ripped from the hidden archives of the game. Explore the storage area with all the shelves, clutter, and more boxes than any cat could ever dream to have. You can also spy on some robot workers and even pesky Zurg around the facility.
12 A Very Cartoonish Garfield
Now, where could your pipe be? The Garfield - Cartoon Edition mod replaces the playable cat character with everyone’s favorite surly orange tabby from the comic strips and cartoons.
Not only that, but the modder gave the model an uncanny resemblance to the cursed film franchise starring Bill Murray. Or, it’s just become impossible to look at a 3D version of Garfield without thinking of him. Either way, the Garfield mod is one of the most downloaded mods for Stray, so it’s what the people want.
11 Minecraft Pig
It's amazing that after all these years, Minecraft remains one of the top-played games personally and on stream. The concept has expanded to other types of games and has such a distinct style that it stands out among the crowd. You can see for yourself just how much it stands out by bringing a pig into Stray with you.
By applying the Minecraft Pig Over Stray mod, you can transform the main cat and other cats into adorable blocky pigs. However, they're nowhere near as jumpy as they're expected to be as the pigs gracefully wander around, climb up various ledges, and make death-defying leaps despite their blocky bodies. They definitely won't feel piggy after going through this adventure.
10 Pick Of The Litter
The original cat is as cute as can be, but some variety in looks would be fun if you’re planning on a replay. The Pick Of The Litter mod adds seven new breed textures for the purring protagonist.
The mod currently gives you a choice between black, white, brindle, grey, ghost tabby, tuxedo, and brown point Siamese patterns and is making room for more additions. If your favorite pattern of feline friend is on this list, then it’s a mod you should add to your game.
9 Photorealistic Preset
Everyone loves a good shading and texture mod, and this mod is a cut above the rest for a game like Stray. The Photorealistic Preset mod pushes the game’s stunning graphics and visuals a step further, smoothing out some jagged edges in the animation and bringing the colors into a more natural range.
It’s easier to see the finer details in the landscapes that turning the brightness up may have washed out. It also makes the lights of the dim, dingy city a lot easier to look at.
8 Absolute Maximum Intensity
If you’ve got the PC to handle it, the Maximum Meow mod takes the entire game to infinity and beyond. Ultra-realistic graphics and high-definition detail are the main points of this mod, but it’s also a hit for some added accessibility features.
This mod makes the item coding more color-friendly and removes a lot of film grain and motion blur that can otherwise be hard on the eyes.
7 A Cat’s Point Of View
Watching videos of sports cameras attached to cats just isn’t enough anymore. It’s time to be the cat. Live your best life from the eyes of a cat with Stray - First Person Mod over on Nexus.
This mod adds a first-person camera to the game instead of the over-the-shoulder-style camera that Stray uses. This is a great immersive mod if you’re really looking to put yourself into the mind of a cat as you roam the robotic city streets.
6 Just Because You Can
With the power of mods, you can now play Stray in a way it was never meant to be played: as a little bulldog puppy. The Happy Puppy mod gives you just that, a cheerful little puppy to play as instead of the protagonist cat.
It’s a great mod for a more entertaining replay of the game, but some animations specifically meant for cats do look weird. For example, the fact that you can hop up onto railings and use them as balance beams as a tiny, potato-shaped dog.
5 A Bonus Badge
One of the most engaging parts of Stray is spending your time trying to collect all the side-quest badges to wear on your vest. It’s a small fashion thing and doesn’t affect your gameplay any, but satisfying once you’ve got them all.
The Trans Badge mod gives you an opportunity to make your harness flair a little more personal and meaningful. This mod replaces the Outsiders badge you obtain in the Dead End sequence with a colorful little trans flag button.
4 Pride Pins
After the flair and support of the Trans Badge mod, Stray modders wanted to keep going and thought about doing more to bring Pride into the game. One badge is nice, but there are over six badges in the game which offers more opportunities for important and colorful transformations.
By applying the Pride Pins to your game, you will change every badge into a different symbol for Pride. In addition to the Trans Flag and Symbol, you've got the Pan Flag, Bi Flag, Pride Flag, and Lesbian Flags now too. The cat can't be a full parade, but these badges are definitely a good start.
3 More Eye Glow
The feline family’s most noticeable biological trait seems to be pretty infrequent in Stray. The Emissive Cat Eyes mod aims to fix this minor nitpick for an extra touch of realism. With this mod, cat eyes become more emissive in low light settings, mimicking the way real cats seem to reflect light sources with their eyes.
It’s a lot more pronounced than the real thing, but you still get to appreciate that nighttime cat eye glow. A little eerie in the darker areas, though.
2 Way Cooler Now
The Glasses Mod is one of the simplest mods for the game, and yet it’s so tasteful. Now you can have a snazzy pair of glasses to wear around town to make your cat look much cooler than everyone else.
This mod is also compatible with color mods, so it can be used with whichever kind of cat you’ve chosen to change up your game with. Now your cat looks like it’s ready to read the morning paper before it starts its day.
1 All The Cats
Any kind of cat you could possibly want is available, at the small price of having to color it yourself. Cat Customisation is a two-in-one mod for sprucing up the cat model or just changing to a different pattern.
This mod comes with a few preset recolors, but if you want to make your own beloved cat the star of the show, it’s going to take some coloring. Luckily, the mod includes very in-depth instructions on how to color your own cat.