Stray, the PS5 game where you're a cat, launches this summer

Ever stared at your cat wondering what it's like to inhabit such a tiny, nimble, adorably predatory vessel? Well, in a few month's time you'll have the chance, as PS4/PS5 game Stray will put you in the paws of a feline on the loose this summer.

PlayStation quietly updated the release timing for Stray in a video shared to Twitter on Thursday. The game had previously been slated for early 2022 - technically making this a soft delay - but at least now we know what we're doing this summer.

If the prospect of getting to play as a cat hasn't sold you already, like it did me when the game was revealed back in 2020, maybe the game's neon-drenched cybercity locale or its four-legged protagonist's equally adorable sidekick drone will. Or, maybe, the thing that sells you on Stray will be these screenshots. I mean, just look at the little orange tabby just hanging out in a dimly lit bar with some robots like they're old chums. What I wouldn't give to be among their squad for a night on the town.

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While the city the kitty inhabits might seem friendly enough at first glance, the developers at BlueTwelve Studio have worked to evoke some sense of alienation, as a cat might feel roaming the streets of a dense urban sprawl. Fortunately, you'll have the powerful legs of a cat to leap up to air vents, across rooftops, and onto pipelines if you ever need an escape.

"Obviously this place is supposed to be at least unwelcoming," producer Swann Martin-Raget told our friends at Edge earlier this year. "This is why we also developed an alphabet for the whole language for the game – to have players really feel that they don't understand this place and they don't get all the codes of this environment."

For everything on the horizon, check out our extensive guide to new games of 2022 and beyond.

Correction: This article originally stated Stray's initial launch window as just "2022," but we've since learned it was actually due out early 2022. We've updated the article with the right info and we regret the error.