---
title: "Stray: Complete Guide"
game: "Stray"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/stray"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Achievements", "Collectibles"]
summary: "A spoiler-light Stray guide covering controls and cat mechanics, B-12, Zurks and Sentinels, collectibles (memories, badges, music sheets), the full achievement list with tips for the tricky ones, and accessibility…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/stray-complete-guide-7e43dc81"
published: "2026-09-27T16:45:51.291Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T16:45:51.291Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Stray: Complete Guide

A spoiler-light Stray guide covering controls and cat mechanics, B-12, Zurks and Sentinels, collectibles (memories, badges, music sheets), the full achievement list with tips for the tricky ones, and accessibility settings.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of PC Patch 4 (August 10, 2023), the latest content patch; later releases added platforms (macOS December 2023, Switch November 2024, Switch 2 May 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## What Stray Is

Stray is a third-person adventure from **BlueTwelve Studio**, published by **Annapurna Interactive** on PC and PlayStation on **July 19, 2022**. You play an orange stray cat separated from its family and trapped in **Walled City 99**, a sealed underground city where humans have vanished and only robots (the **Companions**) remain. Along the way you team up with **B-12**, a small drone that translates, stores items, gives you light and hacks technology.

- **Threats:** **Zurks** (swarming mutant bacteria that eat anything) and **Sentinels** (security drones).
- **Length:** It is a fairly short game. There is an achievement for finishing in **under 2 hours**, which tells you how compact a well-routed run can be. Most first playthroughs take noticeably longer.
- **Platforms (per Wikipedia):** PC and PS4/PS5 (July 2022), Xbox (August 2023), macOS (December 2023), Nintendo Switch (November 2024) and Switch 2 (May 2026).

## Quick Start

1. **You cannot fall by accident.** Jumping is context-sensitive. When a jump prompt appears, the cat lands it. Explore freely.
2. **Talk to every robot.** Once B-12 is with you, robots give you directions, trades and side tasks. Many lead to badges and memories.
3. **Check every corner in hub areas.** The Slums and Midtown are packed with side content, and a lot of the achievements come from them.
4. **Keep moving against Zurks.** Stopping means they latch on. If they grab you, shake them off quickly.
5. **Use cover against Sentinels.** Break line of sight, hide, and move when their scanners look away.
6. **Meow, scratch, nap, knock things over.** They are not just flavor. Several achievements come from being a cat.
7. **Chapter select unlocks as you go.** You can replay chapters to pick up missed collectibles, so do not stress about finding everything on your first run.
8. **Look at the accessibility options** (Patch 4) if rapid button tapping is hard for you.

## Cat Controls and Actions

Button prompts show up contextually. These are the main actions:

| Action | What it does |
|---|---|
| Jump (on prompt) | Leap to highlighted spots. It always succeeds |
| Meow | A dedicated button. Robots react, and there is an achievement for 100 meows |
| Scratch | Scratch carpets, doors and trees (counts for achievements) |
| Interact | Knock objects off shelves, push things, use doors and machines |
| Nap | Curl up in certain spots and sleep (there is an achievement for over an hour) |
| B-12 menu | Open inventory, read memories, hack or translate |
| Sprint | Run from Zurks and Sentinels |

### Accessibility (Patch 4, August 10, 2023)

Patch 4 added options for players who have trouble with rapid tapping:

- **Toggle run**
- **Toggle Defluxor**
- **Toggle to shake Zurks**
- An **option to hide cat death** ("it is too sad")

It also brought crash fixes, audio stutter fixes, and collision and navmesh fixes throughout the game.

## B-12

B-12 joins you early. It:

- **Translates** robot speech so you can understand the city's inhabitants.
- **Stores items** you pick up for trades and puzzles.
- **Lights the way** in dark areas.
- **Hacks** terminals and doors.
- Carries the **Defluxor** for part of the game. It is a UV-style weapon that destroys Zurks but overheats if you hold it too long.

### Memories

B-12 has lost memories scattered through the world. When B-12 reacts to a spot, stop and let it recover the memory. Collecting all of them is tied to the **"I Remember!"** achievement. Memories are easy to miss in the large hub areas, so check a collectible guide for the chapter you are replaying if you are short.

## Threats

### Zurks

- Zurks swarm in large groups and latch onto you.
- **How to survive:** Keep sprinting, change direction around obstacles and do not stop at dead ends. If several grab you, shake them off right away.
- During the **Defluxor** section, blast groups with short bursts and let it cool down between them.

### Sentinels

- Sentinels are security drones with a scanning beam. If they spot you, you are in trouble quickly.
- **How to survive:** Stay out of their light, hide behind cover, wait for patrols to turn away, and move in short bursts.
- Watch the patrol patterns before moving. Rushing is how most Sentinel deaths happen.

## Areas and Characters (Spoiler-Light)

Without giving the plot away, the journey goes from the ruins outside the city down into **Dead City**, through a lab apartment where you meet B-12, and into the robot neighborhoods:

| Area | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Dead City | Abandoned streets and your first Zurk encounters |
| The Slums | A hub with lots of robots. You meet **Momo** of the Outsiders. Trades, badges and music sheets for **Morusque** |
| Rooftops | Vertical climbing between buildings |
| Dead End and Sewers | Zurk-heavy stretches outside the Slums. The **Defluxor** section falls in this part of the game |
| Antvillage | A small robot settlement. The story here leads you toward **Zbaltazar**, the scientist the Outsiders need |
| Midtown | A second big hub with more trades, the **Clementine** storyline and a shop |
| Jail and Control Room | The final stretch, with heavy Sentinel sections |

**Tip:** The two hubs, the **Slums** and **Midtown**, hold most of the side content. Explore them fully before you move the story on.

## Area-by-Area Tips

- **The opening ruins:** Get comfortable with jump prompts and movement. Nothing here punishes you for exploring.
- **Dead City:** This is your introduction to Zurks. When a chase starts, head for the exit the camera shows you and do not turn back. If you die, the checkpoint is close.
- **The lab apartment:** Solve small environmental puzzles and get B-12. From this point on, look for the B-12 interaction prompts, since they are the key to both puzzles and memories.
- **The Slums:** Slow down. Talk to every robot, collect the music sheets for Morusque, try the mahjong table, find a TV, and do the trades that lead to badges. Several of the common "cat" achievements (meowing, nuzzling, napping) are easiest to get here.
- **Rooftops:** Mostly traversal. Look around for side paths.
- **Dead End and the Sewers:** Tight spaces and lots of Zurks. Whenever you have the Defluxor, use short bursts and do not let it overheat in a crowd.
- **Antvillage and Zbaltazar:** A calmer break before Midtown. Talk to everyone before moving on.
- **Midtown:** The second big hub. Explore it just as thoroughly as the Slums, with more trades, badges and memories. Finish your badge list here before the story moves on.
- **Jail and Control Room:** The Sentinel-heavy finale. Watch patrols, use cover, and take your time. Keep a Sentinel stealth achievement guide open if you are going for Sneakitty.

## Collectibles and Side Content

### Badges

You earn badges by **completing robot trades and requests** (giving the right item to the right robot). Collecting them all unlocks **"Badges"**, one of the rarest achievements (about 5.5% of Steam players). Talk to everyone in the hubs and read what they ask for.

### Music sheets (Morusque)

**Morusque** is a musician robot in the Slums. Find all the **music sheets** around the Slums and bring them to him for **"Meowlody"** (about 20.6%). He plays each song you bring. Grab them before leaving the Slums for good, and use chapter select if you miss any.

### Energy drinks and trades

Hub robots trade and ask for specific items. Pick up anything B-12 can carry, including energy drink cans, since they are part of the trading economy.

## Achievements

There are 24 Steam achievements. Global unlock rates are from the Steam stats page (September 2026).

| Achievement | Description | Rate | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missed Jump | Hidden | 93.0% | Story-related |
| Not Alone | Hidden | 81.5% | Story-related |
| Cat Got Your Tongue? | Hidden | 76.4% | Story-related |
| Curiosity Killed the Cat | Wear the paper bag | 69.9% | Find a paper bag on the ground and walk into it |
| Cat-a-Pult | Jump 500 times | 64.9% | It comes naturally across the game |
| A Little Chatty | Meow 100 times | 64.8% | Spam meow while walking around |
| Catwalk | Hidden | 45.1% | Story-related |
| Al-Cat-Raz | Hidden | 40.5% | Story-related |
| Eye Opener | Hidden | 39.3% | Story-related |
| No More Lives | Die 9 times | 37.2% | Zurks are the easy way |
| Cat-a-strophe | Try to play mahjong with the robots | 35.3% | Interact with the robots' mahjong game in a hub |
| Cat's best friend | Nuzzle up against 5 robots | 25.8% | Use the rub prompt near friendly robots |
| Meowlody | Bring all the music sheets to Morusque | 20.6% | All the sheets are in the Slums |
| Boom Chat Kalaka | Dunk the basketball | 15.3% | Look for a basketball hoop and ball |
| Télé à chat | Browse through all of the TV channels | 14.7% | Find a TV and flip through every channel |
| Scratch | Hidden | 9.4% | Scratch surfaces whenever you see them |
| I Remember! | Hidden | 6.7% | Linked to recovering B-12's memories |
| Productive Day | Sleep for more than one hour | 5.5% | Nap in a sleep spot and leave the game running |
| Badges | Collect all badges | 5.5% | Complete all robot trades and requests |
| Sneakitty | Hidden | 4.6% | A stealth challenge. Look it up before the Sentinel sections |
| Territory | Scratch in every chapter | 4.4% | Scratch at least once in every chapter (use chapter select for any you missed) |
| Pacifist | Hidden | 3.8% | Hidden challenge. Check an achievement guide before the Zurk-heavy late chapters |
| Can't Cat-ch Me | Hidden | 3.7% | A fast Zurk-escape challenge |
| I Am Speed | Complete the game in less than 2 hours | 2.6% | Do it on a second run, once you know the route |

### Achievement strategy

- **First run:** Play naturally. Explore hubs fully, do trades, find memories and collect music sheets.
- **Second run:** Go for **I Am Speed** with no side content. Skip optional dialogue, move straight to objectives, and do not stop to collect.
- **Cleanup:** Use chapter select for Territory, any missed memories, badges and the challenge achievements.
- **Productive Day:** Leave the cat napping on a sleep spot while you do something else.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Leaving the Slums too early.** Most badges and all the music sheets are there.
- **Stopping during Zurk chases.** Keep running.
- **Rushing Sentinel areas.** Watch the patrols first.
- **Trying for I Am Speed on your first playthrough.** Learn the game first.
- **Holding the Defluxor down.** It overheats. Use short bursts.
- **Forgetting to scratch.** Territory needs a scratch in every chapter.

## Advanced Tips

- **Speedrun routing:** Know where each story item is in the hubs and skip everything optional. Patch 3 fixed fall-through-world bugs while trying to keep speedrunner skips intact.
- **Zurk escapes:** Take tight turns around obstacles. The swarm follows your path, and corners slow it down.
- **Sentinel stealth:** Move when the scanner beam passes by, not when it is facing you.
- **Frame rate:** PC has an uncapped frame rate option and proper exclusive fullscreen (added in Hotfix 2). If the camera feels sluggish on keyboard and mouse at low FPS, Patch 3 improved that.
- **Chapter select:** Use it to replay a single chapter for a specific collectible without losing overall progress.

## FAQ

**How long is Stray?**
It is short. A speedrun achievement exists for under 2 hours, and a relaxed first playthrough with side content takes longer.

**Can the cat fall off ledges?**
No. Jumping is context-sensitive, so you only jump to spots the game allows.

**Can I replay chapters for collectibles?**
Yes. Chapter select lets you go back to chapters you have finished.

**Is there an option to turn off the cat's death?**
Yes. Patch 4 (August 2023) added an option to hide cat death, plus toggles for run, Defluxor and shaking off Zurks.

**Where are the music sheets?**
In the Slums. Bring them all to Morusque for Meowlody.

**Is Stray on Switch?**
Yes. It came out on Nintendo Switch in November 2024 and on Switch 2 in May 2026, according to Wikipedia.

## Sources

- [Steam: Stray (App 1332010)](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1332010/)
- [Steam: Stray achievements global stats](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/1332010/achievements)
- [Steam announcement: Stray Patch 4 (August 10, 2023)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1332010)
- [Steam announcement: Stray Patch 3 (August 3, 2022)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1332010)
- [Wikipedia: Stray (video game)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_(video_game))