7 things that everyone completely overlooked in Stray

Exploring the various locations found in Stray is a joyful experience. Not only is the game visually stunning, with neon-infused, cyberpunk-like atmospheres flowing from every loose pipe and crevice, but you also play as a cat. It's not an exaggeration to say that gaming has truly reached its peak.

As beautiful as Stray is and as adorable as its protagonists may be, Stray is not exactly straightforward. In fact, Stray is full of secrets and small details that you probably overlooked during your first playthrough. Stray may not be a large game, but it is very dense, and there is a lot to see - even more that goes unnoticed.

Updated on September 18, 2023, by Gabrielle Castania: As there is still a lot of love for Stray and all its various Easter eggs, we are updating our list of secrets in Stray to enhance it and align with our current standards.

7 The Fourth Vending Machine

One of the first side activities you encounter in Stray is when you wander into the slums. There, you'll find a wonderful robot named "Barterman" who is willing to trade you various collectibles (all quest-related) in exchange for valuable scrap. The said scrap is quite easy to find during the first playthrough, as it is usually located on or near the beaten path.

Apart from one - the elusive "fourth vending machine." This rascal is so well-hidden that it is almost impossible to see from most angles. If you don't stumble upon it during your rooftop adventures, you will most likely be puzzled and give up.

6 The Midtown Safe

Midtown is one of the best locations in Stray. It is large, vibrant, and full of (artificial) life. It is densely populated, and there is plenty to see and do - although you can rush through this area relatively quickly if you don't take the time to explore it.

One of the easily overlooked areas in Midtown is the hidden safe in one of the many shops. Most of them are blocked by glass, but right at the beginning of Midtown, there is a spot on the left side where you can jump in. In the back room, you will find a safe that you can open to discover a hidden badge. Quite cunning...

5 Destructive Dominos

Being a mischievous stray cat is one of the greatest appeals in Stray. Knocking over cans of paint is essentially your task, and it is also associated with a quest in the slums. But there are even more things you can do in Stray to objectively make people's lives worse - pushing bottles off a bar or making a mess through someone's house.

Most robots unfortunately don't react when you do that, but there is one exception where you can ruin someone's day. In the ant colony, there are two robots playing dominoes. You can simply walk past them and life goes on. Alternatively, you can break their hearts by jumping on the table and messing everything up.

4 Odd Clocks

The world of Stray is like a distorted shadow of the real world, and the robots inhabiting the slums and midtown have built their society based on a vague memory and concept of humanity. You will often find something resembling a human object, but most of the time, it is slightly distorted due to its imitation.

Nothing embodies this as well as the clocks in Stray. You don't see many of them, and for the most part, they are not the centerpiece of the game. But the robots have decided to make clocks because humans had clocks, and they seem to have messed it up. This is most evident when trying to break into Doc's secret room - all the clocks are 16-hour clocks.

3 Sneaky Memories

The developers who worked on Stray are cunning, and they knew exactly what they were doing when they incorporated collectible memories into the game. For the most part, these are fairly easy to find - most of them are on or near the main path, so you always get some idea of the extended story revolving around B-12.

However, they got particularly creative when placing a bunch of memories near the "Point of no Return." In almost every linear/non-central chapter, the memories are disturbingly close to invisible triggers that, once crossed, cannot be undone.

2 Three Point Line

In the slums, there is a basketball near some stairs, and you will notice that there is a bucket at the bottom of the stairs. Sticking the basketball into the bucket with your head is the natural conclusion of this situation.

It's easier said than done, and it's quite likely that this shot will miss. You need to have a perfect aim, take the right approach, and hit it with just the right amount of force to get it where you want it to go. Since cats aren't exactly the best basketball players, let's assume that most people missed on their first attempt.

1 References Everywhere

Stray is deeply intertwined with the world it has created. Everything makes sense when you put it into context, and that makes Stray an extremely fascinating world to explore and immerse oneself in. However, Stray occasionally breaks out of its own character and references pop culture, such as Skyrim, for example.

Where it becomes interesting is when one assumes that Stray is not simply referencing something for a cheap joke, but rather suggesting that the world of Stray is built upon our current world. It's not just a reference if that robot has played Skyrim or found evidence of Skyrim's existence while rummaging around.