A new split-screen multiplayer mod for Stray has allowed players to explore the hazardous world of Walled City 99 in groups. Modders have already been at work since the game's release, with other mods enabling players to change Stray's cat protagonist to resemble their own pets (or even Garfield, if they wish).
Stray is a single-player title that sees a stray cat separated from its group at the beginning of the game, finding itself stranded in an underground city. Over the course of the game, the cat has to work with the city's self-aware robot inhabitants as well as a backpack-mounted drone called B-12 to try to return to his group on the surface, unraveling secrets and mysteries along the way.
Despite Stray's story fitting a single-player structure, modder KangieDanie has created the Splitscreen mod (via Tech Radar) to allow players to team up to with another cat on their journey. KangieDanie has stated that this is a very early mod for Stray - which is unsurprising considering the title has only been out for one week as of the time of writing - and that there is a possibility of visual glitches and other bugs, as the game wasn't made with split-screen in mind. The Splitscreen mod is currently only available for local co-op, with players having the option to play using the same keyboard, or plug in another controller to traverse the cyberpunk city. The limit of co-op players that can be added using the mod is currently untested, as KangieDanie pointed out that they ran out of controllers to test with. That being said, one of the screenshots on the mod's page currently shows three players sharing the screen, joining Stray's main cat character on their adventure.
Given how early the mod is, it's yet to be seen whether players can add Stray's various reskin mods to Splitscreen to allow friends - or households with multiple cats - to have a virtual cat meet-up with their own pets. While currently Splitscreen is a local experience, KangieDanie has said that they know another modder who is looking into creating online co-op for Stray, making it more likely for players' cats, who have already been enjoying the title's campaign, to get in on the social experience as well.
Unfortunately for PlayStation players, the Splitscreen mod is only available for those on PC. Although this may be disappointing, there is still an upside for those wanting to play Stray 0n PlayStation, as those who have the Extra or Premium tiers of PlayStation Plus have been able to enjoy the title for free as part of their subscription.
Sources: Splitscreen/Nexus Mods (via Tech Radar)