Stray is a recently released adventure game where you take control of an astonishingly lifelike cat. The game is developed by BlueTwelve Studio while it is published by Annapurna Interactive. The game is available on PC, PS4, and PS5.
After the launch, there are some technical problems with the game, particularly the infamous Unreal Engine stuttering. A few users have experienced crashes either when trying to start the game or while playing. These problems can be quite annoying after launch and are mostly caused by a user-side issue. Here are a few things that you may try to solve the issue.
Verify Game Files

This is done to make sure that none of your game files is corrupted or missing. Head to your Steam library, and right-click on Stray. Click Properties and hit Verify integrity of game files in the Local Files tab.
This will start scanning the game files, and download and replace any bad files. Try launching the game after the scan is complete, and the issue must be resolved.
Update your Windows and Graphics Drivers

It’s always a good practice to ensure that your PC is running the latest Windows build version. Head over to your PC’s settings and install any pending updates to Windows.
Updating your graphics drivers may also help eliminate any errors that are keeping the game from running as it should. Moreover, recently released games are added and optimised with the newer versions of graphics drivers.
Update DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables

You need DirectX 12 to play Stray.
Ensure that you have the latest version of DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables installed on your system.
Switch to the Dedicated GPU
You need to ensure that the game is running on the dedicated (Nvidia / AMD) GPU on your PC. This can be done either from the graphics options Windows settings or from your GPU’s control panel.
This covers our article on fixing the crashing issues with Stray. As the game is recently released, it will probably be more optimised with newer updates. Make sure that you keep your game updated with the latest patches, as it might help in better performance.
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