There was a time when you could only get video games physically, as that was the only way they were made outside of a few key exceptions. But with the advent of digital downloads via various video game services, you could now just get the game without needing to have the box art, the CD/cartridge and everything else that came with it. As such, all three major publishers (Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo) keep a special eye on the digital downloads of their platforms because they know it can be a great sign of how things are doing amongst those who only buy things digitally. For the PlayStation Store, the top game of July 2022 was none other than… Stray.
Yes, Stray, the game about a cat separated from its cat family and landing in a post-apocalyptic city full of robots and drones was #1. Usually, that wouldn’t sound like a title that would make the top of the charts, right? But don’t be fooled by our very loose synopsis of it, this is a game that took over the internet for a few very basic reasons. Not the least of which is that it’s an adorable cat game that honestly looks realistic. The team behind the game actually worked for YEARS just on the cat in the game and how it moved and how the gameplay would be used around it to feel “cat-like”.
As per the graphics, being on next-gen platforms helped bring out the realism of the cat and the world to the point where you wanted to explore it and see every nook and cranny from the perspective of this cat. That’s talent, right there, ok? Finally, and making this the perfect capper on “it’s an internet game”, Stray had a LOT of word of mouth from streamers and other gamers. So even if you didn’t know about this game before it came out, once people started playing it and admiring the cat itself, you were going to hear about it in one form or another. Oh, and the mods helped too.
Which can be proven by the fact that the game is No.1 on the PlayStation Store for July in the US (and it was No.2 in Europe). That proves that cat games can work in this sense, now can we get a sequel? Just saying.
As for what else did well in July 2022, F1 22 (the racing title that lets you play as a part of the actual racing circuit that is going on int eh world) was the No.4 title in the US (and No.1 in Europe), and GTA V was No.2…because naturally that game needed more sales!
All in all, it was a solid month for PlayStation Store, the only question now is, who will top the charts in August?
Source: PlayStation Blog
