The Stray's Refuge Quest Problem

The Stray's Refuge is set to announce somewhere between the 3rd Quarter of 2026. As we're pushing for a more realistic experience, We're announcing that TSR (The Stray's Refuge) is set to release on PC first.

Why release on PC first?

The Stray's Refuge was first built on Unreal Engine 5.5 as development began, and we first built the game on very powerful graphics. But The Stray's Refuge on Quest is set to release 2 months or more after the official PCVR release.

What is the difference between PCVR and Quest? Why does it take that long to release the Quest version?

The Stray's Refuge was first built on the DirectX 12 Graphical API. And since Meta Quest does not support DirectX 12 due to their mobile chips, switching to Vulkan will take a long time, because switching to Vulkan isn't just a toggle in the settings. Moving from DirectX to Vulkan needs a deep overhaul of how the game talks with the device. Here's what we will be working on those 2 months: Shader Rewriting Many of our VFX designed for PCVR players don't translate to Quest friendly code. We have to manually rewrite these shaders so the game still looks realistic without melting your Quest. Memory Optimization DirectX 12 and Vulkan handle your memory very different. On Quest, we have much smaller memory to work with, requiring us to make custom systems to put game assets in and out with efficiency. Optimization Vulkan gives us more control over the Quests GPU, but that needs more responsibility. We have to build some stuff for the data ourselves for no crashes to occur and to have a steady 72-90 FPS, which Meta explicitly states. 

Keeping Cat’s Holidays Safe and Friendly

Cat’s Holidays is meant to be a fun, cozy place to explore and spend time with others. Because the game is in VR, we know interactions can feel more personal, so we’re putting extra care into making sure everyone feels comfortable and welcome.

As we work toward release on PCVR and Meta Quest, we’ve added simple moderation tools that quietly help keep the game a good place to play.

What we’re adding

Language filters
These help reduce rude or inappropriate language, keeping conversations friendly for all ages.

Age-aware rules
Cat’s Holidays uses age group information to apply the right rules automatically, so younger players aren’t exposed to things they shouldn’t be.

Friendly behaviour checks
These help catch behaviour that doesn’t fit a family-friendly VR game, without getting in the way of normal play.

Why this matters to us

VR can feel more real than other games. A few small protections go a long way in helping players relax and enjoy the experience, and in helping parents feel more confident too.

Our promise

We’re not trying to be strict or punishing. Our goal is simple:

• Keep Cat’s Holidays fun and welcoming

• Treat players fairly

• Look out for everyone, especially our younger Cattos
  
  

We’ll keep improving these systems as the game grows and sharing progress through our dev blog.