Stray Children quietly launched on October 30, 2025 for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam, and barely anyone noticed. That’s a shame because this bittersweet fairytale RPG from Onion Games might be one of the most unique gaming experiences of 2025. The game comes from the team that gave us Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, one of the most beloved cult classics ever made, plus industry legends who worked on Rule of Rose, Little King’s Story, Chulip, and Super Mario RPG. This is a pedigree that demands attention.
The Story Of Stray Children
Somewhere in a secret room, a curious boy flips the switch of a dusty old console. He’s suddenly sucked through the television screen and wakes up inside a forgotten retro RPG world. He finds himself in a land where only children live, surrounded by colossal stone walls. Outside those walls lurk the Olders – grotesque, monstrous versions of adults carrying all their accumulated inadequacies, self-doubt, fears, and grievances.
From there, your adventure begins. You’re a child in a world designed to protect you from the Olders, but that safety is crumbling. The walls are failing. The Olders are getting closer. To survive, you’ll need to venture out into a dangerous world, face the very thing you’re supposed to fear, and discover the strange humanity hidden inside these monsters.
The premise sounds whimsical, but Stray Children is actually dealing with heavy themes. It’s about confronting the adults we become, understanding the damage we carry, and finding compassion for people at their worst. It’s Moon: Remix RPG Adventure’s spiritual successor in that regard – using a fairytale wrapper to explore something deeply human and often melancholic.
Combat Through Words, Not Just Swords
Instead of standard turn-based combat, Stray Children lets you approach battles as dialogue encounters. When you face one of the Olders, you can choose to fight them with weapons, or you can whisper in their ear. You can make them laugh. Tell them you love them. Share their pain. These aren’t easy paths – the Olders won’t be swayed by simple kindness. You need to understand who they are and what demons they carry.
When you successfully connect emotionally with an Older, you don’t defeat them – you save them. Their soul is healed. They’re freed from whatever psychological prison they’ve been trapped in. The combat system is therefore as much puzzle-solving as it is combat. You need to figure out what each enemy responds to, what words will reach them, and what hidden secrets lurk behind their monstrous appearance.
This approach was pioneered by Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, which similarly rewarded non-violent solutions and emotional storytelling. Stray Children carries that torch forward while creating something entirely its own.
A Game For Moon Fans And Those Who Want Something Different
If you’ve never played Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Stray Children will still hit you hard. It’s an experimental RPG from a studio that doesn’t care about conventional game design. The pacing is slow and meditative. The story develops through strange encounters and surreal sequences. The battle system prioritizes character and story over mechanical complexity.
But if you did play Moon and felt that special something – that bittersweet, melancholic wisdom mixed with absurdist humor – then Stray Children will feel like coming home. It’s not a sequel. It’s not a remake. It’s a spiritual successor that takes everything that worked about Moon and applies it to a new story with new characters and new themes. The DNA is the same. The expression is completely different.
From Japan To The World
Stray Children originally released in Japan on December 26, 2024 exclusively for Nintendo Switch. The Western release on October 30, 2025 includes both the Switch version and a new PC version via Steam, plus full English localization. The team spent an entire year working on this Western version, adding tweaks, updates, and refinements to make this the definitive version of the game.
Price-wise, the game sits at around $25 USD, making it accessible without being a throwaway impulse purchase. It’s priced as a full experience, and that’s exactly what you’re getting.
Why Most People Haven’t Heard About This
Stray Children released in October 2025 against a crowded calendar. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth sequel rumors, new Call of Duty content, the launch window for multiple AAA titles – the gaming landscape was absolutely saturated. An indie RPG from a small Japanese studio didn’t have the marketing budget to break through the noise. But that’s exactly why it’s worth seeking out. Games like Stray Children only come around every few years, and they deserve to be experienced by more people than they reach.
This is what happens when creative vision matters more than market research. When experimental gameplay takes precedence over proven formulas. When a studio of industry veterans decides to make exactly the game they want instead of the game publishers think will sell.
The Cult Classic In The Making
Stray Children will probably sell modestly at first. It won’t make top sales charts. It won’t dominate streaming platforms for weeks. But within five years, it will be remembered as a classic. People will discover it through word of mouth. Journalists will write retrospective pieces about underrated games of 2025. It will find its audience among people who value emotional storytelling and experimental design over AAA polish.
That’s the trajectory of games like Moon. They release, most people ignore them, and then years later everyone wonders how they missed it. Stray Children is following that exact path. The question is whether you want to discover it now with everyone else who cares about weird, wonderful, experimental RPGs, or whether you want to rediscover it in five years and feel like you’re late to the party.
FAQs
When did Stray Children release?
Stray Children launched on October 30, 2025 for Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam. It had previously released in Japan on December 26, 2024 for Switch only. The October 30 Western release is available worldwide with full English localization.
Who made Stray Children?
Stray Children was developed and published by Onion Games, a small independent studio based in Tokyo. The team includes director Yoshiro Kimura, art director Kazuyuki Kurashima, and composer Hirofumi Taniguchi. They’re best known for re-releasing Moon: Remix RPG Adventure in 2021, and their credits include Rule of Rose, Little King’s Story, Chulip, Chibi-Robo, and Super Mario RPG.
How much does Stray Children cost?
Stray Children is priced at $24.99 USD or £22.49 GBP (with a 10% launch discount until November 9). The price is the same on both Nintendo Switch and Steam.
Is Stray Children like Moon: Remix RPG Adventure?
Stray Children is spiritually similar to Moon: Remix RPG Adventure in that it subverts RPG tropes and focuses on emotional storytelling over mechanical complexity. However, it’s not a sequel or remake. It’s a standalone spiritual successor with its own story, characters, and themes that uses similar design philosophies.
What’s the gameplay like?
Stray Children is a turn-based RPG with unique combat mechanics. Rather than fighting purely with weapons, you can engage in dialogue with enemies (called the Olders) and attempt to save their souls through words, humor, or emotional connection. The game prioritizes understanding enemy motivations and finding peaceful solutions alongside traditional combat.
How long is Stray Children?
The game is designed to be experienced at a meditative pace. Most players report 15-20 hours for a complete playthrough, though playtime varies based on how much you explore and engage with side content. It’s not a massive 100-hour RPG, but rather a focused, emotionally-driven narrative experience.
Can I play Stray Children on Steam Deck?
Yes, Stray Children is playable on Steam Deck. It’s designed for portable play and should run smoothly on the device thanks to its retro-inspired art style.
Is Stray Children appropriate for children?
Despite its name and fairytale aesthetic, Stray Children deals with mature themes about adulthood, inadequacy, trauma, and psychological struggle. It’s appropriate for older teenagers and adults rather than young children, even though the protagonist is a child character.
Conclusion
Stray Children is the game everyone should be talking about but probably isn’t. It comes from one of the most uniquely talented teams in game development – people who’ve worked on beloved classics and aren’t afraid to experiment with genre conventions. It tells a story about childhood, adulthood, compassion, and understanding with whimsy and melancholy. It prioritizes emotional resonance over mechanical complexity. It’s weird, wonderful, and entirely its own thing. In an industry obsessed with sequels and safe bets, Stray Children is a breath of fresh, bittersweet air. If you have any love for experimental RPGs, cult classics, or emotionally intelligent game design, add Stray Children to your list immediately. This is the kind of game that defines console libraries when you look back in five years wondering what made this era of gaming special.