Remember the days when open-world games felt a little… predictable? Then the Saints Row series crashed onto the scene, shaking things up with wild antics and over-the-top action. From humble beginnings to becoming a full-blown criminal empire, these games offer a unique brand of mayhem that many other titles simply can’t match. But here’s the sticky part: with several major titles in the franchise, how do you pick the perfect one for your next gaming binge? Do you jump into the gritty beginnings, embrace the alien invasions, or go for the latest reboot?
Navigating the Saints Row universe can feel overwhelming. Each game has its own flavor, its own unique set of ridiculous missions, and a different stage of the Third Street Saints’ evolution. If you’re worried about picking the wrong entry and missing out on the best customization or the funniest story, don’t sweat it. We are diving deep into the best and worst parts of the main Saints Row titles.
By the end of this guide, you will know exactly which Saints Row game fits your style—whether you crave serious gang warfare or just want to drive tanks through a shopping mall. Get ready to choose your crew wisely, because we are about to break down everything you need to know to start your journey with the 3rd Street Saints!
Top Saints Row Game Recommendations
- The full package, remastered With enhanced graphics, improved lighting, reworked environments, and visual effects, steel port and the third street Saints have never looked so good.
- city of Sin disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on weapons, cybercrime, and criminal racket. Discover the secrets of steel port, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
- weapons of Crass destruction it's one thing to defeat your enemies. It's another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human Cannonball cars and outrageous melee weapons are all part of the fun.
- crazy character customisation Create the most outlandish characters ever seen, from washed up celebrities to maskless Ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint. Who will you become
- Discover the Weird, Wild, West - Dive in to Santo Ileso, the biggest and best Saints Row playground ever, spread across nine unique districts surrounded by the vast, majestic beauty of the Southwest Desert
- Build Your Criminal Empire - Take over the city block by block, wage war against enemy factions and tighten your grip on the streets with ingenious criminal ventures
- Fire Guns. LOTS of Guns - Shoot revolvers from the hip, fire and forget with a rocket launcher, or obliterate up close using melee heavyweights, complete with brutal takedowns
- Take to the Streets and the Skies - Blast through urban and desert environments in any one of the cars, bikes, planes, helicopters, VTOLs, hoverbikes, hoverboards, go-karts or equip your wingsuit to swoop around
- Discover the Weird, Wild, West - Dive in to Santo Ileso, the biggest and best Saints Row playground ever, spread across nine unique districts surrounded by the vast, majestic beauty of the Southwest Desert
- Build Your Criminal Empire - Take over the city block by block, wage war against enemy factions and tighten your grip on the streets with ingenious criminal ventures
- Fire Guns. LOTS of Guns - Shoot revolvers from the hip, fire and forget with a rocket launcher, or obliterate up close using melee heavyweights, complete with brutal takedowns
- Take to the Streets and the Skies - Blast through urban and desert environments in any one of the cars, bikes, planes, helicopters, VTOLs, hoverbikes, hoverboards, go-karts or equip your wingsuit to swoop around
- Explore an open-world city - Go anywhere and do any of the activities you like in different parts of the city at any time
- Enter neighborhoods controlled by rival gangs, and come up with ways to take over their turf
- Thousands of customization options - Customize your own unique look, your clothes, and any car you choose, with the extensive car modification system
- Listen while you cruise - Twelve radio stations play over 130 tracks, from the hottest hip-hop and rock stations to classical music & talk shows
- The American dream - play as the president of the United States in a Wild story that spans countries, time, and space. It's up to you to free the world, now for the first time on Nintendo Switch.
- Super hero-in-chief - leap over buildings. Kill people with your mind. Run through tanks. Those are just some of the powers on offer that you can Wield in your quest.
- Alien toys of destruction - Wield an impressive array of alien vehicles and weapons. The inflato-ray, the polarizer, the disintegrator, and many more are all are yours to utilize.
- Dynamic DUO - seamless drop-in, drop-out co-op, a Saints row standard, improved. The only thing better than One malicious super-powered president is two!
- City of Sin - disrupt and dismantle the Syndicate stranglehold on the world of organized crime. Discover the secrets of steel port, where there is action on every street corner, for better or, more likely, worse.
- weapons of Crass destruction - it's one thing to defeat your enemies. It's another to humiliate them. Hover jets, human Cannonball cars and other ludicrous weapons are all part of the fun.Ljoy-con crazy customisation - Create the most outlandish characters every seen, from washed-up celebrities to Naked Ninja pirates. Inside every sinner, there is a Saint. Who will you become?
- portable over the top co-op - fly solo, or play online with a homie and for the first time - Two players can play side to side via online or local multiplayer. Give Naked skydiving a try, landing in your partner's Flaming pickup as you make a Suicide run toward a heavily armed Syndicate business. Steel port is more fun with a friend.
- the full package - Includes all three mission packs and more than 30 DLC items. *
- Provides an extensible design that enables Service prioritization for data
- Design that delivers high availability, scalability, and for maximum flexibility and price/performance
- The country of Origin is China
- Play as Johnny Gat or Kinzie Kensington - For the first time ever, play as the fan favorites Johnny Gat and Kinzie Kensington, alone or in 2-player online co-op
- Used Book in Good Condition
- BradyGames (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 208 Pages - 10/06/2008 (Publication Date) - BradyGames (Publisher)
The Ultimate Buying Guide for Saints Row Games
Thinking about jumping into the wild world of Saints Row? This guide helps you pick the right game for your next adventure. Saints Row offers crazy action and open-world fun. Knowing what to look for makes your purchase much better.
Key Features to Look For
When buying a Saints Row game, certain features make the experience great. Look closely at these points:
1. Open-World Freedom
- Exploration: Good Saints Row games let you drive, fly, and run anywhere on the map. You should feel free to cause chaos.
- Activities: Check if the game has side missions, collectibles, and fun mini-games besides the main story.
2. Customization Options
- Character Creator: The best games let you make your Boss look exactly how you want. Deep customization is a huge plus.
- Vehicle and Weapon Mods: Can you change how your guns shoot or how your cars look and drive? More options mean more fun.
3. Co-op and Multiplayer
- Playing with Friends: Many Saints Row titles feature online co-op. See if you can play the whole story with a friend.
4. Story and Tone
- Saints Row games range from serious crime stories to completely over-the-top comedy. Decide if you want a more grounded experience or one where you fight aliens with giant rubber ducks.
Important Materials (What Makes the Game Run)
Since Saints Row is a video game, “materials” refer to the technical side of things. You need to think about the platform and the game version.
Platform Compatibility
- Make sure the game works on your system (PlayStation, Xbox, PC, or Switch). Older games might not run well on the newest consoles without updates.
Game Version (Standard vs. Special/Complete Edition)
- Standard Edition: Just the base game.
- Special/Complete Editions: These often include all extra downloadable content (DLC) like new missions or outfits. Buying a complete edition usually saves money in the long run.
Factors That Improve or Reduce Quality
What makes one Saints Row game better than another?
Quality Boosters (Things that make it good)
- Strong Physics Engine: When things explode or cars crash, they should react realistically (or hilariously unrealistically, depending on the game!).
- Good Voice Acting: Memorable characters keep you hooked on the story.
- Consistent Performance: The game should run smoothly without freezing or major frame rate drops.
Quality Reducers (Things that make it bad)
- Repetitive Missions: If every mission feels the same (go here, shoot that), the game gets boring fast.
- Bugs and Glitches: Lots of technical problems break the fun immersion.
User Experience and Use Cases
How will you actually play Saints Row?
Use Cases:
- Solo Story Binge: If you want a long, engaging single-player story, pick a game known for its strong narrative (like the earlier entries or the reboot, depending on your taste).
- Chaos with Friends: If your main goal is messing around with a buddy, prioritize games with excellent, stable co-op modes.
- Pure Sandbox Fun: If you just want to steal cars and blow things up without worrying about the plot, any entry with deep customization and map exploration works well.
The best Saints Row experience matches the game’s style with what you want to do most.
Saints Row Game Buying FAQs
Q: Which Saints Row game is the funniest?
A: Most fans agree that Saints Row: The Third and Saints Row IV are the funniest. They lean heavily into over-the-top, ridiculous action and humor.
Q: Do I need to play the older games first?
A: Generally, no. While some characters return, each main Saints Row game (like Saints Row 2, 3, 4, and the Reboot) tells a mostly self-contained story. You can jump into most of them without feeling lost.
Q: Is the Saints Row Reboot (2022) similar to the older ones?
A: The Reboot focuses more on a modern, slightly less cartoonish gang-building experience. It has great customization but a different tone than the sci-fi craziness of Saints Row IV.
Q: What does “DLC” mean for a Saints Row game?
A: DLC stands for Downloadable Content. It means extra missions, outfits, or sometimes whole new story expansions that you download after buying the main game.
Q: Which platform runs Saints Row best?
A: Usually, the latest generation consoles (PS5, Xbox Series X/S) or a good gaming PC offer the smoothest performance and best graphics for the newer titles.
Q: Can I change my character’s gender or appearance later in the game?
A: In most Saints Row games, you can visit a plastic surgeon or similar location in the game world to change your Boss’s look, even after starting the game.
Q: Are the driving mechanics realistic?
A: No. Saints Row driving is arcade-style. It focuses on speed, stunts, and ramming other cars, not realistic physics.
Q: Is there a lot of violence in these games?
A: Yes. Saints Row is an action game about gang warfare. It features strong language and cartoonish but frequent violence.
Q: How important is the story compared to the side activities?
A: It depends on the game. Some players focus only on the story, while others spend 90% of their time completing side activities and causing random mayhem. Both ways are fun.
Q: Should I buy the game if I prefer serious crime stories over silly ones?
A: If you prefer very serious crime stories, you might enjoy Saints Row 2 more than the later installments. The newer games become very silly very quickly.
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