Saints Row is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a street gang originally operating out of the Saint's Row district in the fictional city of Stilwater, hence the series' title. Due to the first entry being labeled as a Grand Theft Auto clone, the developers sought to create a more distinctive experience from the second game onwards, with a heavy focus on over-the-top gameplay, popular culture homages, parodies, and self-referential humor. This change in direction helped define the series' identity, but proved controversial among fans of the original game.
Gameplay in the Saints Row games focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional role-playing elements. The first four games in the series are set primarily in two fictional locales—Stilwater and Steelport—which are loosely based on real American cities. The games center on an initially unnamed player-created character (later nicknamed "the Boss") who joins the 3rd Street Saints by chance and helps them defeat enemy gangs in citywide turf wars. In the sequels, the player character goes on to become the gang's leader, a celebrity and pop culture icon, and eventually president of the United States, while facing more powerful enemies, such as a corrupt corporation, an anti-gang paramilitary, and an alien empire.
Work on the original Saints Row began in 2003, after Volition's completion of Red Faction II. The game was released in August 2006. The sequel, Saints Row 2, was released in October 2008. The series' third entry, Saints Row: The Third, was released in November 2011 and was the final Saints Row video game to be published by THQ before Deep Silver acquired the rights to series in 2013. The fourth game, Saints Row IV, was released in August 2013, with a standalone expansion called Gat out of Hell releasing in January 2015. As of September 2013, the series has had sales in excess of 13 million, making it one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time.
A reboot of the series, titled Saints Row, was announced in August 2021 and released in August 2022. The reboot takes place in the fictional city of Santo Ileso in the American southwest and follows a new gang, simply called The Saints, as they attempt to take control of the city from the different factions ruling it. The game did not fare well critically and failed to meet the expectations of fans of the original series. As part of a reorganization within Volition's parent company, Embracer Group, Volition was shut down in August 2023, with the Saints Row and other Volition IP being transferred to Plaion, also under Embracer Group.
Games TitleYear of original releasePlatform(s)Developer(s)Publisher(s)Notes PC 7th gen consoles 8th gen consoles9th gen consoles Saints Row 2006 Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S Volition THQ First game in the series Saints Row 2 2008 Windows, Linux Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 Windows port developed by CD Projekt Saints Row: The Third 2011 Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 Nintendo Switch port developed by Fishlabs. PS4 and Xbox One remastered version developed by Sperasoft. Saints Row IV 2013 Deep Silver Re-Elected port and Enter the Dominatrix DLC developed with High Voltage Software Saints Row: Gat out of Hell 2015 Xbox One, PlayStation 4 High VoltageVolition Standalone expansion for Saints Row IVSaints Row2022WindowsXbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5VolitionReboot of the franchise
Saints Row (2006)
Saints Row is the first installment in the series, having begun development in mid-2003 as a PlayStation 2 title under the name Bling Bling. The game was announced at E3 2005 for the Xbox 360. It was supposed to also have a port to the Nintendo Wii. As the first game with a non-linear structure to be released for the Xbox 360, Saints Row was widely anticipated; its pre-beta demo build set records after being downloaded nearly 400,000 times within a week. It had sales in excess of 500,000 during its September 2006 release month, and was critically acclaimed. As of 2019, the game has had sales in excess of two million units.Sources that discuss Saints Row's financial success include:i. ;ii. ;iii. ;iv. The game was renowned for being the first seventh-generation sandbox game, and introduced features which have since become staples of the genre. It features online multiplayer, an in-game mobile phone, GPS navigation, elaborate character and vehicle customization, and a weapon wheel.
Saints Row is set in the fictional city of Stilwater. Players create their own character, who remains silent for most of the game and is referred to as "Playa". After being caught in a shootout between three warring gangs—the Vice Kings, Los Carnales, and the Westside Rollerz—the player character is rescued by a fourth, smaller gang called the 3rd Street Saints, and subsequently joins the Saints to help them take back the Saint's Row district from their rivals. From there, the player's goal is to take over the entire city in the name of the Saints by weakening the gangs that control each district. The player does so by completing both main and side missions related to each enemy faction, which can be carried out solo or with the help of fellow gang members.
Saints Row 2 (2008)
Saints Row 2 began development in mid-2006, a few months before the Xbox 360 release of Saints Row. While a PlayStation 3 port of Saints Row was in development, it was cancelled when Saints Row 2 was confirmed in May 2007. A Microsoft Windows port, announced in June 2008, was released in early 2009. The game builds upon the fundamentals of Saints Row by improving the respect system, adding more varied activities, increasing the extent to which the player can customize their character, gang, and vehicles, and adding a number of new vehicle models. It also expands the Stilwater setting with new and remodelled locations, and adds new gameplay features and content.
The game's story is set roughly five years after the events of Saints Row and follows the same player character (now identified as "the Boss"), who awakens from a coma to discover that the 3rd Street Saints have fallen from grace in their absence, allowing three new gangs—the Ronin, the Brotherhood, and the Sons of Samedi—to take over the Saints' former territories. Furthermore, the Saint's Row district has been gentrified by the Ultor Corporation, who have further plans for Stilwater. After recruiting new and old allies to their cause and setting up a new base of operations, the Boss works to restore the Saints to power, this time as the gang's leader. The story is structured similarly to the first game, with players undertaking missions related to each gang they must defeat, as well as Ultor later in the storyline. These missions are mostly independent from each other, and require the player to gain respect by completing side activities first.
Downloadable content Saints Row 2 received several downloadable content (DLC) releases, including two story packs. The first, Ultor Exposed, adds Red Faction: Guerrilla-themed content, and stars American pornographic actress Tera Patrick, who plays herself as a whistleblower and former microbiologist for the Ultor Corporation. It was released on 23 April 2009. The second, Corporate Warfare, focuses on the struggle between the Saints and the Ultor Corporation, and was released on 28 May 2009.
Saints Row: The Third (2011)
Saints Row: The Third was announced in March 2011 and released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Microsoft Windows in November 2011. It began early development at Volition in September 2008, a month before Saints Row 2 was due to release. The game marks a major turning point for the series, putting more emphasis on comedy and featuring numerous popular culture homages, parodies, and self-referential humor, as well as an over-the-top nature. Reception towards these changes was mixed, though the game nonetheless performed well both critically and financially.
The game features a new setting: Stilwater's sister city, Steelport, which is controlled by a single criminal organization known as the Syndicate, consisting of three gangs—the Morningstar, the Luchadores, and the Deckers. The 3rd Street Saints, now celebrities with a large cult following after selling their license to Ultor to produce merchandise based on the gang, find themselves stranded in Steelport after an altercation with the Syndicate, and must find new allies to help them take over the city and eliminate their rivals. Halfway through the game, Steelport is placed under martial law in response to the increasing gang violence, and a paramilitary known as S.T.A.G. is called to restore order to the city, complicating matters further for the Saints. The mission structure has been changed from the first two games, requiring missions to be played in a specific order. The game also incorporates choices into its narrative, and features multiple possible endings.
Downloadable content Downloadable content for Saints Row: The Third was announced before the game's release, along with a commitment from publisher THQ to support 40 weeks of content. Among smaller upgrades, three main content packs were released: Genkibowl VII (released on 17 January 2012), which adds new challenges as part of the titular contest; Gangstas in Space (released on 21 February 2012), focusing on an alien film the Saints are producing; and The Trouble with Clones (released on 20 March 2012), which focuses on the Saints reuniting with a hulking clone of their deceased friend, Johnny Gat.
Remaster A remastered version of Saints Row: The Third, including all the DLC for the original game, was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 22, 2020. It was developed by Sperasoft and features remastered assets and textures, along with improved graphics and lighting.
Saints Row IV (2013)
Saints Row IV was unveiled in March 2013 and released five months later for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. It was later ported to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Linux in 2015. A Nintendo Switch port was also released on March 27, 2020. The game expands on Saint Row: The Thirds humor and over-the-top nature, introducing superpowers. Saints Row IV received several limited and summative edition releases, and was briefly banned in Australia. It generated mostly positive reviews and sold over one million copies in its first week.
The game is set five years after the events of Saints Row: The Third, and begins with the Boss being elected President of the United States after foiling a terrorist attack. When an alien empire known as the Zin attacks the Earth, the Boss and the other Saints are abducted and placed in a simulation of Steelport meant to break their wills. The Boss is able to manipulate the simulation to their own benefit, gaining superpowers, and must find a way to escape, rescue their friends, and defeat the Zin, while facing enemies from their past and their own worst fears.
Downloadable content Saints Row IVs first story-driven downloadable content pack, Enter the Dominatrix, is a "director's cut" version of the cancelled Saints Row: The Third expansion of the same name, and was released on 22 October 2013. The story continues from the non-canonical ending of Saints Row: The Third, and depicts an alternate version of the Zin invasion. The second story DLC, How the Saints Save Christmas, was released on 10 December 2013. Its story revolves around the Saints' efforts to rescue Santa Claus from the Steelport simulation, with the Boss, who dislikes the holiday season, learning the true meaning of Christmas along the way.