$29.99Saints Row Build a criminal empire with friends
Saints Row is an open-world crime comedy in Santo Ileso, a bright city in the American Southwest. You and three friends start a criminal venture from nothing and shoot, drive and wingsuit your way to running the whole city. Expect big custom guns, absurd vehicles, deep character creation and drop-in co-op with pranks.
Screenshots
A start-up, if the start-up is crime
The story is simple and a little cheeky: you, Neenah, Kevin and Eli can't pay rent, so you form The Saints and go to war with Los Panteros, The Idols and Marshall for control of Santo Ileso. Missions are staged like an action blockbuster, with set pieces, surprises and jokes laced through the plot. The writing leans on banter between your crew, and the humor is part of the point: this is a parody of the crime genre, not a straight-faced one. Fair warning, the story divides players: some find the crew endearing, others find the jokes forced.
Building an empire block by block
Taking over the city is the loop. You claim territory district by district, fight rival factions for the streets, and set up criminal ventures that tighten your grip and give you new things to do. Side hustles and diversions are scattered across the map, and there are collectibles to hunt if you like ticking boxes. The city itself is a highlight: the map is big, varied and good-looking, with desert highways, neon districts, business towers and trailer parks, plus two extra districts full of activities. It's a sandbox made for wandering between jobs.
Guns, cars and a wingsuit
The arsenal runs from revolvers you fire from the hip to rocket launchers and heavy melee weapons with brutal takedowns, and every weapon can be customized. Getting around is half the fun: cars, bikes, planes, helicopters, VTOLs, hoverbikes, hoverboards, go-karts, or a wingsuit for swooping off rooftops. Driving is arcade-style, drifting feels good, and you can ram rivals sideways. Combat is fast and loose rather than tactical, with cartoonish physics and ragdolls when things go wrong, which they often do, gloriously.
The Boss you always wanted to be
Character creation is one of the deepest parts of the game. You build your Boss from scratch with an unusually flexible suite of options, then round out the look with clothes, emotes, accessories and plenty of outfits. Weapons and vehicles get the same treatment, so your whole empire can match your taste. If you've ever wanted to run a criminal organization as a sharply dressed chaos agent of your own design, this game lets you, down to the last accessory.
