Since the initial launch of the Saints Row series, we’ve seen almost everything that the 3rd Street Saints have to offer us. We’ve seen them as hard gangsters trying to take over a variety of districts and cities, becoming celebrities, participating in game shows, going to literal Hell, superheroes, and your run-of-the-mill loan-indebted young adults.
Because of all the variety, a lot of the directions that the Saints Row franchise has taken haven’t always been received well by fans. Some titles can’t even compare to each other in terms of story and gameplay. Let’s see which Saints Row game stands above the rest.
7/7 Agents of Mayhem
While it’s not a game that focuses on The Third Street Saints, Agents of Mayhem deserves to be on here primarily because the game is based within the same universe. The title takes place after the events of Gat Out of Hell where the Saints are retconned. Throughout the game, you’ll notice a bunch of references to the Saints Row series such as different characters, locations, and symbols.
The gameplay itself is repetitive at times and has you doing a series of copy-and-paste missions. Because of this, the game received multiple mixed reviews.
6/7 Saints Row (2022)
The Saints Row reboot was supposed to be the Saints Row game that was supposed to take the series back to its roots promising to have less of a goofy tone and be more serious. This couldn’t have been more of an understatement. Saints Row (2022) is the fifth main installment in the saga having you play in Santo Ileso.
It has you following a group of four friends who start a gang called The Saints in order to counter the other organizations present in the Santo lleso. While the idea of being at the very start of The Saints proves to be an interesting take in the series, it severely falls short in executing the idea due to its poor writing, buggy gameplay, and dull humor.
5/7 Saints Row IV: Gat Out Of Hell
Saints Row IV: Gat Out Of Hell was released two years after the initial release of Saints Row IV acting as a standalone DLC. It also doesn’t require you to play IV since it acted as an epilogue. It has you playing as Johnny Gat or Kinzie Kensington (your choice) as you try to rescue “The Boss” from Hell after Satan kidnaps them.
The story itself is short and has its moments, but feels lackluster. There are a few new abilities and weapons at your disposal which are fun to use, however it still uses the superpower aspect in the base game. It has mixed reviews in comparison to Saints Row IV primarily because it doesn’t feel that it should’ve been a stand-alone title.
4/7 Saints Row IV
Saints Row IV took the series in a whole different direction by saying to forget destroying gangs and pitting you up against an alien invasion. Not only that but it gives you supernatural abilities granting you superpowers. It was a risk that was well rewarded as the game was received well among critics. The humor and writing were on par and could actually get a laugh out of you.
The biggest downside to the game is that it gave you almost zero challenge as the powers themselves felt…overpowered. It also made some features such as driving and car customization obsolete since you had super speed. If the powers were toned down a bit, Saints Row IV may be higher on this list.
3/7 Saints Row: The Third
Saints Row: The Third was the installment in the series that changed the game forever. Here is where the franchise started taking things less seriously and focused on humor than your typical gang-related situations. With the saints being celebrities it’s up to them to overthrow their rival gangs. Most of the writing and jokes were solid, but were over the top at times, resulting in a few mixed reviews.
Despite this, the game performed well financially. Its customization options are extensive, and the gameplay was an improvement from the previous games. Even though it took the series in a different direction, it was able to do it successfully ensuring that players have a good time.
2/7 Saints Row (2006)
When Saints Row came out in 2006, a lot of people compared it to the Grand Theft Auto series, some even preferred Saints Row over it. Having to take down three separate rival gangs in Steelport felt “real” as the game had a more serious tone when it came to gang violence. It felt raw and made you feel like a gangster.
It also felt rewarding when you take down a gang’s leader to get revenge for what they did to one of your own. In a way in terms of the gameplay and the activities that you could perform like escort missions and demolitions, did things that you couldn’t even do in GTA. It’s known as one of the best franchises that started on Xbox.
1/7 Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is at the top of the list primarily because it took everything that it did in the previous title and made it ten times better. The storyline followed the same “take down the rival gangs” goal, but this time the leaders here were more ruthless as you try to rebuild The Saints. You actually experience loss this time around, and it motivates you to take them down.
The gameplay is more fluid this time around and more customization along with mini-games are also included. The action was fast-paced and more linear compared to the first game. Without a doubt, Saint Row 2 is the best game in the saga.