Saints Row (2022) (v1.6.1.4735700 & ALL DLC)

Santo Ileso turns a sun-blasted Southwestern city into a playground for loud guns, reckless driving, and a criminal empire built from almost nothing. Saints Row (2022) follows a group of broke roommates—Neenah, Kevin, Eli, and the player-created Boss—who decide that working for rival gangs is less rewarding than starting their own operation. The result is a colorful open-world action adventure with a deliberately goofy edge, balancing turf wars, explosions, and absurd side hustles against a story about friends trying to make their mark. Its tone is less gangster drama than action-comedy, even when rival factions and private military forces are bringing serious firepower.

Most missions revolve around third-person shooting, vehicle chases, close-range takedowns, and causing enough havoc to claim another piece of the city. The Boss can use firearms, melee weapons, throwable gadgets, special abilities, and a wingsuit that makes crossing rooftops and escaping trouble far more entertaining than simply driving everywhere. Outside the main campaign, players clear districts, complete crimes and challenges, hunt collectibles, and establish Criminal Ventures that turn businesses into income-producing fronts. Extensive character, weapon, vehicle, outfit, and headquarters customization lets players make their version of the Saints look polished, ridiculous, or somewhere in between, while optional two-player online co-op allows a friend to join the chaos.

Its strongest feature is freedom of expression: few open-world crime games offer such a broad mix of body customization, bizarre equipment, garage tinkering, and empire-building activities. Santo Ileso has distinct desert outskirts, urban neighborhoods, industrial zones, and neon-lit districts, giving the map more personality than a generic modern city. The shooting lacks the weight and precision of Grand Theft Auto V, and the humor can feel uneven, but the game works best when treated as a relaxed sandbox rather than a gritty crime epic. Fans of Just Cause-style mayhem, Crackdown’s carefree destruction, or earlier Saints Row games should find plenty to enjoy, while newcomers get an accessible open-world shooter with flexible difficulty and no need for prior series knowledge.