PlayStation 5 Critic Reviews

Volition’s gamble to reset and reground Saints Row pays off generously. A visual delight, with plenty of gameplay mechanics to keep players goofing off for days, and the Santo Ileso setting is one of the best in video game history. Sure, the shooting gets redundant after a while, but with so much to see and do you can go hours in between gun battles. Saints Row manages retain what players loved while feeling fresh and new. Other reboots, take note – this is how you do it.

This was a necessary reboot, now Saints Row feels more realistic. It strays from the crazy and fun roots of the original. Customize every aspect of our character is awesome but unfortunately it is not a perfect game. Still is our favorite open world game about criminals and is back with more perks than before.

A really, really fun experience that is getting sh*t on for no reason other than groupthink, herd mentality and people on the bandwagon.

With minor swabs the Saints Row reboot maintains the madness of the series, delivering entertaining, effectfull action and humorous cutscenes and dialogue with a myriad pop cultural references. It is still not on eye level with GTA, but especially concerning customization of characters, cars or weapons, Saints Row sets a new standard for the genre.

Although Saints Row may fall short in some technical aspects, it is still incredibly fun. We enjoyed character customization, controls and some mission design.

What the Saints Row reboot truly reminds us is that -- whatever situation they may find themselves in -- the Saints do it for each other. 2022's Saints Row is less about reeling it in and more about coming home. And in the house that Santo Ileso's Saints built, "damn, it feels good to be a gangster.

In many ways, Saints Row is a game that looks back on its past with reverence, trying to keep much of what worked in the past while updating it for a new generation of players (and consoles). It manages to do it with many more hits than mistakes, but it's still a game that shouldn't please any player. If you are a fan of its tone and proposal, it is undeniable that there are dozens of hours of fun here.

The Saints Row reboot doesn't rewrite the franchise's playbook, but that doesn't detract from the fact that it is a fun-filled playground of carnage and destruction.

Although hindered by technical issues and packed in an overly inflated map, building your criminal empire via driving and shooting your way through Santo Ileso is a molotov cocktail of fun – made more so with the wealth or perks, skills, and customisation options at your disposal. Be that as it may, it’s the modern take of the Saint’s Row series’ signature writing and tone – carried through an entertaining story and its lovable characters – that shines brightest.

Saints Row is a necessary reboot for a series that was getting out of hand (pleasingly so, but still), and Volition has made smart decisions in retooling the origins of the purple-clad gang without losing that silly, violent, and crude spirit. It leaves room for future improvement and escalation, and that’s an exciting place to put the Saints in.