Saints Row is an internationally famous game series, created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. It follows a gang called the 3rd Street Saints, originally operating out of the fictional Saint’s Row district. After the first two games were labeled Grand Theft Auto clones, the developers made the bold decision to expand the scope of the gameplay, including pop culture references, meta humor, and parodies.
Related Read: Saints Row Games Ranked From Worst To Best
If you’re a fan of the raunchy humor and open-world mayhem featured throughout the Saints Row series, then these 16 games are a perfect match for you.
1. Yakuza series
This multi-platform Japanese series features an open world in which you beat up bad guys on the streets of Japan as a generally benevolent retired member of the Japanese Mafia. If you’re a fan of the sense of humor and combat scenes in Saints Row, then this beat ‘em up adventure game series is perfect for you.
However, you largely part with the character customization aspect of Saints Row, save for customizing the clothing. The latest installment in the series was Yakuza: Like a Dragon, released worldwide in November 2020 for the PlayStations 4 and 5, the Xbox One, the Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.
This game breaks away from the previous style and instead favors a turn-based combat strategy. Keep this in mind before you download it!
2. Grand Theft Auto series
This classic open-world action-adventure series is a classic in terms of games similar to Saints Row. From the sense of humor to the weaponry to the story lines, this game is highly similar to the Saints Row series. The latest installment, Grand Theft Auto V, was released in 2013 for the PlayStations 3 and 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.
3. Watch Dogs series
As a high-tech open-world action-adventure, it automatically gets a spot on any list talking about Saints Row. The gameplay focuses on missions that progress the overall plot while including side missions. Much of the missions focus on driving, stealth, and shooting, as well as the occasional role-playing and puzzle-style missions.
If you’re a fan of the open world of Saints Row, then this is the game series for you. The latest installment, Watch Dogs: Legion, was released in 2020 for multiple platforms.
4. Sleeping Dogs
This 2012 third-person action-adventure takes place in an open world in modern Hong Kong. You play as an undercover Chinese-American police officer to take down a Triad organization operating in the region. If you are a fan of the fighting and shooting in Saints Row, this is the game for you, as the combat heavily relies on it. It is available across multiple platforms, including Steam.
5. Mafia series
If you’re a fan of the satirized gang-banging that takes place in Saints Row, this is a more serious open-world action-adventure recommendation for you. Initially released for Microsoft Windows in 2002 and later ported to the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox in 2004, these games allow you to play in a historical setting as a member of the Italian-American Mafia. The most recent installment in the series, Mafia: Definitive Edition, was released in September 2020 for Microsoft Windows, the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4.
6. Crackdown
This 2007 open-world action-adventure was conceived by the same man who created both Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings, Realtime Worlds founder David Jones. You control an Agent whose biological enhancements allows him to take down three crime lords and their syndicates throughout the fictional Pacific City. If you were a fan of the simulation scenes in Saints Row IV, this game, which is the first installment in a series, is for you.
7. Infamous series
This action-adventure series allows you to play as three superpowered “Conduits” who must decide for themselves if they want to become good or evil. It takes place in an open world, where the player can decide if they want to fight crime or wreak havoc. Ranked 9.2/10 by IGN, this is the series for you if you enjoyed the more chaotic elements of the early Saints Row installments.
8. Just Cause series
This third-person action-adventure series follows CIA operative Rico Rodriguez as he explores the open world, either helping or hurting people as he goes. The gameplay takes place in the form of missions and side missions.
While the first installment saw repetitive missions that were necessary to build up points with certain factions, the series really came into its own with Just Cause 2, which features one of the largest video game maps to date. The most recent installment, Just Cause 4, was released worldwide in December 2018.
9. Dying Light
This survival horror action-adventure game released in 2015 is surprisingly similar to Saints Row in its gameplay. Featuring a day-night cycle, the player controls Kyle Crane, an undercover agent who is tasked with investigating a quarantine zone in the Middle East.
With an open-world city, Kyle must engage in weapons-based combat with the zombies at night, as they become extremely aggressive. If you enjoy the weapons-based combat in the open world of Saints Row, this game is right for you.
10. Agents of Mayhem
Though this game was met with lackluster reviews, its open-world action-adventure structure is undeniably similar to Saints Row. If you would enjoy a silly game based on Saturday-morning cartoons and cheesy superhero movies, then this is the game for you. It was released for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One in August 2017.
11. Dead Rising series
This survival horror series features a lot more silly humor than one would expect. The open world combined with the weaponization of everyday objects, from park benches to lawn mowers to balloon hammers, this is the game for you if you enjoyed the weapons and the open world in Saints Row.
The latest installment, Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package, was released in December 2016 for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One.
12. L.A. Noire
This 2011 neo-noir detective story follows Cole Phelps, a World War 2 war hero who joins the Los Angeles Police Department when he returns home. Based on the real 1940s Los Angeles, you play Cole from a third-person perspective, investigating increasingly disturbing crimes, from traffic violations to arson to homicide.
There is also an optional mode in which the player can explore the world in an open setting. While this game is slower and less humorous than Saints Row, the open world feature, 3-D graphics, and dynamic characters are comparable.
13. Red Dead Redemption series
If you were a fan of the third-person open-world gun-slinging gang-banging of Saints Row, this game is for you. You can explore the desert as Arthur Morgan, a member of the Van der Linde gang, and help or hurt the people you encounter along the way. It is essentially Saints Row with cowboys and horses.
It is available to play on multiple platforms, including the PlayStations 3 and 4, the Xbox 360, the Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, and Stadia.
14. Cyberpunk 2077
If you were a fan of the character customization and simulation mode of Saints Row IV, this is the game for you. After dealing with multiple issues, the game was finally satisfactory to its developers in June 2021. This cyberpunk open world allows you to role-play in a first-person perspective, choosing your character’s background and their ultimate fate.
If you were a fan of the cybernetic punk style of the simulation in Saints Row IV, you will enjoy the cyberpunk focus of this game.
15. Assassin’s Creed series
This open-world action-adventure relies heavily on stealth, as you represent the Assassins, who want peace with free will, up against the Templars, who wish to achieve peace through authoritarianism. With 12 main games in the series in total, there is a variety of open worlds to explore as the titular Assassin as you complete missions through a high-tech device called the Animus.
The most recent installment, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, was released in November 2020 for the PlayStations 4 and 5, the Xbox One, the Xbox Series X/S, Microsoft Windows, Stadia, and Luna.
16. Just Die Already
The chaotic sandbox game allows you to play as a crotchety elderly person in a world where people aren’t having children anymore. After being kicked out of your old folks’ home, you try to go down in a blaze of glory in a variety of goofy ways, in an attempt to “just die already.”
If you’re into the silly chaotic mayhem element of the Saints Row games, this game just may be for you, despite its mixed reviews and average 5/10 rating by IGN.
Our top pick for games similar to the Saints Row games is the Yakuza series. Do you agree with this choice, or would you trade the number-one spot for something else? Let us know in the comments below!
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