Parents' Guide to

Saints Row

By Bobbi Dempsey, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Violent, Grand Theft Auto-type game.

Game Xbox 360 2006
Saints Row Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 9 parent reviews

Daniel Gellar
Daniel Gellar Adult
December 8, 2019
age 12+

Perfectly fine for teens

Not a game I personally like but is still good. Don't understand why so many people are getting their panties in a bunch. I've done everything in this game and I think it's fine for 12 year olds and above.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Katie Markinson
Katie Markinson Parent of 11 and 12-year-old
May 11, 2014
age 8+

A good enough game that can keep my kids preoccupied long enough

From what I've seen of my kids playing this game it looks perfectly fine. But before I got it for them I did have to check out this website for advice and to be perfectly honest I think even ‘common sense' media got it wrong this time.

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Too much violence
See all 8 parent reviews

What’s It About?

At the start of SAINTS ROW, you get to customize the look of your character, a man of few words who has joined the 3rd Street Saints, one of four local gangs who run the city of Stilwater. The Saints are being pushed back and killed off by the three other rival gangs, the Westside Rollerz, the Vice Kings, and Los Carnales. You take on missions to weaken the other gangs' strengths, ranging from hijacking a big rig to blowing up a recording studio. At any point in the game when you're not on a mission, the entire city is yours to explore.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (9):
Kids say (12):

At a first glance, Saints Row seems like yet another Grand Theft Auto clone, with nonstop violence, sexual assaults, and other street crime. However, unlike so many games before it, Saints Row succeeds in almost every area, and is a blast to play.

Saints Row has strong appeal to players of this genre because it has both a story mode for traditional gamers, or free-roaming fun for players who like to pick up and play. The many side missions and collectibles will have you playing Saints Row for weeks, which is good because Saints Row makes being bad feel really good.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why this game is inappropriate for kids. Since this game offers an open world to explore, families might talk about why such an environment is so appealing. Families can also talk about why so much effort goes into making violent, sexed-up games. Is it because escapism and raunchiness sells? Why or why not? Do you think it's desensitizing people to violence or does it have no effect?

Game Details

  • Platform: Xbox 360
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: THQ
  • Release date: October 18, 2006
  • Genre: Action/Adventure
  • ESRB rating: M for language, violence, sexual content
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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