Common Sense Media Review
Over-the-top alien bloodfest for mature audiences.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Saints Row IV
What's It About?
In SAINTS ROW IV, you play the leader of the Third Street Saints gang, who gets elected president of the United States. If that doesn't sound strange enough, Earth is under attack from an alien invasion, and the Saints are transported into a simulation that grants superpowers, giving these \"petty humans\" a chance to free themselves from the alien overlord Zinyak's mental grasp and to save the world from annihilation. By jumping over buildings, using mind control, and firing all kinds of realistic and alien weaponry, you're tasked to fight back with all your might. Played from a third-person perspective, this open-world urban adventure also includes car racing, high-tech hacking, and even romance.
Is It Any Good?
Despite some technical bugs -- which can be fixed with a downloadable update -- and some drab environments (not unlike in Saints Row: The Third), this adult game is a fun, silly, and action-heavy adventure in a sort of "guilty pleasure" kind of way. Between the zany story missions, humorous writing, and innovative combat abilities, Saints Row IV gets it mostly right -- if you take the game for what it is. Just when you think the action can't get more bizarre and intense, the talented developers at Volition throw in some extra twists, including robots, space stations, costumes, and unlockable superpowers. If you're of age, love shooters, and have a sense of humor, consider picking up this ridiculously fun but mature game.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
What is the impact of media violence when you're playing a cheeky, over-the-top game such as this one?
What makes alien-infested games so much fun to explore?
Game Details
- Platforms : Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 , Windows
- Subjects : Social Studies : citizenship , government , power structures
- Skills : Collaboration : cooperation , Self-Direction : achieving goals , time management , work to achieve goals , Thinking & Reasoning : applying information , investigation , strategy , Communication : friendship building , Responsibility & Ethics : learning from consequences
- Pricing structure :
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Deep Silver
- Release date : August 20, 2013
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Superheroes , Adventures
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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