Fans of Saints Row has been waiting for a new entry in the series for years now. The open-world action series is very well known for its ridiculous weapons, crazy antics, and over-the-top comedic tone that sets it apart from other games in the genre like the Grand Theft Auto series. Players have come to love the 3rd Street Saints, whether it be from fighting turf wars, running around the Matrix as a superhero, or helping Johnny Gat escape from Hell. As ridiculous as Saints Row often is, it has undeniably left a mark on the industry and many of its players.
Now, a tease seems to indicate Saints Row 5 will show up at the upcoming Gamescom, and fans of the series are understandably excited. The series has not gotten a new entry since Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell in 2015, which was a standalone expansion to Saints Row 4. While the game had a lot of the gameplay elements that fans of the series enjoyed, it also was missing a lot of the features that fans expected like full character customization, hangouts, or custom cars. Gat Out of Hell was largely well-received by the series' community, but it also left many hungry for a full new title.
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The History of Saints Row
Saints Row wasn't always as absurd and hilarious as many fans now know it to be. When the series first started in 2006 it was a more serious competitor to Grand Theft Auto and followed an urban gang during its power struggles. The game's story was much more focused on its drama. Although, some side activities were a bit more on the comical side than players would typically find in a Grand Theft Auto game, which Saints Row 2 then grabbed on to as it started to steer the series towards more ridiculousness. Saints Row 2 started the series taking itself less seriously and led to some of the best missions in all of Saints Row.
Saints Row The Third then released and catapulted the series to its more comedic tone that it is now well known for. This included insane missions, more ridiculous and crazy player customization, and some really crazy side activities. The craziness of the third entry in the series brought a lot more fans to Saints Row and even led to Saints Row 3 getting a proper remaster last year. Then, Saints Row 4 not only put the players' characters in the shoes of the President of the United States of America but then had America get invaded by Aliens who abducted everyone and put them into the Matrix where they used their minds to give themselves superpowers. After that, in Gat Out of Hell, players escaped from the eternal shackles of Hell and Satan with demonic powers and musical numbers.
The Wait for Saints Row 5
Ever since the release of Gat Out of Hell, players have been waiting for more from the Saints Row series. The developers of the series, Volition, confirmed in 2019 that another entry in the series is currently in production, but fans have not received any updates on the game since. Fans are also waiting for a Saints Row movie that has been in the works for quite a while as well, but video game movies don't have the best track record, so most fans are more excited for a new game in the series.
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However, the game did skip 2021's E3 and other industry conferences that have taken place online over the course of the year, so fans are definitely hoping that the rumor of a reveal at Gamescom is true. The wait for the game has also not been helped by there not being very many ready alternatives for fans. Even Saints Row's competing series Grand Theft Auto has not put out a new title since 2013, and even if it had there are some things that Saints Row as a series does better than Grand Theft Auto for its fans. The lack of similar releases in recent years has made the wait for Saints Row 5 feel even more drastic and extended than it actually has been.
Rumors Regarding Saints Row 5
Thankfully, fans of the series do have some rumors and leaks regarding the game that have helped tide them over until it is officially revealed. One of the biggest rumors regards where the game will take place in the timeline of the series. This is a very important question because not only would it be difficult for the game to import players' characters and actions into the new game, but because Saints Row 4 also literally blew up Earth. This has added a lot of credence to the rumor that Saints Row 5 will reportedly be a soft reboot of the franchise.
What shape Saints Row 5's story will take has not been commented on by the developers or publisher, but it would make a lot of sense. The most recent official statement on the game came from Saints Row's community developer saying that the game will "blow the roof off." However, with the direction that the series has taken in recent releases, it will likely feature the wacky tone of later games in the series, complimented with ridiculous weapons and absurd side activities like spewing sewage over the city from a truck or committing insurance fraud. However, it remains to be seen just how ridiculous the game will go or if it will take the series back to the more slightly grounded reality of Saints Row The Third.
It will be very interesting to see what shape Saints Row 5 eventually takes. The games industry and player expectations have changed a lot since the last releases in the series, and there are a lot of different ways that the new game could attempt to modernize the Saints Row formula. Hopefully, publisher Deep Silver's tight-lipped approach to Saints Row 5 will pay off in the end, and it will be interesting to see how the game meets the expectations of fans. With Gamescom just around the corner, hopefully, fans will get a look at the game soon.
Saints Row 5 is currently in development.
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