The game was released to commercial and critical success, selling over 1 million copies by the end of 2006, and prompting for development of its sequel. In addition to several common elements with the Grand Theft Auto series, Saints Row introduces many additional features, including extensive Player Customization, a 64-vehicle garage, a GPS, an activity and respect system, and online multiplayer modes. Playa, caught in the middle of the violence, is offered the chance to join the 3rd Street Saints to help fight the other gangs. The game takes place in the fictional city of Stilwater which is plagued by urban violence between four rival gangs.

Saints Row is similar to Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in terms of story and gameplay. On May 29, 2018, Saints Row was added to the XBox One Backwards Compatibility list. Though the game was also announced for the Sony PlayStation 3 to be released at a later date, this port was canceled in favor of putting more resources towards the game's sequel, Saints Row 2, for release on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Saints Row was released Augin North America, and on Septemin Europe and Australia.

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