20 Years Ago Today: An Xbox 360 Classic Was Released
On this day in 2006, Saints Row was released on the Xbox 360. This acclaimed action/adventure title marked the beginning of a long-running franchise that's still popular today, with multiple sequels across various platforms.
The game follows a user-created character in the fictional city of Stilwater who joins the 3rd Street Saints gang as penance for saving their life. What follows is a dingy, gritty journey through the criminal underbelly of Stilwater, with missions that allow the player to build their notoriety and take down rival gangs.
Upon release, Saints Row faced many comparisons to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which operated on very similar mechanics. Both games offered sprawling ensemble stories where players had to commit crimes in order to gain the favor of dangerous mob bosses, eliminate rival operations, and escape from the police.
While these comparisons were sometimes viewed as a criticism of the game, Saints Row actually benefited greatly from them. Grand Theft Auto was hugely popular in the early 2000s, with the most recent sequel, San Andreas , expanding the universe and pushing the boundaries of open-world gaming. For Saints Row to be placed in this conversation was an automatic stamp of approval for many gamers.
Beyond its critical acclaim, Saints Row was also a commercial success. The game reportedly sold upwards of one million copies in its first year, which was a massive accomplishment for a game with a 17+ age restriction on it. This financial viability prompted developer Volition to immediately greenlight a sequel, with Saints Row 2 releasing just two years later.
With the improved graphics and gameplay mechanics of the Xbox One, Saints Row 2 managed to improve on the original in almost every way. The game introduced a hugely popular multiplayer mode, which allowed players to explore Stilwater with their friends and clearly paralleled Grand Theft Auto IV's massive online multiplayer mode.
Although Saints Row has evolved massively throughout the years, most notably shifting towards a more comedic and lighthearted tone from the original game, it still has a dedicated fanbase that has allowed it to survive for two decades. The most recent sequel, also titled Saints Row , was released in 2022; this will most likely be the last, as Volition permanently shut down just one year later.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Aug 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
