The games center on an initially unnamed player-created character (later nicknamed 'the Boss') who joins the 3rd Street Saints by chance and helps them defeat enemy gangs in citywide turf wars.

The first four games in the Saints Row series were set primarily in two fictional locales-Stilwater and Steelport-which are loosely based on real American cities.

Due to early entries being labeled as Grand Theft Auto clones, the developers sought to create a more distinctive experience from the third game onwards, with a heavy focus on over-the-top gameplay, popular culture homages, parodies, and self-referential humor these changes have been controversial among fans of the original games. Most of the gameplay revolves around driving and shooting, with occasional role-playing elements. Gameplay in the Saints Row games focuses on an open world where the player can complete missions to progress an overall story, as well as engage in various side activities. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence the series' title. Saints Row is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver.

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