Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row: The Third is a 2011 action-adventure game developed by Volition and published by THQ. It is the sequel to 2008's Saints Row 2 and the third installment in the Saints Row series. It was released on November 15, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, and May 10, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch. A remastered version of Saints Row: The Third, titled Saints Row: The Third Remastered, was released by Deep Silver on May 22, 2020 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, March 5, 2021 for Stadia, May 25, 2021 for Xbox Series X and S and PlayStation 5, and July 29, 2021 for Luna.

The game is set in the fictional city of Steelport (based on New York City)[citation needed], and continues the story of the 3rd Street Saints, once again putting players in the role of the gang's leader, who is fully customizable. Five years after the events of Saints Row 2, the Saints have grown from their humble origins as a street gang into a large media and consumer empire with their own brand, while many of the gang's members have become celebrities and pop culture icons. After being stranded in Steelport, which is firmly ruled by an international crime organization known as the Syndicate, the Saints must rebuild their forces once more to take over the city and defeat the Syndicate, as well as S.T.A.G., a violent paramilitary contracted with restoring order to Steelport.

Development of Saints Row: The Third began in late 2008, shortly after the release of Saints Row 2. There was high staff turnover from the previous Saints Row team, with only one-fifth of the final 100-person staff having worked on a previous title in the series. They aimed to improve on the series by giving the game a coherent tone, and found it in films such as Hot Fuzz and the game's signature sex toy bat. Saints Row: The Third was built using a proprietary engine known as Core Technology Group and the Havok physics engine.

The game received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its general zaniness and customization options. Criticism was aimed at the new setting, which many critics felt was flat and underdeveloped compared to the previous games' Stilwater, and the lackluster humor. On the contrary, others thought the game perfected the Saints Row formula. It was a nominee for Best Narrative at the 2012 Game Developers Conference, an IGN Editor's Choice, and a recipient of perfect scores from GamesRadar and G4. A complete edition including the three downloadable content packs was released in 2012, and its planned Enter the Dominatrix expansion became the game's sequel, Saints Row IV, released in 2013.