Saints Row: The Third

Alright, welcome back to Steelport! We're diving into what some might call the meatier half of Saints Row: The Third. This guide's for you if you want to see and do absolutely everything the game has to offer. Just a heads-up, there might be a few story spoilers, but I'll try my best to keep them minimal and focus on how to actually beat the missions, not just what happens in them.

You might be wondering about the order I've laid things out. Honestly, it's just the order I played through it. I tried to balance the main story with grabbing collectibles and tackling those fun side activities and challenges. It's just one way to play, not necessarily the *only* way, so feel free to mix it up if you find a better flow!

Respect and Money: Your Two Big Hurdles

In Saints Row: The Third, you'll be juggling two main resources: Respect and Money. They're what limit your progress and what you can buy.

Respect

Think of Respect like experience points. You earn it for pretty much everything you do in the game, from the smallest actions to completing missions. Fill up a bar, and you gain a Respect level. These levels are key because they unlock new upgrades. You can't buy certain upgrades until you hit a specific Respect level. There are 50 levels in total, and once you hit the cap, you'll have access to every upgrade in the game.

Money

Money is actually the bigger bottleneck. To buy absolutely everything – all the upgrades, cribs, weapons, shops, and properties – you're looking at needing just over six million dollars. The developers didn't really intend for players to buy everything before the end of the game, but hey, we're going for 100%, right? I'll be guiding you on how to spend your cash wisely. Make sure you're checking your bank transfers often; that's going to be your main income source, and you don't want to fall behind on the recommended expenditures!

Professor Genki: Your Golden Goose

Keep an eye out for a guy in a big anime cat head and a leisure suit – that's Professor Genki. He might blend in with other mascots, but if you see him, drop whatever you're doing and take him down. He's got a ton of health, so you might need a few rocket launcher shots or a lot of pistol fire. Once he's down, search the area for his dropped cash. He carries anywhere from $100,000 to $300,000! It's the easiest way to make serious bank in the game. He doesn't show up often, but if you spot him, he's worth the effort. For this guide, I'll plan as if you *don't* see him, keeping expenditures reasonable, but if you do get lucky, it'll really help with the cash flow!

The Grand Plan

This guide isn't going to split the main missions from everything else. If you follow it step-by-step, you'll naturally complete all the missions, activities, and challenges. We're aiming to see and do it all!

I'm not a fan of grinding, and thankfully, Saints Row: The Third doesn't force too much of it. Challenges are the main place you'll find it. I'll tell you when and how to tackle many of them, often breaking them down into smaller chunks (like doing 10 taunts at a time) to keep things from getting too repetitive. I'll only suggest grinding when there's a really good opportunity for it.

Now, about those challenges: there are 41 in total. As a completionist, you might be worried I'm not covering every single one. Don't stress! I'll guide you through most of them. The ones I'm skipping are the ones you'll naturally achieve just by playing the game – like traveling a certain distance, finding shortcuts, or driving on the wrong side of the road. You don't need a guide to tell you to drive; just play, and you'll get those without even trying. Work on them whenever you feel like it!