There’s no doubt that the Saints Row games borrowed heavily from the Grand Theft Auto series when they both began their currents runs in the sixth console generation – excluding GTA’s early top-down phase of course. However, after numerous sequels these games have significantly diverged from each other in ways both significant and minor.

Saints Row IV and GTA V have very little in common apart from aspects that are also common features in most third-person open-world games like Watchdogs, Infamous, and Sleeping Dogs. These differences include more than just cosmetic changes and choices - such as clothes and vehicle types. A lot of the entries on this list are for gameplay mechanics and plot devices.

10 SAINTS ROW – Fighting Alien Invaders

The storylines in GTA almost exclusively focuses on dealing with the criminal underworld. There isn’t much deviation from this overarching theme throughout the series. In Saints Row IV, the game completely deviates from this original theme, instead having the player fight against an invading alien force as the President of the United States rather than criminal (or government) forces.

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The closest GTA gets to this is in GTA V when Michael hallucinates and imagines alien creatures are attacking him. Other alien appearances can be found in GTA V, but these are Easter eggs (that can’t be interacted with) and not major plot elements and certainly don’t qualify an invasion.

9 GTA – Switch Between Characters

A new feature that Rockstar included in GTA V was the ability to switch between three characters at almost any time during gameplay. This switch is nearly seamless with only a brief zooming in then out. Meanwhile, the Saints Row games only give the player one character to play.

This helps keep the game fresh as each of the three characters (Michael, Franklin, and Trevor) have special abilities, side-missions, properties, and dialogue to set them apart. Saints Row V is expected in 2020 or 2021, though there is still no word if it will include more than one playable character or not.

8 SAINTS ROW – Character Customization

Something Saints Row lets player do that Rockstar has yet to include in a GTA title is to create their own character. Saints Row's level of customization is on par with other AAA games that also have this feature – like the Fallout and Mass Effect games. There are drawbacks to allowing player to make their own character, though.

The biggest of these drawbacks is the character’s spoken dialogue. Most games with customizable characters don’t have the protagonist say much - if they say anything at all. When a game has pre-made characters, the developers can just use one set of audio files for the character’s voice. Allowing players to make their own character would necessitate multiple audio samples, at least two sets anyway (male and female). But compared to GTA's mandatory protagonists, Saints Row's option for creativity is a massive plus.

7 GTA – Swimming & Diving Under Water

Saints Row allows the player to swim, but that’s all a player is allowed to do when in the water. This was also how interacting with bodies of water operated in the GTA series - until GTA V, that is. GTA V allows players to dive and explore the underwater realm. This doesn’t add too much to the game however, it is fun to explore the ocean floor from time to time.

It’s a shame Rockstar didn’t do much with this. though. In the end, there really isn’t that much to do underwater aside from hunting for collectibles. One area players might want to check out is the mysterious hatch on the eastern part of the map but other than that, there isn't a whole lot to the seabed. Still, this fares better than Saints Row's complete lack of underwater fun.

6 SAINTS ROW – More Diverse Gameplay

GTA is exclusively a third-person action game, except for GTA V for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC, which allow for a first-person view. In contrast, Saints Row IV gives the player different game modes from time to time that do a lot more than zooming in and out.

For starters, there is a part of the game where it switches to an old-school side scrolling beat ‘em up similar to Streets of Rage for the Sega Genesis. There is also the mission that allows players to fly an alien spaceship – this section has a very “Starfox” feel to it, complete with very familiar dialogue.

5 GTA – Sprinting Faster By Tapping The Sprint Button

Saints Row and GTA both have a sprint button that makes the player run faster. GTA allows the player to rapidly tap the sprint button to get an extra burst of speed. As simple as this idea is, Saints Row doesn't have this option.

Many players of both series have, at least once, chased a car in Saints Row and wish they could tap the button to catch up quicker.  This is one of those under-appreciated features that players don’t realize how much will be missed  until it’s taken away. This is another feature that will hopefully be included in Saints Row V.

4 SAINTS ROW – Shooting Dubstep At People

The weapons in the GTA games are, for the most part, grounded in reality. There is a wide variety, but they are guns and blades that can be found in real-life. Saints Row, conversely, has some very wacky weapons apart from certain wobbly purple baseball bats. One of these crazy weapons is a gun that allows the player to shoot dubstep music.

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This has the hilarious side-effect of making nearby pedestrians dance. To top it all off, the music played by the gun is determined by the costume the player is wearing. One common problem with this gun is that it can be difficult to aim accurately.

3 GTA – Changing Viewpoints While Driving

GTA 5 Change Driving Viewpoint

When operating a vehicle in GTA, the player need only press a button to change the viewpoint. This is extremely handy since some players prefer to have a first-person view, while others like a zoomed-out (almost top-down) view.

The Saints Row games do not give players a choice – instead, they are stuck with the view provided by the game. The ability for players to change their viewpoint has been a part of driving games since the 16-bit generation of consoles. This is a feature that seems almost deliberately left-out by Volition to minimize comparisons between Saints Row and GTA.

2 SAINTS ROW – Getting Around Town Like A Superhero

The playable characters in GTA V have abilities that are extremely useful. Okay, it’s really only one ability (slowing time) that the characters can use at specific times. Meanwhile in Saints Row IV, the player is essentially Neo in The Matrix.

Midway through the game, players can run fast enough to run up the sides of buildings. Another power is the ability to leap tall building in a single bound. Lastly, the player can glide and dash through the air. This is incredibly fun but this also makes getting around by car almost completely unnecessary and boring no matter how fast one drives.

1 GTA – Playing Sports

Apart from side missions that break up the monotony of the mainline missions, GTA V gives players the ability to partake in sporting activities. Players can play a round of golf at the country club when they get tired of causing mayhem. Another option is to play some tennis, which is as fun as most stand-alone tennis games.

Some other sporting activities in GTA V are: competitive cycling, swimming, and running. The player can also practice yoga, as well as play a game of darts or pool. These sporting activities add an enormous amount of replay value to GTA V that is somewhat missing in the Saints Row games.

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