Grand Theft Auto V vs Saints Row 2
Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure FPS game from Rockstar Toronto (2013) while Saints Row 2 is an open-world sandbox game from Volition (2009).
What each one is
Steam files Grand Theft Auto V under Action-Adventure and FPS. In contrast, it files Saints Row 2 under Open-World and Sandbox.
Experience entertainment blockbusters Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online — now upgraded for a new generation with stunning visuals, faster loading, 3D audio, and more, plus exclusive content for GTA Online players.
Saints Row 2 brings true freedom to open-world gaming. Players can play as who they want, how they want, and with whomever they want in this sequel to the much acclaimed and tremendously successful Saints Row.
At a glance
| Grand Theft Auto V | Saints Row 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| GamingPickz Score | 8.0/10 | 6.9/10 |
| Steam rating | Very Positive (83%, 218,663) | Mostly Positive (76%, 21,728) |
| Critic aggregate | No aggregate | 72/100 |
| Price | $19.79 | $2.49 |
| Install size | 105 GB | — |
| Steam Deck | unsupported | playable |
| Released | 2013 | 2009 |
| Developer | Rockstar Toronto | Volition |
Prices and Steam ratings are read live and move over time.
Grand Theft Auto V vs Saints Row 2, point by point
Each facet side by side. A round is marked won only where a figure settles it; feel and "which is better" carry no mark, because no number we hold decides them.
Genre and premise
Grand Theft Auto VAction-adventure FPS gameSaints Row 2Open-world sandbox gameWhat each is filed as. Each game describes itself in full above; we do not judge a premise.
How it plays
Grand Theft Auto VOpen World, Action, CrimeSaints Row 2Open World, Action, Character CustomizationThe tags players apply most, in order of votes. A read on feel, not a verdict.
Reception
Grand Theft Auto V ✓Score 8.0 · 83% on SteamSaints Row 2Score 6.9 · 76% on Steam · 72 criticThe GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment, critics and popularity, computed the same way for every game.
Content and scale
Grand Theft Auto V218,663 reviews · 105 GBSaints Row 221,728 reviewsReach and footprint, not quality: more reviews or a bigger install is not a better game.
Price
Grand Theft Auto V$19.79Saints Row 2 ✓$2.49Read live from Steam and subject to change.
On a Steam Deck
Grand Theft Auto VUnsupportedSaints Row 2 ✓PlayableValve's own Deck compatibility rating.
Saints Row 2 takes 2 of the marked rounds to 1. That is only what a number can decide, not which you will enjoy more.
The two on the grid
Compare the whole catalogueGrand Theft Auto V and Saints Row 2 on the axes the GamingPickz Score is built from, on the full 0 to 100 scale so each dot is its real position. Change either axis to compare them on any measure.
2 games have both
Players. The share of Steam reviews marked positive, pulled toward the catalogue average in proportion to how few reviews stand behind it. A game with 200 reviews moves a long way toward the average; one with 200,000 barely moves at all. Without this a title sitting at 100 percent on nine reviews outranks Half-Life 2 at 98 percent on 278,000.
Popularity. A blend of two things that are not the same. Audience is how many people wrote a Steam review, which is a floor on how many played it. Reach is how many language editions of Wikipedia document the game, which is cultural footprint rather than sales. A game can score high on one and low on the other: a huge free-to-play title has audience without reach, and a landmark console exclusive has reach without a Steam audience at all. Where both exist they are averaged; where only one does, that one carries it.
- Multi-platform
- PC
Every point links to that game's entry. The value map and the reception map are fixed views of the same data.
How positions are decided
No paid placement, no favouritism, live third-party data
- Placed by the published method, not by us. Every coordinate is computed from the axis definitions and weights printed on this site. Nobody moves a point. See the axes.
- Nothing here is paid for. No sponsored placements, no promoted slots, no arrangement of any kind affects a position. If that ever changes it will be labelled and sit outside the ranking.
- No favouritism, including our own. The 16 games we have written full reviews of are scored by exactly the same formula as the other 1,510, from the same third-party inputs, and they land where it puts them. Our own opinion of a game does not enter its coordinates.
- A position is not an endorsement. It says how a game was received and what it costs, not that we recommend it. Where we do recommend something, it carries a written review with a name on it.
- Fetched from live third-party data. Player sentiment from Steam, critic aggregates as published on store pages, prices checked hourly, attention from Wikipedia. Each figure carries its source and the date it was read, and we do not adjust any of them.
Which to pick, by what you want
- The higher-rated of the two: Grand Theft Auto V (GamingPickz Score 8.0)
- The cheaper right now: Saints Row 2 ($2.49)
- Better on a Steam Deck: Saints Row 2 (playable)
- The safer bet by weight of reviews: Grand Theft Auto V (218,663 reviews)
What they have in common
Both are tagged by Steam players with:
Open WorldActionMultiplayerCrimeThird PersonShooterAdventureThird-Person Shooter
Where they differ
MatureFirst-PersonAutomobile SimRacingAtmosphericSexual Content
Character CustomizationSingleplayerOnline Co-OpCo-op CampaignGreat SoundtrackReplay Value
Tags players apply to one game and not the other.
Difficulty and who each is for
By the tags players apply, Grand Theft Auto V is middle-of-the-road on difficulty. Saints Row 2 is middle-of-the-road on difficulty.
System requirements, side by side
| Grand Theft Auto V | Saints Row 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum GPU | NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1630 (4GB | — |
| Minimum CPU | Intel® Core™ i7-4770 | — |
| Minimum RAM | 8 GB | — |
| Install size | 105 GB | — |
Can your PC run them? Check each against your own kit: Grand Theft Auto V · Saints Row 2.
Accessibility features
Steam store pages declare 1 accessibility feature for Grand Theft Auto V and 1 for Saints Row 2. A declaration is a floor, not a review.
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Common questions
How different are Grand Theft Auto V and Saints Row 2 in scope?
Grand Theft Auto V has drawn 218,663 Steam reviews and installs in 105 GB. Saints Row 2 has drawn 21,728 Steam reviews.
Is Grand Theft Auto V or Saints Row 2 better?
By the GamingPickz Score, Grand Theft Auto V rates higher (8.0 to 6.9). That is a composite of player sentiment, the critic aggregate and popularity, not our taste. "Better" also depends on price, length and platform, which the table above lays out.
Which is cheaper, Grand Theft Auto V or Saints Row 2?
Saints Row 2 is cheaper right now at $2.49, against $19.79. Prices move, so this is read live from Steam and can change.
Do you rank one above the other for a fee?
No. Neither game, nor anyone else, pays for placement or a verdict here. The order and every figure come out of the same public data the rest of the site uses.
Related comparisons
How we compare, and what we will not do
The GamingPickz Score is a composite of player sentiment (adjusted for sample size), the critic aggregate and popularity, computed by the same code every ranked list on this site uses. The Steam rating label is Valve's own, reconstructed from the positive percentage and review count. Prices are read live. We do not write an opinion of which game is "better": we report the numbers and say which wins each measurable question above.