Will the new ‘Saints Row’ game have multiplayer?

A brand new entry in the Saints Row franchise is headed to gamers soon.

A reboot of the nearly two decade-old franchise, simply titled Saints Row, is set to release on Aug. 23. The new game will introduce an entirely new take on the formula that made existing Saints Row games so popular, without the same faces or locations that fans came to know over the first five releases. Longstanding characters like Shaundi and Gat, as well as the established Boss that spent a stint as the President of the United States, have all been shelved in favor of rebooting the franchise completely. New characters and a brand new city will debut in the fresh game, which hopes to maintain the spirit of previous Saints Row releases without rehashing tired storylines.

Almost everything about the franchise is set to get a rework, which leaves gamers with questions about what to expect from the upcoming title. With the new game going in so many new directions, can we still expect it to be multiplayer?

Does Saints Row have multiplayer options?

The new Saints Row will offer up multiplayer options. It’s not the first game in the franchise to offer cooperative gameplay, but it looks to offer up the smoothest multiplayer experience of any game in the franchise. There are no split-screen options, which means players looking to enjoy the title with a friend will require each party to purchase a copy. But with multiple copies, or a desire to play with online friends, the multiplayer in the new Saints Row promises to shine.

Cooperative multiplayer will be available from launch, and should allow players to effortlessly drop into a friend’s game, or invite others to join them on their next job. Missions played with a friend will affect the story progression in both games. 

While a co-op mode would be nice, particularly for gamers looking to enjoy some good old fashioned couch co-op, but it wouldn’t jive well with the Saints Row style. The games are sprawling, and take place over the scattered streets and violent back alleys of a broad and well-realized city. Trying to split that across two different perspectives would be messy, and restrictive, and likely annoying. Thankfully, with the online multiplayer options, players can still experience the new game with a friend at their side, and without the annoyance of proximity restrictions.