Here’s how to make money in Saints Row

Being the Boss in Saints Row is all about growing your gang and conquering over the city off Santo Ileso. But willpower and combat skills can only get you so far. What you really need to take over the world is money, which can be harder to come by than you might think.

In this Saints Row guide, we’ll teach you how to make some startup money and then invest it all to get rich quick.

Why do you even need money?

Almost everything costs cash in Saints Row. New perk slots for your character can cost thousands of dollars, but will increase your combat effectiveness exponentially. Weapons deal far more damage after you’ve invested some cash in them, and cars are noticeably faster when upgraded. If you’re struggling with Saints Row’s combat, or enemies seem too tanky, chances are you’re dealing with sub-par equipment and need to spend a few thousand bucks on an upgrade.

You’ll also need money to purchase Ventures, which are shady businesses run by your fellow Saints. Not only will these help you make more money — more on that later — but they’re also required for progressing the main campaign.

Finally, and most importantly, you’ll need money if you want to look fly as hell. Want a new suit? A cool hat? A great paint job on your car? You’ll need cash for all of that. And if you don’t look like the coolest Boss in Santo Ileso, how are the other gangs ever going to take you seriously?

How to start out a cash flow

Image: Volition/Deep Silver via Polygon

You’ll be pretty strapped for cash when you first start your Saints Row adventure. To get money, you’ll need to complete Side Hustles, or interact with the gold Discovery icons on the map. You’ll also get some cash for completing main story missions.

If you’re really desperate, you can look for an armored car to blow up, or stop a mugging and steal the money for yourself (these icons will appear on your mini-map when you’re nearby).

The best way to make money, even early on, is to complete Ventures. Near the start of Saints Row, before you unlock the ability to place your own Ventures, you’ll be able to work for JimRob’s Garage. He’ll ask you to bring him a few different types of cars in exchange for money and XP. This is great, but what you really want is the Venture’s completion bonus of $30,000, which is a ton of money in the early hours of Saints Row.

Of course, completing JimRob’s Garage will also increase the amount of passive money his business will bring you, which takes us to our next point...

How to make millions with the Cash Transfer app

Image: Volition/Deep Silver via Polygon

The passive money generation from Ventures is the best and easiest way to get rich quick in Saints Row, but it requires two things on your part: discipline and a willingness to leave your game running while you’re not playing it.

Instead of spending your cash from JimRob and your other crimes on fun stuff like guns and cars, play through the main campaign until you unlock the Empire table. This will allow you to spend some of your cash to build new Ventures around the city. Each Venture comes with its own mini-game and, you guessed it, its own $30,000 completion reward. But you know what’s better than $30,000 once? $700,000 deposited into your phone’s Cash Transfer app every hour.

Each Venture provides you with a passive cash bonus over time — more expensive Ventures give more money. While you’re out adventuring in-game, your businesses will work for you. And the next time you check your app, you’ll have anywhere from hundreds to millions of dollars waiting for you.

The best way to rake in the cash is to buy as many Ventures as possible, as quickly as you can. Then complete the next main story mission to upgrade your gang — the Empire table will call out this mission by name if you visit it in your hideout. Upgrading The Saints will give you access to more expensive Ventures and increase the capacity of your Cash Transfer app, allowing it to store more money before getting full.

If you’re ever low on cash — or aren’t able to play for an extended period of time — leave Saints Row running with your TV or monitor off (to prevent screen burn-in) and check back every few hours. Just make sure that your game isn’t paused when you walk away.

If you follow our tips, you’ll be able to grow your criminal empire quickly, which will leave you with lots of money to spend after only a few days.