The money treadmill in Saints Row is slow to start, especially compared to the older games in the series. There is a lot to do in the open world of Santo Ileso, but the game doesn’t tell you which side ventures and hustles to prioritize first. If you want to make money fast, a lot of the icons on your map are better avoided, at least to start.
This Saints Row guide will show you know where to spend your time and attention to maximize your income. The two methods of money-making to focus on are increasing passive income with Criminal Ventures and prioritizing side activities with the highest profit margin.
How to Make Money Through Criminal Ventures
The fastest way to make money in Saints Row is by increasing passive income through Criminal Ventures. This property management metagame has you taking over Santo Ileso by building your own criminal empire. You place businesses and increase their worth by completing side missions specific to those Criminal Ventures.
Investing in growing and expanding your CVs will increase your passive income, an in-game hourly rate that rises as you expand the Saints empire.
To access this feature, you first must complete the missions “Take Me to Church” and “Networking.” “Take Me to Church” unlocks the Saints HQ and is required to complete “Networking,” which unlocks the Empire Table. This war-table-like map is located upstairs at the Church HQ. It allows you to place new Ventures, check the progress of your current ventures, and see what rewards you’ll get for completing CVs, such as the coveted Thrustbuster and other weapons.
Starting a new Venture in a new district costs a good chunk of change, starting at $30,000 for Tier 1. Others can cost $400,000, and the highest tier cost $1.6M, but they are worthy investments in the long run. A new business front will immediately increase your cash flow by a good chunk. Plus, each Venture opens up opportunities to maximize your income.
The unique CV side quests are a bit inconsistent when it comes to how they hand out money. Some, like Insurance Fraud in Shady Oaks, earn you more passive income every time you complete a location while other tedious quest lines, like those for JimRob’s Garage, don’t earn you any money until the very end.
It’s also important to complete each of the Threats in a district, represented by red icons with brass knuckles. These include everything from defeating enemies to blowing up hidden police vans, and completing them increases your cash flow in a district immediately.
How to Transfer Money
Be sure to transfer money into your account at relatively regular intervals. Open your phone, and select the Cash app underneath your Camera app. This will show you how much money you’re making per hour and how much you currently have that can be transferred. Move the money by pressing the prompt at the bottom of the app. As you add more CVs to the Santo Ileso map, you’ll increase the amount of money you can keep in your bank account at one time.
The best way to make money in Saints Row is to spend money. Make sure you are constantly investing money in Ventures, and you will be rewarded with more cash than you know what to do with in the late-game.
Making Money Through the Wanted and @tcha Apps
The other easy way to make money fast is by completing high-reward side activities. Each target in the Wanted app on your phone guarantees a reward of $5,000. This is a good early-game ROI for the time you put in. However, as you progress and unlock Criminal Ventures, the fixed sum starts to feel be fairly meager.
At that point, it’s best to start turning to the @tcha Review side missions in each district, which trigger quick waves of enemy encounters. Each @atcha business allows you to leave a review between 1 and 4 Stars, with lower ratings ramping up the difficulty of the wave-based fights that follow. These missions are faster than any other side activity, and the 1-star review option will reward you with $10,000 each time.
The best part is that once you’ve completed the 1-star review of any @tcha, the reward for replaying that encounter on any difficulty will reward you with $8,000. This makes these bits of content the best for grinding if you need money fast. For more tips on how to make your Saints Row experience smoother, head on over to our dedicated tips and tricks hub for more.
