The Side Hustles of Saints Row are the first optional missions to be unlocked, and they all have something wildly different to offer. With each Side Hustle offering a different challenge, the player has a chance to display all of the skills necessary to succeed in Saints Row. The rewards for beating these Side Hustles make them well worth completing.
The Side Hustles in Saints Row become available after the first story mission, with the reasoning that the Boss is looking for some odd jobs to gain some extra money. There are a total of five Side Hustles in the game: @tcha, Choplifting, Pony Express, Riding Shotgun, and Wingsuit Sabotage, all of which are new additions to the franchise. In addition to money and respect, some instances offer bigger rewards such as new weapon skins. Any player who wants to level up fast in Saints Row will need to familiarize themselves with Side Hustles.
While some of the Side Hustles can provide a lot of fun for the player, some are only worth finishing for the rewards and nothing else. Each Side Hustle caters to a different type of gameplay, making them very distinct from each other. Despite all playing differently, there is still a hierarchy of which is truly the best, and which is the worst.
#5 Choplifting Is Saints Row's Most Difficult, Frustrating Side Hustle
Choplifting sounds like a very cool kind of mission on paper. The player commandeers a helicopter and uses a powerful magnet attached to a cable to pick up valuable metal containers and deliver them to the client. Despite the simple premise, the missions will throw in a few extra wrinkles at times. Sometimes the cargo is fragile and can't take too much damage, and sometimes the player will have to collect multiple containers for delivery. This load is Saints Row's equivalent of a wrecking ball, and can leave a lot of destruction in its wake.
Unfortunately, Choplifting is let down by its own mechanics. It takes a bit of practice to master maneuvering a helicopter in Saints Row, and adding a heavy payload makes it much more unwieldy. Controlling the helicopter while carrying the shipment is much more difficult thanks to the added physics, and it's entirely possible to fail because the player can't get the payload to behave and fall into the target area. Despite showing promise, Choplifting is too frustrating for its own good.
#4 Saints Row's Wingsuit Saboteur Is Interesting But Repetitive
Wingsuit Saboteur, despite being named after Saints Row's new wingsuit mechanic, is more focused on destruction and combat. In Wingsuit Saboteur, players are tasked with flying to a building to destroy satellite dishes with satchel charges. The mission is appropriately chaotic for Saints Row, especially with the contact repeatedly dodging questions. On instances of the activity following the first, there will be guards partolling the rooftops where the satellite dishes are waiting. Once all the dishes on one rooftop are destroyed, the player can use their wingsuit to fly to the next one.
Despite being named after the wingsuit, Wingsuit Saboteur doesn't to a great job of showcasing it. The bulk of the player's time will be spent running around on rooftops, fighting guards and throwing satchel charges. The fights with the guards are not engaging, and destroying the satellite dishes feels more like busywork than anything. While not terrible, Wingsuit Saboteur fails to deliver the high-flying action the name promises.
#3 @tcha Is An Evolution Of Saints Row's Survival Challenges
@tcha is an app created by one of Kev's friends, and its accompanying missions fit the absurd nature of Saints Row quite nicely. In the @atcha missions, the player will travel to a business supported by one of the other gangs in the city and leave a negative review. In response, the gang will send out a wave of enemies to attack the Boss. By surviving the onslaught and defeating all of the enemies, the player will earn cash and respect. The lower the player's review, the tougher the fight will be, and the greater the rewards.
@tcha missions definitely have their charm. The reviews that the player leaves can be rather amusing, ranging from nitpicky complaints to ridiculous insults. The ability to choose the difficulty also makes it good for helping new players get the hang of combat, while still providing the harder options for more skillful players. As a new incarnation of Sants Row's traditional survival missions, @tcha plays its role well, and can be found in most districts of Saints Row's Santo Ileso.
#2 Pony Express Is Saints Row's Most Exciting Driving Test
Pony Express missions put the player behind the wheel of an off-road vehicle and task them with driving to a goal within a time limit. Unlike most missions, while the destination is marked, there is no path shown. The challenge is for the player to reach the goal however they can within a rather tight time limit. Adding to the challenge are the cops that the player must avoid, lest they have to fight them off at the destination.
Pony Express offers a different type of driving experience than most missions. Off-roading has not been a focus in past Saints Row games, so careening through the rough desert terrain of Santo Ileso is a real treat. The only real flaw is how the activity slows things down, and that the Boss ends up having to fight the cops chasing them at the end. Despite that, Pony express is a great way to show off Saints Row's new car combat as well as some great off-roading excitement.
#1 Riding Shotgun Is Saints Row's Most Thrilling Side Hustle
Riding Shotgun is possibly the most accurately named activity in all of Saints Row. The player is tasked with riding with the mission-giver, protecting them from the cops or gangsters that are chasing them. During the mission, the player will primarily be riding on the roof of the car, allowing them to use any of the provided weapons for the mission. At any time, they can return to the passenger's seat to heal, but they will only have use of handguns while inside the car. No matter how much the player has customized their Saints Row character, they will only be able to use the weapons provided for the mission.
Riding Shotgun is easily the most exciting of Saints Row's Side Hustles. Enemies will be coming constantly over the course of the mission, so the player will have to balance wielding their strongest weapons from the roof with hiding and doing chip damage with their handguns. Riding shotgun keeps the action going right up to the end of the activity, and that makes it the most entertaining Side Hustle of the bunch.
The Side Hustles in Saints Row are overall a worthy successor to the Activities of the original series. A combination of good gameplay with worthy rewards for completing them is good reason for players to seek all of them out. However, even among a mostly good crop, Riding Shotgun easily stands out as the best Side Hustle in Saints Row.