Saints Row 3 Remastered Character Creation
To prevent frustration, avoid these pitfalls unique to the remaster:
Saints Row: The Third Remastered ships not just with polished visuals but with one of the franchise’s most celebrated features: an audacious, deeply flexible character creator. That tool is more than cosmetic tinkering—it's the gateway to player identity, comedic tone, and emergent storytelling. This editorial examines why the remaster’s character creation remains culturally and mechanically important, what works (and what doesn’t), and practical guidance for players and creators who want to extract maximum value from it.
In Remastered, clothing textures are upgraded (e.g., leather jackets, sequin dresses, metallic vinyl).
Important: Some original DLC items are now integrated (e.g., Gangstas in Space costumes).
You can revisit Image as Designed stores anytime to change everything except gender/voice.
Saints Row 3 Remastered didn't reinvent the wheel, but it polished it until it gleamed like a pimp’s cane. The character creator is a chaotic sandbox that prioritizes fun over realism.
Do you want to look like a cyberpunk samurai? A suburban dad lost in a crime spree? A clown with a rocket launcher? The tools are here, and now they look gorgeous doing it.
So go ahead. Spend an hour making the ugliest, coolest, or weirdest Boss you can imagine. Steelport is waiting—and it deserves to be conquered in style.
Ready to create your Boss? Share your craziest character creation screenshots in the comments below!
The character creation system in Saints Row: The Third Remastered
remains a cornerstone of the game's identity, offering players an expansive sandbox for self-expression that balances technical modernization with the series' signature absurdity. While the remaster does not introduce entirely new features, it significantly enhances the visual fidelity of the existing suite, allowing for a level of detail that brings the "Boss" of the Third Street Saints into the modern era. Visual Enhancements and Technical Overhaul
The most immediate impact of the remaster is the graphical uplift applied to character models.
Texturing and Materials: Skin textures have been completely reworked, featuring higher resolution details that include visible pores and more realistic light interaction. Clothing materials now more accurately mimic their real-world counterparts, with leather exhibiting specific creases and metallic surfaces reflecting Steelport’s neon lights.
Lighting Engine: A new lighting engine drastically alters how characters appear in various environments, though some community feedback suggests this can occasionally lead to awkward shadows or "plastic-like" hair textures at certain angles.
Improved Assets: Beyond the player character, NPCs and the core cast members—like Johnny Gat and Shaundi—have received significant visual upgrades to ensure they match the improved world textures. Depth of Customization
The core mechanics of the character creator remain identical to the 2011 original, preserving a system that many fans still consider a benchmark for the genre.
The Boss stood before the mirror in the penthouse, the neon glow of Steelport humming outside. After the crash-landing in a city that didn't know their name yet, "looking the part" wasn't just vanity—it was a declaration of war.
With a few taps on a customized digital interface, the transformation began. First came the physicality saints row 3 remastered character creation
: a slider moved, shifting the Boss from a lithe, street-racing build to a towering, heavy-hitting enforcer with skin the color of polished chrome. Why blend in when you can be a walking monument? Next came the
. They swapped a gritty, low-growl voice for the "Zombie" vocal track—nothing says Third Street Saints leadership like barked grunts and guttural groans that somehow still commanded respect.
. Under the remastered lighting, the textures were sharp. They chose a metallic purple gloss for their hair and added glowing cyber-tattoos that hummed against their skin. The wardrobe followed: a high-collared decker coat paired with nothing but gold-leafed combat boots. Finally, they practiced their
. A quick "the bird" gesture to the empty room, followed by a celebratory air-guitar riff.
From Steelport with Style: The Art of Character Creation in Saints Row: The Third Remastered
In the landscape of open-world gaming, few franchises have embraced the philosophy of "player expression" quite as fervently as Saints Row. While the Remastered edition of Saints Row: The Third is celebrated for its visual overhaul—bringing lighting, textures, and effects up to modern standards—the true heart of the experience remains the Boss. The character creation suite in Saints Row: The Third Remastered is not merely a utility; it is a cornerstone of the game’s identity, serving as the primary vehicle through which players engage with the game’s themes of excess, absurdity, and total ownership.
The first aspect that distinguishes the character creation in Saints Row: The Third is its revolutionary approach to gender. Unlike many of its contemporaries, which force players into strictly binary male or female archetypes with rigid animations, Saints Row introduced a slider mechanic. By allowing players to blend masculine and feminine features, the game offered a level of androgyny and fluidity that was years ahead of its time. In the Remastered version, this feature retains its power, allowing for the creation of a Boss that defies traditional categorization. This mechanic aligns perfectly with the game’s narrative: the Boss is whoever the player wants them to be, unrestricted by societal norms or developer-imposed limitations.
Furthermore, the depth of customization feeds directly into the game’s overarching theme of power fantasy. The suite offers granular control over almost every aspect of the avatar's physiology. Players can adjust muscle definition, body fat, and the aging of the skin with precise sliders. This attention to detail ensures that the Boss feels unique. Whether the player wishes to create a grizzled veteran, an overweight psychopath, or a supermodel-turned-criminal-mastermind, the tools are readily available. The Remastered edition enhances this by improving the fidelity of skin textures and lighting, making these physical choices pop on the screen with a level of realism that the original 2011 release could not achieve.
However, the true brilliance of the system lies in its embrace of the absurd. Saints Row: The Third is a game that acknowledges its own ridiculousness, and the character creator encourages players to participate in the joke. The ability to customize "sex appeal" via a slider—humorously adjusting the size of breasts or genitals—is a prime example of the game’s tongue-in-cheek tone. It invites players to create caricatures rather than realistic avatars. This freedom extends to the selection of voices, which include distinct options ranging from a smooth Latino accent to the zombie-like growls of a horror movie extra. By allowing the player to pair a serious, menacing voice with a comically disproportionate body, the game establishes its satirical tone before the first mission even begins.
Finally, the integration of this creation tool into the gameplay loop is seamless. In many RPGs, character creation is a one-time event. In Saints Row: The Third Remastered, the Boss is a fluid entity. The player can visit a plastic surgeon at any time to completely overhaul their appearance. This reinforces the narrative of the Third Street Saints as a brand rather than just a gang. The Boss is a celebrity, capable of reinventing themselves at a moment's notice. This mechanic keeps the gameplay fresh and allows the player to match their avatar to their current mood or the specific chaos they plan to unleash upon Steelport.
In conclusion, the character creation in Saints Row: The Third Remastered is a triumph of design that transcends simple aesthetics. By removing the rigidity of gender binaries, offering immense physical depth, and wholeheartedly embracing the absurd, the system empowers the player to become a true co-author of the experience. It is a perfect mirror for the game itself: loud, unrestrained, and unapologetically fun. The Remastered graphics may provide the polish, but the player’s imagination provides the soul of the Boss.
The character creation in Saints Row: The Third Remastered retains the deep, "anything goes" customization of the original while significantly upgrading character models with more human-like textures and a new lighting engine. Key Features of the Remastered Creator Visual Overhaul
: All human models have been completely redone for higher fidelity. Body Archetypes : Uses a unique triangular slider to balance between physiques. No Gender Gating
: You can apply any hairstyle, voice, or auxiliary feature regardless of the chosen gender. Extreme Customization
: Options include everything from skin color (including purple or metallic) to "Sex Appeal" sliders. Nudity Filter To prevent frustration, avoid these pitfalls unique to
: Like the original, nudity remains pixelated rather than fully uncensored. Changes from the Original Slider Values
: While the features are the same, some slider increments have changed (e.g., jumping in multiples of 3 or 5 instead of 1), though the end results remain largely identical. No Character Upload
: The "My Steelport" portal used to share characters in the original PC version is not available in the Remastered edition. How to Access The creation suite first appears after the opening mission, "When Good Heists Go Bad"
. You can later modify your appearance at any time by visiting a "Image as Designed" clinic in Steelport. Saints Row Wiki slider settings for a particular celebrity or character look?
The character creation system in Saints Row: The Third Remastered is a modernized version of the original 2011 classic. It maintains the series' "anything goes" philosophy while benefiting from significantly upgraded lighting, high-definition textures, and revamped character models. 🎨 Core Customization Features
The remaster retains the original's deep mechanics, allowing for extreme creativity or absurdity.
Triangle Body Slider: Unlike standard sliders, this uses a triangular grid to balance three attributes: Fat, Skinny, and Muscular.
Sex Appeal: A dedicated slider that adjusts specific physical proportions (breast size for women, bulge size for men).
Complete Flexibility: You can change your gender, voice, and appearance at any point during the game by visiting an Image as Design clinic.
Voices: Six distinct personality voices (3 male, 3 female), each with unique dialogue and "Zombie" vocal options.
Taunts and Compliments: Players can choose specific animations for their character's personality. ✨ Remastered Enhancements
While the gameplay mechanics remain the same, the visual fidelity is the primary draw of the Remastered version on Steam.
Model Fidelity: Characters feature much higher polygon counts, resulting in smoother features and more realistic skin textures.
Lighting Engine: A new lighting system drastically changes how skin, hair, and clothing react to environmental light, correcting the "plastic" look often cited in the original.
Visual Parity: User discussions on Reddit confirm that while the options are identical to the 2011 release, the "Electricia" showcase and other fan creations look significantly more detailed. 🛠️ Step-by-Step Character Setup Saints Row: The Third Remastered ships not just
Customization begins after the first mission, "When Good Heists Go Bad." Archetype Selection: Choose a base model to start with.
Physical Features: Adjust skin tone, age, and the body triangle.
Facial Sculpting: Fine-tune individual features (eyes, nose, mouth) using dozens of detailed sliders.
Hair and Makeup: Select styles and use a full color wheel for highlights and primary colors.
Tattoos: Apply art to various body segments (arms, legs, chest, back).
Clothing: Visit stores like Planet Saints or Leather & Lace to layer outfits. 🎠Community Reception
The system is widely considered a high point for the genre. Reviewers and players on Reddit's r/gaming frequently rank Saints Row as having one of the most flexible character creators, often comparing it favorably to GTA Online for its lack of restrictions and ease of use.
Title: "The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior" Authors: Yee, N., & Bailenson, J. (2007).
Why it’s interesting for SR3 Remastered: While this is a foundational psychology paper, it is frequently cited in studies regarding Saints Row.
Title: "Drag, Performance, and the 'Genderfuck' in Saints Row" (Concept derived from broader works like “Transgender Game Studies” or analyses of performative gender in open worlds). Key Theorist Reference: Judith Butler (Performance Theory) applied to Gaming.
Why it’s interesting for SR3 Remastered: Saints Row: The Third was one of the first major AAA games to effectively decouple gender from body type and voice.
Most games give you "Fat," "Muscular," or "Thin." Saints Row gives you a triangle of tension.
The secret trick here is the "Bulk vs. Tone" slider. You can create a bodybuilder with a beer belly or a wiry ninja. For the remaster, aim for the middle. Extreme body types cause serious clipping issues with the new physics-enabled jackets and skirts.
When Saints Row: The Third Remastered dropped onto PS4, Xbox One, PC, and later PS5/Xbox Series X|S, it wasn't just the shiny new lighting effects or the higher-resolution textures that stole the show. For many of us, the real magic began before the first parachute jump—right in the Character Creation menu.
If you’ve never played a Saints Row game, you might think character creators are just about picking a face. But veterans know the truth: The Boss is an extension of your personality. And in the Remastered version? It’s never looked better.