How to Unlock Weapon and Vehicle Upgrades in Saints Row

Saints Row has always had an element of making numbers go up. Lots of XP, multiple leveling systems and of course equipment upgrades all show up. But for some stuff there are roadblocks you have to clear in order to keep getting stronger. Weapon and vehicle upgrades in particular have a gating element to them. Here’s how to unlock them. It’s easy though, and sometimes loading screens tell you how anyway.

Luckily those upgrades are mostly just level-gated. You get access to the next tier of upgrades once you’re level 5, then 10 and finally 15. These are simple stat upgrades, but there are also “signature abilities” that each weapon and vehicle have. To get those, each item has a sort of challenge you have to complete, such as doing three barrel rolls.

Related: Saints Row: How to Unlock Crew Customization

Once you unlock the ability, you have to go to JR’s shop or any of the Friendly Fire gun store locations to actually unlock it. But that’s just an on/off toggle, which is a weird thing to require you to do at a specific location but it is what it is!

Related: Saints Row: All Skills Listed

Leveling up is one of the main barriers for content in Saints Row. Gaining XP also leads to things like unlocking new skills and being allowed to buy new Perk slots. Of course there’s a lot of other stuff gated by story progress, so the two kind of come hand in hand. But hey that’s modern videogames in a nutshell, right?

That’s a wrap on this one. For more information on the nitty gritty of upgrading and customizing your weapons and vehicles you can check out these more specific guides. And check out the Saints Row Prima Games landing page for anything else you might be looking for.