Summary
- The Mafia series blends classic gangster film influences with third-person action gameplay across three entries and a remastered edition of the first title.
- The next installment, Mafia: The Old Country, releases on August 8, 2025, and will bring fans to a fresh setting and time period, with potential ties to previous plots.
- Now is a good time to play the original Mafia trilogy before The Old Country, as each entry features an immersive story and enjoyable characters and mechanics.
While it's often been compared closely to Grand Theft Auto and similar open-world crime games, and it certainly shares some overall familiar designs with them, the Mafia franchise has carved out its own identity within the genre over the 20-plus years that it's been around. The first two Mafia games were developed by 2K Czech before Hangar 13 took over production on the IP for the third entry and will soon be releasing the forthcoming one, Mafia: The Old Country.
Recently, on May 8, the studio officially revealed the launch date for Mafia: The Old Country, confirming a previous leak that it is scheduled for about three months out, on August 8, 2025. The latest saga of the story of the underworld is set to shake things up a bit with its setting, and with its arrival locked, now is also a great time for players to jump back into the previous entries, or check them out for the first time.
Mafia: The Old Country's editions will be set at a slightly lower price point than the current norm, with the Standard costing $50 and $60 for the Deluxe.
10 Best Games to Play While Waiting for Mafia: The Old Country
Those who simply can't wait for Mafia: The Old Country to release need to give these games a try to get into the mood of the series.
Mafia: Why You Should Start Over or Do a Replay in 2025
The Mafia Series Still Stands Strong
Mafia's biggest influence is clearly The Godfather and other classic gangster films. Taking this framework and telling a tale of characters struggling to make ends meet and finding their loyalties tested and sometimes divided between their family and "The Family," the franchise consists of:
- Mafia (2002)
- Mafia 2 (2010)
- Mafia 3 (2016)
- Mafia: Definitive Edition (2020)
Starting in the Prohibition era during the 1930s and moving through the 1950s before Mafia 3's post-Vietnam late 1960s period, the original trio spans roughly a generation in the timeline between each entry. With playtimes clocking in at around 15 to 20 hours on average (and about three or four more added for extra content and those of the completionsist persuasion), each of the Mafia games' stories, world, and gameplay are engaging and compelling individually.
But they also have some major connecting narrative threads between them, and taken together as a continuous tale, create a great experience that also shows Mafia's evolution and experimentation as a whole. The Definitive Edition, which was later included on both Game Pass and PlayStation Plus, even expanded on some of the existing plot, with additional character moments and story beats, and was well-received by fans. All the entries still hold up quite well and are worth going back to or seeing for the first time.
The Original Mafia Trio Is the Perfect Warm Up for The Old Country
Mafia: The Old Country's 1900s Sicilian setting is poised to bring players the furthest back into the timeline to explore the origins and formation of The Family in Old World Italy, and will likely tie into the existing plots and characters again in some way. And with Grand Theft Auto 6 now delayed, Mafia is also a great choice for any fans looking for some of the same high-production value, gritty story, gameplay mechanics, and entertaining mix of characters found in GTA.
Experiencing the events of each Mafia game ahead of The Old Country' s imminent release is the perfect way for fans to prepare for the next chapter of the series. Mafia: The Old Country's release also falls during the traditionally less crowded Summer season and ahead of the busier Fall one, giving fans some breathing room to check previous entries out beforehand. Whether for the first time, or diving back in since their initial release, now is a great time for fans to consider playing one, or all three, of the Mafia titles.
Mafia: The Old Country
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
