Mafia: The Old Country will mark Hangar 13's return to the Mafia franchise after an almost decade-long hiatus, so there's a lot riding on it. With 2016's Mafia 3 garnering a lukewarm reception, especially in comparison to its cult-classic predecessors, how exactly Mafia: The Old Country will land is anyone's guess, but it's looking rather promising.
One of the most significant reasons why Mafia: The Old Country has gotten so much attention is its radical departure from the older games in the series. Not only will The Old Country be abandoning the open-world formula of its predecessors, instead adopting a mission-based structure with some explorable areas, but it will also be a prequel, as the name suggests. Taking place decades before the original trilogy, The Old Country will take players to rural Italy, exploring the roots of organized Italian crime through a cinematic narrative. In a sense, this makes it somewhat similar to Yakuza 0, a prequel game in the Yakuza franchise that fleshes out the origins of its myriad characters and conflicts. With any luck, The Old Country will also see a similar level of critical and commercial success.
Mafia: The Old Country Solidifies a Tale of Two Industry Trends
Fans recently learned a lot about the upcoming Mafia: The Old Country, and its pricing furthers two contrasting patterns across the industry.
Hopefully, Mafia: The Old Country Will Be the Series' 'Yakuza 0' Moment
Yakuza 0 Helped Catapult Yakuza's Western Popularity
While it always had an audience west of Japan, the Land of the Rising Sun has been where Yakuza historically found much of its success. This could be as simple as the setting and subject matter of the franchise appealing more to a Japanese audience than an American or European one: Yakuza is centered on Japan culture and society, after all. But, as most active gamers are likely aware, the Yakuza franchise has exploded in overseas popularity in recent years, undoubtedly helped by its prolific release schedule.
But many fans argue that Yakuza's overseas boom can be traced back to Yakuza 0. Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the broader series, taking place in the late 1980s—roughly six years before the prologue of the first mainline Yakuza game—following both Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima in their early days of organized crime in Kamurocho and Sotenburi. Since it's the first canonical Yakuza story, it's essentially unshackled from the complicated lore of later entries, making it a lot easier for newcomers to get into. While this description doesn't exactly apply to Mafia: The Old Country, which doesn't appear to feature any characters from previous Mafia games, it might be a good entry point for the franchise for the same reasons Yakuza 0 is.
Yakuza 0's prequel story makes it approachable for first-time players, but its novelty also helped it appeal to longtime fans, as it shows new dimensions of iconic characters, locations, and organizations.
How Mafia: The Old Country Could Help the Mafia Franchise
The Mafia franchise is a successful one, no doubt about it, but its relevance has dwindled over the years. What was once considered something of a GTA competitor has become more like a relic of the past, with Mafia 3's aforementioned reception doing little to improve matters. But recently, interest in the franchise was reinvigorated by remasters of the first two games—not at all unlike the successful remasters of the first two Yakuza entries.
So, perhaps Mafia is following a similar trajectory as Yakuza, with Mafia: The Old Country filling the role of Yakuza 0: a bold, ambitious prequel that skyrockets the IP's popularity and success; even with heavy hitters like Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii and Infinite Wealth launching post-2020, many still consider Yakuza 0 to be the definitive Yakuza experience. Here's hoping that the same will be true for Mafia: The Old Country.
Mafia: The Old Country
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 74 /100 Critics Rec: 66%
WHERE TO PLAY
Uncover the origins of organized crime in Mafia: The Old Country, a gritty mob story set in the brutal underworld of 1900s Sicily. Fight to survive as Enzo Favara and prove your worth to the Family in this immersive third-person action-adventure set during a dangerous, unforgiving era.
Enzo will do anything for a better life. After a brutal childhood of forced labor, he's ready to risk everything to become a man of honor in the Torrisi crime family.
His oath to the Mafia, with all the power, temptation, and hardship it entails, is a burning reminder of this simple truth:
Family Takes Sacrifice.
This thrilling narrative is brought to life by stunning visuals, cinematic storytelling, and the authentic realism that the critically acclaimed Mafia series is known for. Enzo's story unfolds in a time when skill with a stiletto blade was a deadly asset, a lupara sawed-off shotgun was a go-to firearm, murderous vendettas raged for decades, and mafiosi patrolled their protection rackets on foot, horseback, or behind the wheel of turn-of-the-century motorcars.
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- Mafia
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unsupported
- PC Release Date
- August 8, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- August 8, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- August 8, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
