Mafia: The Old Country is quickly approaching, and it seems like we’re in for a summertime trip to Sicily with a deadly twist.
The Mafia series is no stranger to exploring period settings, covering the US Prohibition era of the 1930s, post-WW2 in the ’40s and ’50s and the Vietnam war era of the late ’60s. However, the next entry will go further back in the mob’s history than ever before. Plotting the rise of the Cosa Nostra all the way back to its roots, Mafia: The Old Country promises to transport players to a turn-of-the-century Sicily that is as beautiful as it is dangerous.
Also, there are horses—how could you not be excited about that?
Prior to your initiation into the family I’ve assembled a hit list of need-to-know info for your trip to Italy: The Old Country’s release date, story, gameplay details and all the other intel we have so far. You’ll be a made man in no time.
What is Mafia: The Old Country’s release date?
The standard edition of Mafia: The Old Country will set you back $50/£45. On the other hand, the Mafia: The Old Country Deluxe Edition sports a price tag of $60/£55. With the lingering threat of a $80 price tag hanging over modern AAA releases, seeing The Old Country sitting at $50 is a sight for sore wallets.
Turns out this is a deliberate move from Mafia’s publisher. As 2K president David Ismailer puts it, The Old Country won’t require “massive time commitments” and the game’s reduced scope is reflected in its price. I feel like I’m constantly trying to cut through my backlog while balancing a regular diet of 100-hour RPGs and a live service game or two, so I can’t lie: this is an attractive prospect.
If $50 is still out of your budget and you’re hoping to see Mafia: The Old Country on Xbox Game Pass, there’s unfortunately no word on the game arriving there yet. It’s safe to assume that it won’t be on Game Pass at launch.
Look how they massacred my frame rate
From the flashes of lightning that cut across the clouded skies of San Celeste to the glinting, rusted surface of Enzo’s trusty switchblade, all signs point to Mafia: The Old Country being a strikingly beautiful and detailed game.
Seeing sweat on the brow of a suspected rat or the dust kicked up by the wheel of your race car is nice and all but it does come at a cost. As with any game developed in Unreal Engine 5, The Old Country will probably have any budget gaming setup absolutely begging for mercy.
Check Mafia: The Old Country’s system requirements to see if your rig is up to snuff before you start planning your mafioso career.
Mafia: The Old Country trailers
Our first look at Mafia: The Old Country came way back in 2024 with a teaser trailer first revealed at Gamescom. With the teaser’s moody, candlelit shots of religious art and shotgun shells, the scene was well and truly set for a dramatic return to the old country. But we were still in the dark about what exactly to expect.
December 2024 brought ‘The Initiation’ trailer, and with it came a whole lot more information about Mafia: The Old Country and its story. Here’s where we first met our protagonist, Enzo. We get plenty of glimpses into Enzo’s brutal past, his beginnings with the Mafia, and the high-stakes decisions that lie in his future.
Mafia: The Old Country’s latest trailer
Watch On
Released May 2025, the latest trailer for Mafia: The Old Country gave the most in-depth look at its gameplay so far. Alongside what to expect from combat and traversal, this trailer also showed plenty of scenic locations for Enzo to neck-stab and shoot his way through.
Stemware goes flying and bottles explode during a physics-heavy shootout in a lavish dining hall, while some underground ruins Enzo sneaks through give off serious Indiana Jones vibes.
Mafia: The Old Country’s story
The Old Country stars Enzo Favara, a young man living in 1900s Sicily—a time period that definitely seems referential to The Godfather Part 2’s depiction of the early years of Vito Corleone. Any good hero needs a tragic beginning and Enzo definitely fits the bill. He’s a carusu: an orphaned laborer who spent his childhood toiling in the sulfur mines of San Celeste. A life of organized crime under the Torrisi family is the ultimate path to freedom for him, but it’s going to come at a cost.
Enzo’s journey with the Cosa Nostra serves as a prequel to the established Mafia series, exploring the early days of mob life and the brutal sacrifices made in their rise to power. Oh, and did I mention Enzo has a romantic subplot with Don Torrisi’s daughter, Isabella? Yeah… good luck with that.
Mafia: The Old Country serves up an Italian sub (but not a dub)
If you’re the kind of person who refuses to play the Yakuza series in English, you might be wondering if you can experience Mafia: The Old Country’s story in Italian. Despite the availability of Italian interface and subtitles, the game won’t feature the option to have a full Italian voiceover.
This news certainly ruffled some feathers when it first emerged, but Hangar 13 were quick to clear things up. In pursuit of authenticity, Mafia: The Old Country offers voice acting in Sicilian: a language that’s similar but ultimately distinct from Italian.
Mafia: The Old Country gameplay
Horses (particularly their heads) certainly don’t have the best history in mob media. Though it seems like Mafia: The Old Country’s treatment of our equine pals is a little less Godfather and a little more Seabiscuit. True to the game’s rural setting, Enzo and his fellow mafiosi opt to ride horseback. It looks like a fun, era-appropriate choice, but unlike Red Dead Redemption The Old Country isn’t a gigantic open world game, so don’t expect to be riding across an entire map of Sicily.
Gallivanting around on your horsey seems like it would seriously kill your street cred in Mafia 1’s Lost Heaven but hey, we’re back in the old country now. They also won’t be your only mode of transportation. You can tear through the picturesque countryside in a whole host of slick classic cars. Anyone who’s struggled through ‘that race’ in the first Mafia game knows that vintage vehicles aren’t exactly the pinnacle of speed and handling, but they sure do look cool. So, maybe that’s a worthwhile trade-off.
In terms of combat, Mafia: The Old Country promises a combination of scrappy knife fights, stealthy takedowns, and intense cover shooting. The focus this time is on a tightly linear experience, but hopefully the mix of stealth and shooting will leave some room to experiment with your playstyle. Is your Enzo a slick assassin, or a hell-for-leather killer? Or one of those bumbling stooges who can never pull off a clean hit? I guess only time will tell.
Calibrate your expectations: Mafia: The Old Country is not open world
More recent games in the Mafia series have set players up to expect a (somewhat meandering) open world experience. But with this upcoming entry, developer Hangar 13 is aiming to trim the fat and deliver a “focused, linear” story that’s “gritty, grounded, brutal and emotional.”
That’s a win for lovers of narrative-driven games, obviously. But it means good things for your wallet too, as this pared-back scale directly translates to Mafia: The Old Country’s lower price.
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