It’s difficult to believe that the Mafia franchise of games will soon be celebrating their 23rd birthday. The third-person action-adventure series currently has three main installments, along with a remake of the first title (Mafia: The Definitive Edition), a remaster of the second game, and two mobile spin-offs. The games–originally developed by 2K Czech (formerly Illusion Softworks) and currently made by Hangar 13–have focused on delivering impactful stories with stunning realism. Their newest game promises go above-and-beyond in providing just that.

Mafia: The Old Country is the upcoming fourth mainline title, and instead of following the events of the fascinating Mafia III, this new game goes back to the roots of organized crime, serving as a refreshing prequel for the beloved Mafia franchise.

Although first revealed during Gamescom 2024, the game has just gotten an in-depth preview at PAX East 2025. Host Greg Miller from Kinda Funny spoke at length with Hangar 13 President Nick Baynes, Game Director Alex Cox, and Cinematic Director Tomáš Hřebíček, covering the series’ lengthy history and its alluring future.

An Authentic Story and Setting

First and foremost, the goal of Mafia: The Old Country–and the Mafia franchise in general–is to craft a concise, immersive story and bring to life the world of the mafioso; creating a “mafia movie” as a game has been the direction since day one. This means that, when compared to many other games, Mafia plays much more linearly as compared to open world titles that dominate the crime genre. Although many fans may bemoan this fact, it’s to the benefit of the story being told, which the developers hope will be the key selling point of the title.

Authenticity is also a critical goal of the developer. From its setting to its visuals, to the sounds in the world, and even the casting of its characters, authenticity is the thread that ties them all together. Fans of previous Mafia titles can attest to the degree of realism present in the games, and Mafia: The Old Country should undoubtedly be the most real Mafia title yet.

One of the most exciting aspects of Mafia: The Old Country is the “old country” itself. Set in 1900s Sicily, the game is far removed from the bustling American cities that most other crime games take place in, such as the Grand Theft Auto and Saints Row franchises, as well as other Mafia games. This means that gamers can expect the shake down residents within quaint villagers as opposed to the owners of a neighborhood bistro. Likewise, gunfights within ancient Greek ruins won’t be out of place, or sneaking into underground tombs to put a knife into some grave robbing thieves.

The time period also helps to paint a picture that most mafia fans haven’t seen before. Taking place at the turn of the century, it shifts focus towards the silent lethality of the knife as opposed to the rampaging tommy gun; it presents us with a criminal underworld that’s steeped in secrecy and mystique rather than the pompous mobsters that will make front page news later in the United States.

As Vin Diesel Says, It’s All About Family

The concept of family is also extremely important to the world of Mafia. Indeed, all mob related media has explored family in countless ways: it’s shown as generational in the classic Godfather films and novels; it’s what brings about a mobster’s downfall, like we see in Goodfellas; and in The Sopranos, it’s all about the dual lives a criminal has when he’s at home versus on the streets.

Mafia: The Old Country wants to explore all of these aspects of family. Family for a mobster is most certainly tied to their gang, the “crime family,” their crew. It’s the people you put your life on the line for, the people you fight for, and may even die for. It’s about honor, and tradition, and everyone succeeding together.

Family too can be the personal individuals that are close to you and that you care about. It’s the people you go home to, those you fight to live for. They are the people you are busting your balls for day-in-and-day-out. Some of these people may belong in the crime family, but often they aren’t.

The developers aim to tackle both of these definitions, examining the conflict that the crime family can bring to the “home” family, and vice-versa. It’s the basis of most all compelling crime dramas, after all.

Mafia: The Old Country’s characters are key to shaping this personal, emotional tale, and the developers are confident that not only does Enzo Favara lend himself well to an already incredible repertoire of protagonists in the Mafia franchise, but he may become one of gaming’s all time leading men.

Enzo Favra was born an orphan, and he was sold into slavery as a youth to work in Sicily’s punishing sulfur mines. It’s this harsh background that brings him to the Torrisi crime family, where he may use his sharp wits and even sharper blade to create new opportunities and a new life for him. The story seems to see him falling for Isabella Torrisi, the don’s daughter, though the details of which aren’t currently known. What we do know is that Isabella is a woman born ahead of her time, as she rebels against the male dominated world that she unfortunately inhabits. Her role as both a member of the crime family and of Enzo’s more personal “home” family will likely be the source of conflict during the story, as Enzo will likely struggle on deciding which side he will have loyalty towards in the end.

Authentic, Brutal Game Play

Enzo being a survivor of some incredibly harsh conditions translates into the game play. During combat, players will have to scavenge for resources such as weaponry as they are constantly pushed to their limits with each encounter. The developers have stated that they desire the difficulty to be much closer to the original Mafia game, with a greater emphasis on strategy and improvisation as opposed to blasting away throngs of baddies as seen in Mafia III. Its fast-paced, punishing tone reminds me of the Uncharted titles, where many scenarios will leave you breathless, and just amazed that protagonist Nathan Drake was able to survive at all.

Knives in particular have a special focus. Knives are a big part of Sicilian culture as well as mafia history, and as such the developers wanted to elevate their prominence in Mafia: The Old Country. Players are able to customize their knives, wielding different styles with individual attributes and handled in their own unique ways; some knives may be thrown for instance, while larger ones are perfect when dealing with a group of surrounding foes.

Knife fights with certain “boss” characters will also have prominence, although the full details haven’t yet been revealed. These don’t seem to be strictly QTE segments, but more so in line of reacting to your opponent’s moves and unleashing a counter attack of your own. These duals are much more intimate, and guarantee to get your blood pumping.

Guns of course are still in the picture, but considering this is an age that predates automatic weaponry, players will instead rely on the limited ammo of the revolver, or the slow loading of a bolt action rifle. These diverse weapon options allow for players to quickly tailor their experience and choose their preferred play style on the fly without hard RPG mechanics, which again sounds a lot like the Uncharted games to me (and that is definitely a good thing).

Similarly, players have choices in their mode of transportation, as well. Horses are prominet in the game’s preview coverage, and we see that gamers will be able to take the reigns behind these majestic beasts and ride them across the countryside. Having the game set in the hills of Sicily does man that all the roads are made with horses in mind, and as such they are the main mode of transportation for most inhabitants.

Still, cars haven’t been forgotten about, and Mafia: The Old Country hosts an impressive amount of real world vehicles from the era, complete with their authentic controls, aesthetics, and sounds. Much like gamers have seen with the Red Dead Redemption titles, this time period is the dawn of motorization, and it’s bound to be exciting to see how the automobile’s shapes not only the world, but the way in which the mafia grows as well.

Release Date and Price

Perhaps the biggest news presented about Mafia: The Old Country concerns its price and release date. The developers are firm in sticking to it’s August 8th launch, exactly three months from today, for the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.

Furthermore, Mafia: The Old Country will hit store shelves at the surprising price of $49.99 USD for the standard edition. This is of particular note considering Microsoft just recently announced that first party titles will be $80 by this holiday season, and that Nintendo will similarly price the upcoming Mario Kart World at $79.99 when it launches in June for the Switch 2. With consumers expecting price increases of all things–from grocery store eggs to video games–the budget friendly $49.99 price is sure to win over fans both old and new.

So, what are your thoughts on the upcoming Mafia: The Old Country? Has today’s updates made you more confident in purchasing it, or does the lack of an open world leave you feeling hesitant? Is the $49.99 price tag a major win for the developer, or are they leaving money on the table? Let us know in the comments below and our official Discord server, and follow our social media pages for all things video game related!

Source: PAX East 2025