12 Best Games Like Mafia: The Old Country
Twelve games like Mafia: The Old Country that connect organized crime, loyalty, historical atmosphere, stealth and cinematic storytelling.
The best games like Mafia: The Old Country offer more than crime, cars, and third-person shooting. A close alternative should connect organized crime, loyalty, family hierarchy, historical atmosphere, cinematic storytelling, stealth, violence, and personal consequence into one grounded narrative.
Closest overall alternative: Mafia II: Definitive Edition Best modern crime drama: Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition Best for loyalty and criminal identity: Yakuza 0 Best for criminal-empire strategy: Empire of Sin
What Makes a Game Similar to Mafia: The Old Country?
Mafia: The Old Country is a single-player third-person action-adventure developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K. Set in 1900s Sicily, it follows Enzo Favara as survival, ambition, and loyalty draw Enzo Favara into the Torrisi crime family.
A meaningful alternative should share several defining attributes:
- Organized crime: criminal families, gangs, syndicates, crews, rackets, or underground institutions drive the conflict.
- Historical or socially grounded setting: architecture, clothing, vehicles, weapons, politics, and daily life support a specific place and era.
- Cinematic crime narrative: directed missions and dramatic scenes maintain a coherent character arc.
- Family hierarchy: status, obligation, command, loyalty, and advancement define a protagonist’s place in the organization.
- Personal rise: the protagonist begins with limited power and becomes increasingly important to the criminal world.
- Loyalty and betrayal: relationships create risk because allies, mentors, rivals, and relatives can change the protagonist’s fate.
- Third-person action: shooting, melee combat, cover, driving, or pursuit is controlled from an external camera.
- Stealth: infiltration, silent takedowns, disguise, planning, or avoiding attention can supplement direct violence.
- Grounded violence: combat supports the story’s danger rather than functioning as detached spectacle.
- Atmospheric locations: streets, estates, clubs, countryside, warehouses, and interiors reinforce the criminal world.
- Moral consequence: ambition, revenge, survival, and obedience impose human costs.
- Single-player immersion: one protagonist-led journey remains the central experience.
No alternative reproduces Enzo Favara’s Sicilian origin story exactly. The games below are ranked by how strongly they overlap with Mafia: The Old Country through crime, period detail, character drama, stealth, action, and narrative focus.
Games Like Mafia: The Old Country at a Glance
| Game | Strongest shared attributes | Main difference | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mafia II: Definitive Edition | Mob family, period city, personal rise, betrayal, third-person action | 1940s and 1950s Empire Bay | Closest overall alternative |
| Grand Theft Auto IV | Crime, immigration, family, loyalty, grounded city, story | Modern open-world structure | Human cost of crime |
| Yakuza 0 | Organized crime, loyalty, hierarchy, betrayal, cinematic story | 1980s Japan and melee combat | Criminal identity and character drama |
| Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition | Undercover crime, gangs, loyalty, third-person action, city | Martial arts and police perspective | Inside-a-gang tension |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | Outlaw group, period detail, loyalty, betrayal, cinematic story | Western frontier rather than mafia | Historical criminal tragedy |
| Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days | Crime, betrayal, third-person shooting, raw atmosphere | Short modern co-op shooter | Unpolished criminal desperation |
| HITMAN World of Assassination | Third-person stealth, criminal targets, immersive locations, planning | Sandbox assassinations over family drama | Methodical infiltration |
| Hitman: Absolution | Cinematic stealth, crime, betrayal, pursuit, third-person shooting | Assassin redemption story | Linear stealth thriller |
| 007 First Light | Cinematic origin story, third-person action, stealth, driving | Espionage rather than organized crime | Polished action narrative |
| METAL GEAR SOLID 3 | Origin story, loyalty, betrayal, stealth, cinematic action | Cold War military espionage | Personal loyalty conflict |
| Empire of Sin | Crime families, hierarchy, territory, rackets, period city | Turn-based strategy and management | Running a syndicate |
| City of Gangsters | Historical crime, business networks, favors, police, expansion | Economic simulation without action | Building a criminal operation |
1. Mafia II: Definitive Edition
Closest match for: mob hierarchy, period detail, personal advancement, loyalty, betrayal, grounded shooting, and cinematic crime drama
Developers: Hangar 13 and D3T
Publisher: 2K
Release date: May 19, 2020
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and adventure
Mafia II: Definitive Edition is the closest overall alternative because it belongs to the same series and follows another protagonist drawn into organized crime by family obligations, debt, ambition, and the promise of status.
Vito Scaletta returns from war and becomes increasingly involved with Empire Bay’s criminal organizations. Advancement brings access, money, and influence, but also exposes Vito Scaletta to violence, imprisonment, betrayal, and consequences for personal relationships.
The historical city supports the story through vehicles, clothing, music, neighborhoods, interiors, and changing seasons. Third-person shooting and driving remain grounded in directed narrative missions rather than unrestricted chaos.
How Mafia II Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: Mafia series, organized crime, family hierarchy, historical setting, cinematic story, personal rise, loyalty, betrayal, driving, and third-person action.
- Different: Mafia II takes place in 1940s and 1950s Empire Bay and follows Vito Scaletta’s path through an American crime family.
- Choose it if: you want the closest combination of period atmosphere and character-focused mob storytelling.
2. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition
Closest match for: grounded crime, immigration, family obligations, loyalty, betrayal, third-person action, and an atmospheric city
Developer: Rockstar North and Rockstar Toronto
Publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: April 29, 2008
Modes: Single-player and multiplayer
Genres: Action and adventure
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Complete Edition follows Niko Bellic into Liberty City’s criminal economy while Niko Bellic searches for opportunity, stability, and unresolved figures from the past.
The strongest Mafia relationship is the human cost of criminal work. Jobs connect Niko Bellic to gang leaders, corrupt institutions, family pressure, debt, revenge, and competing loyalties.
Liberty City is more open and modern than Mafia: The Old Country’s directed Sicilian setting. Side activities and exploration broaden the structure, but the central narrative remains serious and character-led.
How Grand Theft Auto IV Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: crime drama, immigrant protagonist, family stakes, loyalty, betrayal, third-person shooting, driving, atmospheric city, and moral consequence.
- Different: Grand Theft Auto IV uses a modern open world with broader side content and several competing criminal groups.
- Choose it if: you want a grounded crime story about survival and compromised ambition inside a larger city.
3. Yakuza 0
Closest match for: organized crime hierarchy, loyalty, honor, betrayal, dual protagonists, cinematic scenes, and personal sacrifice
Developer: Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio
Publisher: SEGA
Release date: March 12, 2015
Modes: Single-player and multiplayer
Genres: Action and RPG
Yakuza 0 follows Kazuma Kiryu and Goro Majima through criminal conflicts in 1980s Tokyo and Osaka. Both protagonists are connected to yakuza institutions whose rules, leadership, and internal rivalries shape their options.
Its strongest Mafia relationship is hierarchy. Rank, reputation, obedience, and obligation matter because personal goals cannot be separated from the organizations surrounding the characters.
Combat focuses on hand-to-hand styles rather than grounded gunplay. The cities also contain extensive side stories and activities, creating sharper tonal contrasts outside the main crime narrative.
How Yakuza 0 Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: organized crime, hierarchy, loyalty, betrayal, personal rise, cinematic storytelling, atmospheric period city, and character-driven conflict.
- Different: Yakuza 0 uses 1980s Japan, dual protagonists, RPG progression, melee combat, and extensive side activities.
- Choose it if: criminal loyalty, honor, and character relationships matter more than firearm realism.
4. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
Closest match for: gang infiltration, loyalty conflict, third-person action, cinematic crime storytelling, driving, and an immersive city
Developers: United Front Games and Feral Interactive
Publishers: Square Enix and Feral Interactive
Release date: October 8, 2014
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and adventure
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition follows an undercover police officer embedded inside Hong Kong’s Triads. The protagonist must gain criminal trust while maintaining another identity and gathering evidence.
The central tension comes from belonging. Relationships developed inside the gang complicate the official mission, creating conflict between duty, friendship, violence, and survival.
Combat emphasizes martial arts, environmental interactions, chases, and driving. Mafia: The Old Country places more weight on period authenticity, family advancement, and gunplay.
How Sleeping Dogs Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: organized crime, gang hierarchy, loyalty, betrayal, third-person action, driving, atmospheric city, cinematic missions, and single-player focus.
- Different: Sleeping Dogs uses a modern Hong Kong setting, an undercover perspective, martial arts, and a broader open world.
- Choose it if: being torn between criminal relationships and another obligation is the conflict you want.
5. Red Dead Redemption 2
Closest match for: historical criminal life, group loyalty, betrayal, period detail, grounded violence, cinematic storytelling, and personal decline
Developer and publisher: Rockstar Games
Release date: October 26, 2018
Modes: Single-player, PvP, co-op, multiplayer, online PvP, and online co-op
Genre: Action
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang as law enforcement, social change, internal tension, and failed plans threaten the group.
Its strongest Mafia relationship is loyalty inside a criminal family structure. Camp relationships, leadership decisions, betrayal, survival, and changing faith in the organization shape the protagonist’s journey.
The open world is much larger, slower, and more systemic. Western travel, hunting, camp life, and wilderness exploration replace Sicily’s compact criminal environment.
How Red Dead Redemption 2 Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: historical crime, group hierarchy, loyalty, betrayal, grounded gunplay, cinematic story, period detail, horses, personal consequence, and single-player narrative.
- Different: Red Dead Redemption 2 is a vast Western open world centered on an outlaw gang at the end of its era.
- Choose it if: historical authenticity and criminal-family tragedy are more important than the mafia setting itself.
6. Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Closest match for: desperate criminals, betrayal, third-person shooting, urban pursuit, raw atmosphere, and shared survival
Developer: IO Interactive
Publisher: Square Enix
Release date: August 17, 2010
Modes: Single-player, co-op, and multiplayer
Genres: Action and shooter
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days follows two criminals through a rapidly deteriorating operation in Shanghai. The campaign presents crime as unstable, ugly, and physically exhausting rather than glamorous.
Its documentary-like camera, damaged image effects, crowded streets, and sudden violence create a deliberately raw atmosphere. Trust is practical and fragile because survival depends on another criminal whose decisions can worsen the crisis.
The game is shorter and less layered in character development. It lacks historical worldbuilding and family hierarchy, focusing instead on immediate desperation.
How Kane & Lynch 2 Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: crime, third-person shooting, betrayal, loyalty under pressure, cinematic presentation, urban atmosphere, pursuit, and violent consequence.
- Different: Kane & Lynch 2 uses a modern Shanghai setting, co-op support, shaky-camera presentation, and a compressed action campaign.
- Choose it if: you want a harsh crime thriller without romanticized criminal ambition.
7. HITMAN World of Assassination
Closest match for: third-person stealth, immersive locations, criminal targets, disguises, planning, firearms, and freedom of approach
Developer and publisher: IO Interactive A/S
Release date: January 20, 2022
Mode: Single-player
HITMAN World of Assassination places a professional assassin inside detailed locations where information, disguises, routes, timing, tools, and social access determine how targets can be reached.
The strongest Mafia relationship is methodical infiltration. Both games connect violence to preparation and location knowledge rather than requiring constant direct combat.
HITMAN is structured around replayable sandboxes and isolated contracts. It gives less attention to family hierarchy, criminal advancement, or one continuous historical drama.
How HITMAN Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: third-person stealth, shooting, crime, immersive locations, cinematic presentation, infiltration, planning, and single-player action.
- Different: HITMAN emphasizes replayable assassination sandboxes, disguises, experimentation, and professional detachment.
- Choose it if: stealth routes and carefully planned eliminations are your preferred parts of Mafia-style action.
8. Hitman: Absolution
Closest match for: cinematic third-person stealth, betrayal, pursuit, crime, shooting, and a more linear personal story
Developer and publisher: Io-Interactive A/S
Release date: November 20, 2012
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Action and shooter
Hitman: Absolution follows Agent 47 after betrayal leads to pursuit through a corrupt criminal world. Missions blend stealth, tactical movement, disguises, shooting, and directed cinematic scenes.
The linear story structure creates a closer pacing match than the broader World of Assassination format. The protagonist moves through a chain of locations while relationships and previous obligations drive the conflict.
The story centers on an assassin’s redemption rather than a young criminal proving worth to a family. Historical period detail is also absent.
How Hitman: Absolution Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: third-person action, stealth, crime, betrayal, cinematic missions, shooting, pursuit, and single-player narrative.
- Different: Absolution is a modern assassin thriller with disguises, tactical takedowns, and a hunted professional protagonist.
- Choose it if: you want a linear stealth-action crime story with a personal obligation at its center.
9. 007 First Light
Closest match for: cinematic origin story, third-person action, stealth, shooting, driving, atmospheric locations, and a young recruit proving worth
Developer and publisher: IO Interactive A/S
Release date: March 27, 2026
Mode: Single-player
Genre: Action
007 First Light follows a young and resourceful recruit during the process of earning a place within MI6. The story connects dangerous assignments to institutional status and personal development.
The protagonist’s need to prove worth creates a structural relationship with Enzo Favara’s criminal rise. Cinematic missions combine stealth, combat, exploration, and action set pieces.
Espionage replaces organized crime, while advanced gadgets and international missions create a more polished heroic fantasy than Mafia’s grounded underworld.
How 007 First Light Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: origin story, young protagonist, institutional hierarchy, cinematic action, stealth, shooting, driving, atmospheric locations, and single-player focus.
- Different: 007 First Light uses espionage, MI6 training, international operations, and a heroic spy identity.
- Choose it if: a cinematic rise through a powerful organization matters more than mafia subject matter.
10. METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version
Closest match for: origin story, loyalty, betrayal, cinematic third-person stealth, survival, close combat, and institutional duty
Developer and publisher: KONAMI
Release date: November 17, 2004
Mode: Single-player
Genre: Action
METAL GEAR SOLID 3: Snake Eater - Master Collection Version tells the origin story of Naked Snake and the relationship between Naked Snake, The Boss, and the institutions directing the mission.
Loyalty is repeatedly tested against personal attachment and official orders. This creates a thematic relationship with Mafia: The Old Country, where obedience and family identity can conflict with individual survival or conscience.
The game emphasizes jungle infiltration, camouflage, survival, gadgets, and Cold War espionage rather than crime-family advancement.
How Metal Gear Solid 3 Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: origin story, loyalty, betrayal, hierarchy, cinematic storytelling, third-person stealth, firearms, personal sacrifice, and single-player campaign.
- Different: Metal Gear Solid 3 is a Cold War espionage and survival adventure set largely in the wilderness.
- Choose it if: loyalty conflicts and cinematic stealth are more important to you than organized crime.
11. Empire of Sin
Closest match for: crime families, a historical city, syndicate leadership, territory, rackets, lieutenants, alliances, and betrayal
Developer: Romero Games
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Release date: December 1, 2020
Mode: Single-player
Genres: RPG and strategy
Empire of Sin places the player in the criminal underworld of Prohibition-era Chicago. The objective is to lead a syndicate, recruit gang members, control rackets, manage relationships, and compete with rival organizations.
It translates Mafia’s family hierarchy into strategy systems. Lieutenants, territory, businesses, alliances, and conflicts determine whether the organization expands or fractures.
The player acts as a boss rather than one rising soldier. Turn-based combat and management replace cinematic third-person missions.
How Empire of Sin Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: organized crime, crime families, historical setting, hierarchy, loyalty, betrayal, territory, rackets, violence, and single-player progression.
- Different: Empire of Sin is a turn-based strategy and management RPG focused on running the organization.
- Choose it if: controlling a criminal syndicate interests you more than playing one person’s origin story.
12. City of Gangsters
Closest match for: historical organized crime, business networks, favors, corruption, resource distribution, police pressure, and gradual expansion
Developer: SomaSim
Publisher: Kasedo Games
Release date: August 9, 2021
Mode: Single-player
Genres: Strategy and simulation
City of Gangsters begins with a small criminal operation and asks the player to build a network of production, distribution, relationships, debt, favors, and police influence.
Its Mafia relationship lies in the infrastructure behind organized crime. Family power depends on businesses, logistics, trusted contacts, territorial access, and managing attention from law enforcement.
There is no cinematic protagonist or real-time third-person action. The game views crime as an economic and social network rather than a sequence of dramatic missions.
How City of Gangsters Compares with Mafia: The Old Country
- Shared: organized crime, historical setting, gradual rise, criminal economy, favors, loyalty, corruption, police, territory, and single-player progression.
- Different: City of Gangsters is a turn-based management simulation built around supply chains and relationships.
- Choose it if: you want to understand how a criminal operation grows behind the violence.
Which Mafia: The Old Country Alternative Should You Play First?
Choose according to the attribute you most want to preserve:
- Closest period mob drama: Mafia II: Definitive Edition
- Grounded modern crime and family conflict: Grand Theft Auto IV
- Hierarchy, honor, and criminal identity: Yakuza 0
- Undercover loyalty conflict: Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition
- Historical outlaw tragedy: Red Dead Redemption 2
- Raw criminal desperation: Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
- Open-ended stealth and assassination: HITMAN World of Assassination
- Linear cinematic stealth thriller: Hitman: Absolution
- Polished organizational origin story: 007 First Light
- Loyalty and betrayal through espionage: Metal Gear Solid 3
- Running a historical crime family: Empire of Sin
- Building a criminal business network: City of Gangsters
Other Relevant Mafia: The Old Country Alternatives
Several other games match narrower interpretations of the query:
- Watch_Dogs 2 combines open-world crime, third-person stealth, shooting, hacking, parkour, and cooperative options in a modern technology-driven setting.
- Sniper Elite 5 offers period warfare, third-person stealth, firearms, immersive maps, infiltration, and cooperative play.
- Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist combines third-person stealth, tactical shooting, cinematic missions, modern covert operations, and cooperative modes.
- Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier focuses on third-person tactical shooting, stealth, squad coordination, military technology, and co-op.
- The Last of Us Part II Remastered shares cinematic third-person action, stealth, grounded violence, personal consequence, loyalty, and an emotionally focused single-player story.
How we chose these games
We looked for PC games we price that cover this topic and for games sharing at least four of Mafia: The Old Country’s most characteristic Steam user tags, checked on 7 October 2026. The order follows how closely each game’s main systems match Mafia: The Old Country, not its popularity.
Questions
What is the closest game to Mafia: The Old Country?
Mafia II: Definitive Edition is the closest overall alternative because it belongs to the same series and combines a historical setting, organized crime, family hierarchy, personal advancement, cinematic storytelling, grounded third-person action, loyalty, and betrayal.
What type of game is Mafia: The Old Country?
Mafia: The Old Country is a single-player third-person action-adventure. Its defining attributes include organized crime, a historical Sicilian setting, cinematic narrative, stealth, shooting, family hierarchy, loyalty, betrayal, and a protagonist's rise through the underworld.
Which alternatives focus on organized crime families?
Mafia II: Definitive Edition, Yakuza 0, Sleeping Dogs, Empire of Sin, and City of Gangsters place criminal organizations, hierarchy, loyalty, territory, or internal conflict at the center of their stories or systems.
Which alternative has the strongest historical atmosphere?
Mafia II provides the closest period crime atmosphere. Red Dead Redemption 2 offers the broadest historically detailed criminal world, while Empire of Sin and City of Gangsters focus on Prohibition-era criminal organizations from a strategic perspective.
Which games have the best cinematic crime stories?
Mafia II, Grand Theft Auto IV, Yakuza 0, Sleeping Dogs, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Kane & Lynch 2 all use directed scenes and character relationships to support crime narratives. Their tones range from historical tragedy to raw modern desperation.
Which alternatives emphasize stealth?
HITMAN World of Assassination offers the most flexible stealth sandboxes. Hitman: Absolution provides a more linear cinematic structure, while Metal Gear Solid 3, 007 First Light, Watch_Dogs 2, Sniper Elite 5, and Splinter Cell Blacklist offer different stealth settings and tools.
Which strategy games are similar to Mafia: The Old Country?
Empire of Sin is the strongest option for controlling a crime family, territory, lieutenants, and rackets. City of Gangsters focuses more deeply on criminal businesses, supply chains, favors, debt, corruption, and expansion.
Is Grand Theft Auto IV similar to Mafia: The Old Country?
Yes. Both use crime to explore immigration, family, ambition, loyalty, betrayal, violence, and personal consequence. Grand Theft Auto IV uses a modern and more open city, while Mafia: The Old Country is a focused historical origin story.
Is Yakuza 0 similar to Mafia: The Old Country?
Yes. Both focus on organized crime hierarchy, loyalty, honor, internal rivalry, personal advancement, and cinematic storytelling. Yakuza 0 uses 1980s Japan, hand-to-hand combat, two protagonists, RPG progression, and extensive side content.
Which games support co-op or multiplayer?
Watch_Dogs 2, Red Dead Redemption 2, Kane & Lynch 2, Sniper Elite 5, Splinter Cell Blacklist, and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier list cooperative or multiplayer modes. Mafia: The Old Country itself is designed as a single-player experience.