Mafia 2 and Mafia 3 May Get PS5 and Xbox Series Enhancements Following Definitive Editions Leak

Mafia 2 and Mafia 3 are reportedly heading to PS5 and Xbox Series consoles with improved graphics, according to an ESRB rating. Both games have been rated Mature 17+ by the board, with each featuring violence, nudity, and a plethora of slurs.

Previously, Mafia: Definitive Edition launched for modern consoles in September 2020. A complete, from-the-ground-up remake of the original 2002 game, it served as an excellent entry point for newcomers to the series. Mafia 2 and 3 Definitive Editions already exist for last-gen consoles, so these listings likely point to current-gen upgrades that will hopefully include 60fps gameplay, rather than full remakes.

Publisher 2K recently released the Mafia: The Omertà Collection, which bundles all the Definitive Editions along with Mafia: The Old Country Definitive Edition. This launched alongside a PS5 and Xbox Series update for Mafia: Definitive Edition that seems likely to be replicated for Mafia 2 and 3.

Interest in the series is at an all-time high following the release of Mafia: The Old Country earlier this year. A prequel set during the mob's peak power in Italy, it followed the series' trademark style of placing players in an open world that serves as a backdrop to the story, rather than a character within it.

IGN's review of Mafia: The Old Country awarded it an 8/10, calling it an "effective return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the original Mafia and Mafia 2." Mafia 3 divided critics at launch due to its heavy focus on open world and repetitive missions to capture territory and advance the story. The soundtrack was phenomenal, though.

Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes previously told IGN that Mafia and GTA — despite sharing a parent company — exist in separate spheres. "I think that genuinely at the studio, we've got our own path," Baynes said. "It genuinely never ever comes up in conversation as a touchpoint or steering our strategy or anything like that."

The ESRB posting doesn't reveal much beyond reiterating themes you'd expect from a series named after an organized crime group. It will be interesting to see where these Definitive Editions land relative to GTA 6's November release date. Because while the games are quite different, audiences have limited disposable income, and that choice has probably already been made if the games launch anywhere near each other.

IGN recently published a major GTA 6 interview with Rockstar North studio head Rob Nelson, in which we spoke to him as he played a section of the game in front of us. Nelson discussed its approach to open world design and creating a game where "just existing" is a viable playstyle, living in Vice City and playing it almost like a life simulator.

It's a very different approach from Mafia, where the open world is simply a backdrop to the story. Still, isn't it great that we live in a world where both approaches are viable and we get to experience it all?

An announcement for Mafia 2 and Mafia 3: Definitive Edition is likely imminent. My best guess would be The Game Awards this December, with a launch early next year. While you wait to find out, check out IGN's in-depth feature, 25 Years of Mafia Video Games: An Oral History.