Mafia III: Definitive Edition

In Mafia III: Definitive Edition, Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay wages war on the Italian Mafia after the destruction of his surrogate family. Set in 1968 New Bordeaux, the open-world crime drama combines stealth, gunfights, driving and a district-by-district racket campaign. The edition includes the main game, three story expansions and two bonus packs.

Mafia III takes place in 1968 New Bordeaux, a fictional Louisiana city shaped by New Orleans. Lincoln Clay returns from Vietnam to the Black Mob, the closest thing he has to family, and is drawn into the violence of the city’s criminal power struggle. After Sal Marcano and the Italian Mafia destroy that family, Lincoln sets out to dismantle Marcano’s organisation and build a new criminal enterprise with allies of his own. The story is presented through a crime-drama framework that combines the events of 1968 with later documentary interviews and testimony. This structure places Lincoln’s campaign within a retrospective account of how the city’s underworld changed, while the playable story follows his rise through New Bordeaux’s districts.

The city is an open world with distinct urban neighbourhoods, industrial sites, rural roads and bayou terrain. Lincoln travels between mission locations by car, using period vehicles and a radio soundtrack that reflects the late-sixties setting. Driving serves both navigation and mission play: some assignments involve pursuing targets or escaping police attention, while others begin with a drive across town before an operation. New Bordeaux’s streets also expose the player to law enforcement; crimes draw police notice and continuing illegal activity expands their search area. Safe houses provide places to restart, and taking over more rackets increases the number available. The map marks story objectives, targets, local businesses, collectibles, Junction Boxes and contacts, giving the city’s territory struggle a clear geographic structure.

The central campaign loop is organised around criminal rackets. Each district contains Mafia-controlled businesses such as drug operations, and Lincoln damages their earnings through activities including destroying supplies, stealing money or eliminating important mobsters. Those actions vary in their effect and challenge, but all weaken the organisation’s hold before a larger confrontation allows the enterprise to be taken over. The racket system turns open-world missions into a campaign of economic pressure as well as combat: Lincoln is not simply clearing enemies from a location, but reducing the income and influence that supports Marcano. Story missions and racket work alternate as the conflict expands, and completing assignments advances the effort to break the Mafia’s control across New Bordeaux.

Lincoln can approach hostile sites through stealth or direct force. He can stalk, distract and take enemies down quietly, with options for lethal or non-lethal takedowns; arriving unseen can thin out a group before a firefight begins. When combat becomes open, cover-based shooting is combined with melee counters and takedowns. The player manages a primary and secondary weapon, ammunition and consumables such as grenades, Molotov cocktails and C-4. Injuring an enemy’s arm or leg can leave them open to a takedown, while counters turn an incoming melee attack into an opportunity. A mobile weapons dealer supplies guns and upgrades in the field, and calls to allied contacts can provide services ranging from a hit squad to help managing police attention.

The allies who help Lincoln build power are also part of the territory system. Cassandra leads the Haitian gang, Vito Scaletta is a former Empire Bay mafioso, and Thomas Burke represents the Irish Mob; each becomes an underboss in Lincoln’s new organisation. After a district is brought under control, Lincoln assigns it to one of them. Their share of territory influences their loyalty and the services available through their associates, while each assignment favours one underboss over the others. That means district control shapes both the criminal empire and practical support: associates can supply weapons, vehicles, backup or other services. The player is asked to consider what each contact offers and how distributing districts affects the balance among Lincoln’s partners.

Smaller systems support reconnaissance and ongoing operations. Collecting three fuses lets Lincoln install a wiretap at a Junction Box; wired areas reveal nearby collectibles and highlight enemies in Intel View, making it easier to understand a hostile site before moving in. The world map also tracks opportunities to hit targets, rob local businesses for cash or supplies, and visit contacts for current information. Agendas and trafficking jobs serve the underbosses’ organisations, increasing loyalty and providing extra cash or markers. Money carried by Lincoln can be lost after defeat, while funds moved to his safe remain protected. These systems connect exploration and preparation to the larger campaign, giving the player ways to gather intelligence, replenish resources and strengthen allies between major operations.

Mafia III: Definitive Edition brings the base game together with its story expansions Faster, Baby!, Stones Unturned and Sign of the Times, plus the Family Kick-Back Pack and Judge, Jury & Executioner Weapons Pack. The 2K support guide specifies that the additional story missions become available after Lincoln completes the Sit Down mission and has all three lieutenants alongside him. The expansions add separate mission threads to the main New Bordeaux campaign, while the bonus packs add equipment and weapons. The edition keeps the core story centred on Lincoln’s conflict with Marcano, district racket takeovers and the choices involved in dividing territory among Cassandra, Vito and Burke.