Mafia 2 and 3 Definitive Editions May Be Heading to PS5 and Xbox Series

Did you hear that Mafia 2 and Mafia 3 might be getting the current-gen treatment? According to a new ESRB rating, both games could be headed to PS5 and Xbox Series with some visual upgrades. The ratings, spotted online, list both titles as Mature 17+ for violence, nudity, and language. It's not an official announcement, but it's a pretty strong hint that something's coming.

If you're new to the series, Mafia: Definitive Edition already got a full remake in September 2020 for modern consoles. But Mafia 2 and Mafia 3 Definitive Editions only exist for last-gen systems so far. So these new ratings likely point to current-gen upgrades rather than full remakes. Think better graphics and hopefully 60fps gameplay. That would be a welcome boost for fans who want to revisit these mob stories on their new consoles.

Publisher 2K recently dropped the Mafia: The Omertà Collection, which bundles all the Definitive Editions plus Mafia: The Old Country Definitive Edition. That collection launched alongside a PS5 and Xbox Series update for Mafia: Definitive Edition. It seems likely that 2K will do the same for Mafia 2 and 3. Interest in the series is at an all-time high after Mafia: The Old Country released earlier this year. That prequel took players to Italy during the mob's heyday and scored an 8/10 in IGN's review, which called it an "effective return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the original Mafia and Mafia 2."

Of course, Mafia 3 was a bit more divisive. It leaned hard into its open world, making you complete repetitive missions to capture territory. But hey, the soundtrack was killer. Still, the series has its own identity. Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes told IGN that Mafia and GTA exist in separate camps, saying, "I think that genuinely at the studio, we've got our own path. It genuinely never ever comes up in conversation as a touchpoint or steering our strategy or anything like that."

So when could we see these upgrades? The ESRB posting doesn't give a date, but with GTA 6 looming in November, timing is everything. Players only have so much cash to spend, and if these Mafia games launch too close to GTA 6, they might get overshadowed. My best guess is an announcement at The Game Awards this December, with a launch early next year. But that's just speculation.

Either way, it's a great time to be a fan of open-world crime games. Whether you prefer Mafia's story-driven approach or GTA's life-sim style, there's something for everyone. While you wait for official word, check out IGN's in-depth feature, 25 Years of Mafia Video Games: An Oral History. What do you think? Will you be picking up these Definitive Editions if they hit current-gen?