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Mafia on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
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It’s 1930. After an inadvertent brush with the mafia, cabdriver Tommy Angelo is reluctantly thrust into the world of organized crime. Initially, he is uneasy about falling in with the Salieri family, but soon the rewards become too big to ignore.
Mafia is a action, story rich and crime game
developed by Illusion Softworks
and published by 2K.
Released on August 28th 2002 is available only on Windows
in 8 languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish - Spain, Czech, Polish and Russian.
It has received 15,257 reviews of which 13,346 were positive and 1,911 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 9.99€ on Steam.
The Steam community has classified Mafia into these genres:
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System requirements
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Windows
- OS *: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
- Processor: 1.4 GHz or faster
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: 3D Graphics card compatible with DirectX 9.0
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 3 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
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User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
A true titan of the genre that still holds its ground today. The level of realism it delivered at its release was decades ahead of its time, paired with storytelling that rivals the best cinema. The atmospheric score is a standout, especially the frantic track during the 'Running Man' mission that perfectly builds the tension. From the brutal challenge of the infamous race to the haunting, emotional ending, every moment feels earned. This game is a soulful cult classic that captures the 1930s aesthetic better than any other.
On the positive side, the game delivers a compelling narrative, supported by gorgeous cinematics and an atmospheric soundtrack that nails the mood at every turn. The story moments are memorable, and the presentation does a fantastic job of drawing you into the world. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay doesn’t quite live up to that standard. The on-foot controls feel clunky and unresponsive, making basic movement and combat more of a chore than they should be. This is compounded by frustrating gameplay elements poorly designed encounters, awkward mechanics, and pacing issues that often break immersion. The result is a constant tug-of-war between moments of brilliance and moments of irritation: a game that shines when it leans into its story and atmosphere but stumbles whenever it asks you to take direct control.
Mafia: City of Lost Heaven is an open world action crime game and “hot dame” simulator developed by Illusion Softworks, a studio that was established in Brno located in the Czech Republic in 1997 and whose work up until release mainly included the Hidden & Dangerous tactical shooter series. However, aside from that, the actual development of the original Mafia had started in 1998, consisting of a team of five people or so and was originally a game called “Gangster”. It would initially use the engine of the Hidden & Dangerous series before the actual development of the game would be moved to the LS3D Engine, an engine that would mainly be used by lower budget studios to make games like Chameleon, more Armed and Dangerous games and Wings of War. This change would lead to development for the game taking an extra two years or so, with two directors coming to the forefront: Daniel Vavra and Petr Vochozka, the former of which I have more information on in the long run. Vavra was also the main writer for the game, having watched classics like The Godfather and Goodfellas and wanting to pay homage to movies like this in the form of a realistic video game with melancholic aspirations. Some concepts that were in development before being cut included a multiplayer mode, a racing menu as well as a body grabbing system to move around corpses you killed (perhaps for stealth reasons). Originally the team was around five people, though over the years it would grow to about twenty to forty people depending on the sources you pull from around the time of the release. How were the reviews for the game? First I’ll go over my feelings on it before following up on that. For most of review, links included: https://backloggd.com/u/gamemast15r/review/3354509/ What’s there to say on the gameplay? I enjoy it a lot, but I can also understand how people would feel about it if they didn’t like it. I’ll start first on this with the combat/camera, as it’s very much an older game and it does things differently than the rest of the series. You’ll follow right behind Tommy at all times even outside of combat, the camera moving in the same direction that Tommy himself moves so you can’t exactly look around your surroundings like that. There’s no cover system so you can’t just hide behind a wall and shoot your gun wildly, instead you’ll need to crouch (to focus your aim better) and pop in and out left or right and shoot in order to kill someone unless you wanna go up for the kill. You have a health bar that goes up to 100 that sits in the lower left hand side of the screen that you’ll need to refill with first aid stations that don’t always make themselves obvious and are kind of few and far between depending on the mission. You will die really easily if you’re not careful, whether it’s getting unloaded on by a Tommy Gun or given a shotgun jumpscare that messes with me EVERYTIME. Actual checkpoints can have you replaying decent sections of a mission if you die. With everything that I listed feeling kind of archaic and annoying, then why do I like it so much? Maybe it’s a nostalgia thing but even despite my meh experience playing the Playstation 2 port, it just works well and I never really had an issue with it for the most part. I never had an issue with the actual combat or realism, and the truth is I only really felt hard pressed in terms of difficulty towards the last mission of the game or so just due to them introducing grenade throws. The actual gunplay itself feels fantastic between the various weapons, the feedback these weapons give, the satisfaction of putting down rival mobsters. Melee combat? So-so for the most part, as using your fists looks cool and sounds satisfying but you can also just kind of take a while to knock a guy out or you can get into a loop of getting knocked out. I honestly felt like combat sections were some of my favorite missions in the game, like the Italian Restaurant Ambush or The Farm. I feel like since there isn’t much else I can say here, I want to get into Mission Structure as this is where I feel like a lot of the focus on gameplay actually goes. Before I start I want to say that the game definitely focuses on a hyper realism and can be considered frustrating for those who aren’t used to older styled gameplay. I love it however as the missions itself remained vary, and while there are some long checkpoints and I never really enjoyed driving across the entire city again because some goons murdered me or police got a hate b o n er on me for speeding, I always just kind of took it in stride and had a laugh because I found myself genuinely enjoying the game. It doesn’t feel like just nostalgia but it feels like that and meeting the game on it’s same expectations, though I’ll admit I went in kind of being scared of it because of how “realistic” it was. Another thing I really enjoy? The details, some that you wouldn’t really know about unless you kind of explored or went off the beaten path a bit, though it isn’t that crazy. For example, when chasing Morello he has four separate ways he can die with three of them providing their own cutscenes and which one plays is kind of random; shooting down his airplane, crashing him off a bridge, stopping just before the bridge and engaging in a shootout (no cutscene) or somehow driving well enough to stay right next to him for a bit during the chase so the others can wipe him out before he gets to the countryside. This level of detail? Amazing. The Prison Sniper Job? Kill the construction worker near the manhole and dump him into it and you won’t have to worry bout cops later. The game doesn’t tell you this stuff but it’s pretty damn cool to learn about this sort of stuff, and as such I’ll leave a Steam guide in the links (or in the Backlogg’d page links) for you to check out but it’s seriously cool that it’s open ended how to approach situations sometimes and I wish they kept that for later entries in the franchise. One of my favorite details actually has to do with getting rid of the wanted car for Lucas by the lighthouse; most people would park it by the edge of the cliff before grabbing another car and then pushing it in. Put it in Neutral and get out of the car and bam it’s in the ocean! Though this brings up another section: driving. Links: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fD2E_fPDeIg https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2865792854 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi_iG0jL75o https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d7tss65Y92Y&pp=0gcJCRsBo7VqN5tD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNiAvnCohu0&t=188s https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uT7NTGVVrz8 https://www.ign.com/wikis/mafia/PC_Cheats https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BsjH-_b5R0w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPuZpqT22vE https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/mafia-director-daniel-vavra-gta-grand-theft-409859 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Mi_iG0jL75o https://blog.playstation.com/2017/08/29/my-life-in-the-mafia-games-looking-back-on-the-series-15-year-history/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxneE7TUGu0 https://www.databaze-her.cz/hry/mafia-the-city-of-lost-heaven/zajimavosti/ https://mafia.2k.com/news/mafia-20th-anniversary-developer-interview/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9PLdfhcIDk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hs7Y0gzQ7E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNXP7up9m4w https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Trivia/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm9nI1kB9lg&t=682s https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338221/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbRVs5F2HxM https://mafiagame.fandom.com/wiki/Mafia_Soundtrack https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5NaQUcLY2gCJL2NZnbrJM3qYc3aEB2Vr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E78OIBYmSjQ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1207695708 (Music Mod) https://www.nexusmods.com/games/mafia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvXUR_ynn7k
One of my absolute farvorite games of all time. I have to say, that didn't aged too well in some aspects and I had problems running it on my system, but I still really love it. (The Remake is also pretty solid, for me it missed some of the charme, but for new players, it's probably more enjoyable than the original...) For it's time Mafia had a very authentic and mature story, great voice acting, a pretty empty but still very atmospheric open world and a lot of memorable characters. This was at a time, were most shooter games were still pretty simple in it's story and mechanics. Games like Deus Ex, Max Payne and Mafia changed that for me. Absolut classic, that has some problems on modern systems, but I still love it... 9/10
Mafia probably had the misfortune of being released after Grand Theft Auto III, which meant that the game was inevitably compared to the cult sandbox game. But there is actually something else fundamental behind Mafia. it is more of a linear, story driven experience that trades chaotic sandbox freedom for narrative structure, atmosphere and immersion. The story is arguably the centerpiece of the game. It spans several years and is told through a series of flashbacks as the main character, Tommy Angelo, recounts his life in the mafia family to a detective. This framing device helps the game cover a long stretch of time in a believable and paced way, with time jumps and changes in the city supporting the feeling of progression. Tommy is a more believable character: he's not a criminal by nature, but a regular taxi driver who is pulled into the world of organized crime by circumstance. The early missions highlight this, showing his everyday life and how it gradually falls apart, leaving him little choice but to join the Salieri family. It's a grounded and effective approach that makes the character feel more human and his decisions more understandable. Despite having a large map, Mafia doesn't offer much in terms of free exploration or sandbox style content. Missions are tightly structured and follow a clear path from one point to the next, with little reason to stray off the beaten track. This becomes noticeable after a while: where in GTA III I could recall the layout of the city from memory because of all the time spent roaming around, Lost Heaven remained a vague collection of roads and landmarks. I mostly followed the mission markers, rarely wandering off. And yet, the city still feels like a real place. Lost Heaven is carefully designed to reflect a 1930s American metropolis, complete with appropriate architecture, music, and everyday life. People go about their routines. Sometimes you see people park their cars and go for a walk. The city has also less forgiving rules: speed limits are enforced, cars need fuel, and the police will intervene if you break traffic laws or cause trouble. The presence of a larger countryside area, including places like a dam that you never actually visit in any mission, reinforces the idea that you're just one part of a bigger world. These details ground the experience in a way few games of its time attempted. One of the most interesting aspects of the setting is how it evolves. Since the story takes place over several years, the city changes too. Construction sites you drive past in early missions may be completed later on. The cars in traffic are gradually replaced by newer models. These small details subtly reinforce the passage of time and give a sense of life beyond the immediate plot. That being said, driving in Mafia is often not very exciting. The vehicles handle slowly and awkwardly, likely a result of trying to accurately depict the clunky cars of the era. This realism may not appeal to everyone, but it does serve the immersion. You're not expected to speed around corners or escape the police with ease. In fact, reckless driving will almost certainly get you arrested or worse. Where driving in a GTA title is part of the fun, here it's more of a controlled and cautious activity. It may not be thrilling, but it fits the tone of the game. Gunfights in Mafia are similarly grounded. A few bullets can take you down, forcing you to approach shootouts carefully and tactically. The game lacks a formal cover system, but you can crouch and hide behind objects. Enemy AI isn't smart, but they tend to have good aim, which makes blind rushing a bad idea. You're limited in the number of weapons you can carry, with one larger firearm and a couple of pistols, which again contributes to the realism. The selection of weapons is decent, and though grenades and molotovs exist, they're rarely used and mostly forgettable. Overall, combat is serviceable but often frustrating, especially when paired with trial and error. It feels like the weakest part of the game and stands in contrast to the careful immersion established elsewhere. Still, it manages to offer some variety in scenarios and doesn't completely fall apart. Where Mafia really shines is in its attention to small details. You can shoot out car tires and windows, and bullet holes remain visible on vehicles. Fuel leaks cause your gas to run out faster. Civilians may sometimes pick up guns from fallen enemies and fight back. There is a freeride mode, but without missions or real objectives, it quickly feels empty. The city is visually detailed, but outside of the main story, there's little to engage with. The "Freeride Extreme" mode offers absurd challenges and unlocks fantasy style cars, some of which have enhanced performance. But even these can feel odd, as the game's driving mechanics were never built to support high speed vehicles. When it was released, Mafia didn't get universal praise. It was often dismissed as just another GTA clone, judged by its surface similarities rather than its actual goals. But in reality, it shares more with simulation games. The slow driving, the deadly shootouts, the limited freedom all of it is part of a deliberate illusion. Mafia isn't trying about playground of chaos but about a immersive and realistic story. It's not perfect, so don't expect an open world with lots of content or entertaining activities. The gameplay also sucks at some points. But the narrative and story are great.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Mafia is currently priced at 9.99€ on Steam.
No, Mafia is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 9.99€ on Steam.
Yes, Mafia received 13,346 positive votes out of a total of 15,257 achieving a rating of 8.54.
😎
Mafia was developed by Illusion Softworks and published by 2K.
Yes, Mafia is playable and fully supported on Windows.
No, Mafia is not playable on MacOS.
No, Mafia is not playable on Linux.
Mafia is a single-player game.
No, Mafia does not currently offer any DLC.
No, Mafia does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
No, Mafia does not support Steam Remote Play.
Yes, Mafia is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Mafia.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 18 July 2026 18:07 UTC |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 22 July 2026 05:54 UTC |
| Steam price | 28 July 2026 18:44 UTC |
| Steam reviews | 28 July 2026 13:48 UTC |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Mafia, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Mafia
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Mafia concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Mafia compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
59
Developer
Illusion Softworks
Publisher
2K
Release
28 Aug 2002
Platforms