The Old Country Could Fill the Void That GTA 6 Left Behind

The open-world crime genre has seemingly stagnated in the modern age, with upcoming releases like Mafia: The Old Country even pivoting away from the old-school, GTA-inspired antics of its predecessors. But while Mafia: The Old Country might stand out from previous entries by virtue of its linear, mission-based structure, it still has a strong chance to be the best GTA 6 replacement of 2025.

Grand Theft Auto 6 was initially slated for a 2025 release date, threatening to annihilate its competitors’ chances of success during its release window. Indeed, countless developers adjusted their games’ launch dates in accordance to GTA 6‘s predicted release window, so momentous is Rockstar’s upcoming crime extravaganza. But it’s been pushed back to 2026 now—something that a lot of gamers saw coming a mile away—leaving an opportunity for those aforementioned competitors to scramble for greater relevance, sales, and overall success. With Mafia: The Old Country still planned for a release this August, perhaps it could wind up filling the Miami-sized hole left behind by Grand Theft Auto 6.

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Mafia The Old Country won't be open-world

Mafia: The Old Country Differs from Previous Games in 1 Big Way

Mafia: The Old Country marks a major change in format from past games as Hangar 13 looks to give its storytelling a big boost.

Mafia: The Old Country Could Be the Next Best Option for Expectant GTA 6 Fans

Mafia: The Old Country Is a Cinematic Crime Drama, Much Like GTA 6

As its name suggests, Mafia: The Old Country is a prequel to the original Mafia trilogy, taking place in early-20th-century Sicily and exploring the origins of organized Italian crime. Players assume the role of Enzo Favara, an impoverished youth seeking success and honor within the Cosa Nostra. Through Enzo’s eyes, Hangar 13 promises to deliver an engaging, tense narrative inspired by classic crime films like The Godfather. This could very well make the game appealing to GTA players, especially those who come to the franchise for its dramatic blockbuster storytelling more than its over-the-top open-world antics.

Mafia: The Old Country‘s focus on non-American culture, poverty, and well-meaning ambition could put it in direct conversation with the sober and serious GTA 4, more so than the colorful and bubbly GTA 5.

Previous Mafia games aren’t exactly carbon copies of Grand Theft Auto—their titular premise alone guarantees that—but The Old Country might be even more different from GTA‘s modus operandi. Of course, there’s the mission-based structure of the game, which stands in stark contrast to the open-world sandbox formula of GTA. But there’s also the setting: Grand Theft Auto is very much an America-centric game, satirizing the western superpower while celebrating its rich and diverse culture, albeit in a decidedly tongue-in-cheek fashion. With The Old Country, players will delve into the criminal underworld of a different era and geographic location, which may make it even more attractive to GTA fans.

Mafia: The Old Country Is Far from a GTA Clone, and That’s a Good Thing

The Old Country‘s myriad differences from the GTA formula might actually make it an even easier recommendation for those waiting on GTA 6. If it were simply a less ambitious, less hyped-up version of GTA 6, with the same tonal leanings, open-world structure, and setting, then it would run the risk of feeling underwhelming. It would be compared to one of the most highly anticipated games of all time, after all.

Instead, the similarities that Mafia: The Old Country shares with GTA 6, combined with its undeniable differences, might be what makes it a good amuse-bouche ahead of Rockstar’s next outing. It’s a story-driven crime game, but one that’s more rooted in reality and interpersonal relationships, rather than the absurd satire of the GTA universe. This means that it has enough GTA DNA to fill GTA 6‘s void, but with the originality to stand on its own two feet.