Mafia: The Old Country Dev Confirms Free Ride Mode Is on the Way as Part of a Free Update

Mafia: The Old Country developer Hangar 13 has confirmed Free Ride mode is coming to the game as part of a free update for all players.

Hangar 13 also revealed "new activities and gameplay" are coming as part of the free update, which is due out in "the coming months."

The developer didn't offer any more information, but did issue the image, below, to tease Free Ride:

If The Old Country's Free Ride mode works like it does in previous Mafia games, it'll let players explore the game's environments without any mission objectives. Essentially, it's an opportunity to check out the beautiful vistas, test drive the vehicles in your garage, find collectibles out in the world, and maybe uncover a few secrets.

Free Ride harkens back to the 2002 original Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, which let you explore the 1930s landscape at your own pace. "Confusingly, there were two versions of Free Ride in the original game," Ondřej Vévoda, Lead Designer at Hangar 13, explained when Free Ride came to Mafia: Definitive Edition.

"There was 'Free Ride,' a city tourism mode with very simple taxi-driving type gameplay, and 'Free Ride Extreme,' which added some crazy challenges. We combined ideas from both into one mode, so the Definitive Edition version of Free Ride contains both the tourism part and some hidden bonus content to discover."

While publisher 2K is yet to comment on the game's performance, Mafia: The Old Country surpassed 800,000 unit sales across Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox in its first four days, according to Sensor Tower data. PlayStation leads the way with around 48% of total sales, while Steam contributes roughly one-third of the total.

"The robust early sales underline the enduring appeal of the Mafia IP and validate the studio’s choice to deliver a linear, narrative-driven experience with cinematic presentation," the analyst firm said. "The stronger performance on PlayStation may reflect the platform’s strategic alignment with story-focused single-player games." Mafia: The Old Country launched priced $50, which will have also encouraged sales.

IGN's Mafia: The Old Country review returned an 8/10. We said: "Mafia: The Old Country is a conventional but effective return to the linear and tightly story-driven format of the original Mafia and Mafia II, and it boasts a wonderful eye and ear for detail."

Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.