Mafia: The Old Country vs Starfield
Tight 12-hour mob story versus 24-hour space slog — the real choice is handcrafted drama over procedural sprawl.
Updated 21d ago
Hangar 13 finally remembered what Mafia is — Old Country trades open-world bloat for tight 1900s Sicily linearity, and it's a real comeback.
Free Lanes finally fixed the space travel — you can cruise between planets now — but the procedural planets and the weak main story are untouched.
By the numbers
Prices checked Sep 8; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Sep 8.
| Measure | Mafia: The Old Country | Starfield |
|---|---|---|
| Value Mafia: The Old Country wins on value | ||
| Price now | $25.99 −48% · Fanatical | $35.99 −28% · Fanatical |
| All-time low | $24.99 | $34.39 |
| Cost / hour | $2.12/hr $25.99 · 12 h main story | $1.51/hr $35.99 · 24 h main story |
| Off its low | +4% low was Aug 2026 | +5% low was Jul 2026 |
| Main story | 12 h | 24 h |
| Health Mafia: The Old Country wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 73% 30k reviews | 57% 175k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 72% 979 votes · vs 73% lifetime | 62% 418 votes · vs 57% lifetime |
| Peak players | 3,524 Aug 2026 · ↑ 306% MoM | 7,154 Aug 2026 · ↓ 2% MoM |
| Launch peak | 31% of Aug 2025 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 | 2% of Sep 2023 launch peak · as of Aug 2026 |
| All-time peak | 11,552 Aug 2025 | 330,597 Sep 2023 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 3 weeks ago | 3 months ago |
| Patch cadence | 3 in last 90 days | 0 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Gold | Gold |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Mafia: The Old Country
The early 20th century Sicilian atmosphere and respectful Mafia storytelling are what long-time fans consistently praise.
The short campaign length and occasionally clunky knife duels are common friction points among veteran players.
from our May 2026 verdict
Starfield
Long-haul pilots credit the ship builder and the mod scene with carrying exploration well past what the vanilla planets offer.
Reviewers with four-figure hour counts say the handcrafted content thins out fast and repeated points of interest turn planet-scanning into filler.
from our July 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Mafia: The Old Country if
- You love Mafia 1/2's cinematic missions and can finish a game in a weekend.
- You prefer a focused mob story in 1900s Sicily over open-world filler.
- You're okay minimal side activities and no RPG mechanics beyond shooting.
Pick Starfield if
- You want to spend hundreds of hours building ships and exploring planets.
- You enjoy Bethesda's loop of looting, over-encumbering, and modding on PC.
- You can tolerate procedural repetition and weak narrative for sandbox freedom.
Bottom line
Pick Mafia: The Old Country for a tight 12-hour narrative thrill; pick Starfield for 24-hour space exploration with mod support, but only if ship-building beats story for you.