Mafia: The Old Country vs Starfield
Linear mob story versus Bethesda's starship sandbox — pick your patience for fast travel and handcrafted detail.
Updated 6d 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 Aug 7; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Aug 7.
| Measure | Mafia: The Old Country | Starfield |
|---|---|---|
| Value Mafia: The Old Country wins on value | ||
| Price now | $25.70 −49% · GameBillet | $34.39 −31% · GreenManGaming |
| All-time low | $25.70 | $34.39 |
| Cost / hour | $2.10/hr $25.70 · 12 h main story | $1.44/hr $34.39 · 24 h main story |
| Off its low | At its low low was Aug 2026 | At its low low was Jul 2026 |
| Main story | 12 h | 24 h |
| Health Mafia: The Old Country wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 73% 29k reviews | 57% 175k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 76% 308 votes · vs 73% lifetime | 63% 396 votes · vs 57% lifetime · improving |
| Peak players | 867 Jul 2026 · ↓ 8% MoM | 7,294 Jul 2026 · ↓ 8% MoM |
| Launch peak | 8% of Aug 2025 launch peak · as of Jul 2026 | 2% of Sep 2023 launch peak · as of Jul 2026 |
| All-time peak | 11,552 Aug 2025 | 330,597 Sep 2023 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | — | 8 weeks ago |
| Patch cadence | — | 2 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 prefer a short, handcrafted story you can finish in a weekend
- You know the Mafia series and want its tighter pacing back
- You'd rather avoid mods and procedural repetition entirely
Pick Starfield if
- You'll spend hours in the ship builder and dock editor
- You have 80+ hours and a mod-friendly PC setup
- Bethesda's comfort loop of quests and loot is your thing
Bottom line
Pick Old Country for a direct, cinematic mob story with no filler; choose Starfield if you want a moddable space sandbox and ship-building obsession over its weaker story.