Mafia: The Old Country review

Cosa Noldstra

Image credit:Hangar 13

Mafia: The Old Country’s predictable story and dated elements bring down a game that nicely replicates the atmosphere of 1900s Sicily.

• Developer: Hangar 13
• Publisher: 2K Games
• Release: August 8th 2025
• On: Windows
• From: Steam
• Price: $49.99/£44.99/€49.99
• Reviewed on: Intel Core i7-12700F, 16GB RAM, NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti, Windows 11

The motor carriage noisily trundles down a dirt track in the Sicilian countryside. It’s a beautiful evening or morning. I’ve lost track of which, and I’m too busy thinking to double check whether the pale sun overhead is rising or retreating. How strange it is that something so new (at least in the context it’s being presented) can feel so inescapably ancient. These thoughts are about the impractical and inefficient curiosity Enzo Favara’s at the wheel of, but they’re also about Mafia: The Old Country itself.

If you get a relative or mate who’s unfamiliar with the Mafia series to play Hangar 13’s latest work, I’m fairly convinced that you’ll have an easier time convincing them that they’d just sampled a remaster of a game from the 2000s than a new release from 2025. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, but at a time when games attempting to draw on nostalgia feel more unrepentantly nostalgic than ever, while new games often feel increasingly desperate to convey their newness, it’s certainly struck me.

The Old Country’s old school, and deliberately so. In response to criticism Mafia 3 got when it came out about a decade ago , the developers have opted not to keep trying to evolve what a Mafia game is with a revised approach, but instead to push back against the inevitable onslaught of time.

The single-player story is the thing, the open world ’s little more than a backdrop for it to take place against. You’ll find none of online gubbins or microtransactions that’ve snaked their way into countless series here, for better or often worse. You’ve still got to link your 2K account up in order to access the car with the best stats in the game, but hey, we can’t have everything, right?

The result, however, is that the very linear main plot has to do the overwhelming majority of the heavy lifting in making the game feel worth your time. It does a perfectly average job. Living up to the tagline of the advert for the game I’ve been served 10,000 times on YouTube over the past two weeks, The Old Country is a chance to play through a classic movie. It’s a mob movie you’ve seen before, one whose twists are overtly choreographed or predictable, and whose characters, while performed well, are pale imitations of deeper Dons or more stimulating Sicilians.

Enzo, the protagonist, starts off having been sold into slavery in a Mafia-run sulphur mine. Now a young adult, he’s naturally desperate to escape the treacherous tunnels underneath a literal volcano that’s Mount Etna in all but name. However, once he does, his freedom comes with the caveat of being trapped in the service of another mob clan, the Torrisi family. This being a classic mafia movie, the lad promptly falls head over heels in love with the Don of the family’s daughter, Isabella.

Image credit:Hangar 13 / Rock Paper Shotgun

Thus begins a tale told over chapters that take place across multiple in-game years, jumping months at a time from major event to major event between each mission. There’s a palio, a motor race, a christening, and a trip to the opera. There are no weddings or funerals unless you count one that happens off-screen, which is at least one area in which it feels like Hangar 13 have exercised restraint in their desire to emulate The Godfather films. As things progress at a breakneck pace, some of the themes or plot points that could have helped set The Old Country’s tale apart from the inspirations it breathlessly mimics don’t get the focus or examination they deserve.

The alienation Enzo would feel upon suddenly being cast from the dehumanising underground prison of life in the mine, to rubbing shoulders with the privileged amid the dream-like Mediterranean vibrance of the Dorata valley. Isabella’s strained relationship with her controlling father, and the nature of what his position demands of a person. There’s some nice interrogation of the toll being locked into criminal organisations takes on families, and how the divide between poor working people and nouveau riche landowners in post-feudal Italy led the mafia to become such a strong institution in places like Sicily.

However, the game’s too desperate to rush you on to its next bit of mechanically unremarkable cover-shooting, stealthing, driving, or riding to slow things down a bit. Part of this is just the nature of what Hangar 13 were going for, with The Old Country designed as a bitesize and highly-focused adventure. That means there’s very little of the bloat that plagues a lot of open-world action games, but also means you only get a tiny smidge of the slice of life the mafia media that inspired The Old Country excels in offering.

It doesn’t paint anywhere near as detailed a picture of a culture, of regular people’s day-to-day lives shackled to the dark and powerful black hole that is ‘our thing’ in the same way that The Godfather or The Sopranos have done, because it’s always desperately trying to funnel you to the next in a train of one-on-one knife fights it’s got set up. That constant rush ensures the game never drags, but also that it doesn’t spend nearly enough time doing the one thing it does best - letting you feel like you’re living in rural early 1900s Sicily. When it does take a breather, you get lovely moments. Stopping to listen to a guy on a stage recount local legends with audible relish. A car full of drunken idiots blasting tunes from a gramophone as it meanders to town, then crawling to a stop so one of them can piss over the side of a bridge while yelling what for at the local populace.

Image credit:Hangar 13 / Rock Paper Shotgun

The open world itself is the lone star of the show, clearly designed with care and a sharp eye for capturing the beauty of a fairytale landscape that alternates between serene and rugged. The problem is that in their desire to be old school and pretend Mafia 3 never happened, the devs have squirrelled away letting you openly roam this lovely locale into a separate exploration mode that’s easy to miss out of the gate. Sure, ditch the sandbox stuffed with an unnecessary amount of nagging map markers and pointless shite to manage, but it seems like overkill not to let the player explore a bit without having to back out and load up an entirely different bit of the game.

On one hand, I get it. By modern standards, The Old Country’s open world is pretty static, with a lot of interiors only being accessible during their respective main story missions. The things to do in it are also pretty limited, with aimless roaming being the only alternative running around picking up a handful of collectable items that either help flesh out the setting’s historical context or earn you more cash to spend on gear, rides, or limited customisation options. On the other, not being able to engage with that in a more natural fashion is a shame. You don’t have to feel ashamed of your open world because it’s not brimming with stuff, Mafia!

There’s also the matter of the unstable performance I had at certain points, with a few crashes and regular stuttering, though most of this seemed linked squarely to the transitions between gameplay and cutscenes in story missions. Oh, and there was one point in exploration mode when a cart texture glitched out across the map.

Image credit:Hangar 13 / Rock Paper Shotgun

All of this culminates in a paradoxical game that arguably feels more like a 2006 release coming out in 2025 than this year’s actual re-release of a game from 2006 . Despite it having an entirely new plot nestled in a world that you’ve never seen before, all of the mechanics and packaging are dated in a manner that feels suffocating to those fresh bits as often as it does a blessing for them.

I respect Hangar 13 for not feeling like they had to join in today’s arms race of ever-balooning open world/ action things and sticking to their stated principles in doing so. Though, I think the manner in which they’ve executed that vision has its eyes too firmly glued to the rear view mirror. This isn’t a game that pulls the best bits from how things were done back in the day and melds that with positive innovations developed since that point to create a middle ground that could represent a better way forwards. The Old Country feels stuck in the past.

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Mafia: The Old Country

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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