Mafia: The Old Country adds Free Ride, first‑person driving and Classic difficulty

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Hangar 13 has outlined a substantial content drop for Mafia: The Old Country set in 1900s Sicily. The Free Ride Update revives the series’ open-ended challenge mode, expands exploration tools, and layers in new ways to reexperience campaign locations. The studio positions it as a nod to earlier Free Ride modes while modernizing their structure and rewards. Associate Design Director Josh Zammit shared details on what changes, what returns, and how it all ties back into the main story.

According to the official announcement, the update arrives on November 20 for PlayStation 5 and is free. A Game Trial for PlayStation Plus Premium members is scheduled to start on Friday, November 21. Official trailer:

What Free Ride adds this time

Free Ride is framed as a modern callback to the series’ earlier side modes. It introduces a hub of repeatable Challenges across familiar and new locations, letting players engage the world away from the main plot.

• Challenge types – combat standoffs, stealth assassinations and several race formats.
• Progression and rewards – completing Challenges awards Dinari, which can be spent on outfits, charms, weapons and vehicles unlocked through Free Ride and the campaign.
• Structure – activities are accessed in-world by traveling the map, unlocking Hitching Posts, and meeting contacts; each Challenge loads a dedicated encounter or world state.

“Free Ride is a callback to the original Mafia’s Free Ride Extreme, as well as the Free Ride mode we shipped in Mafia: Definitive Edition,” said Associate Design Director Josh Zammit.

First‑person driving and exploration

For the first time in the franchise, Mafia officially supports first‑person driving. The cockpit view changes how players read the road and the world – dust and smoke from rival cars affect visibility, and details of Valle Dorata become more pronounced when not viewed from the series’ classic third‑person camera.

Zammit recommends jumping into the fastest car and switching to the new camera to appreciate the landscape’s texture. A Photo Mode accompanies this push toward immersion, providing tools to capture scenic shots and high‑speed moments.

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Campaign benefits: Classic challenge and Cinema Siciliano

Several features spill directly into the story. First‑person driving can be used during campaign missions – highlighted as especially impactful in Chapter 7 – offering a more intimate read on character moments and car handling. The update also introduces Classic Difficulty, raising enemy lethality and resource management stakes for players seeking a tougher run.

Another option, Cinema Siciliano, reimagines visuals and audio to resemble classic Italian cinema – a black‑and‑white look with vintage‑style sound treatment. Items earned in Free Ride carry over to the campaign, broadening customization throughout a new or existing playthrough.

How the mode reuses and extends the map

Free Ride turns Valle Dorata into a roaming hub. Combat encounters revisit mission locations once their corresponding story chapters are complete, remixing spaces in different states. Races are laid out along less‑traveled routes, pushing players to discover roads they may have missed during missions.

The studio also hints there may be new places to find – and suggests checking notes in Enzo’s apartment, which could point to an unexpected thread worth investigating.

Release and availability

Release date: November 20 on PlayStation 5 – the Free Ride Update is free. A Game Trial for PlayStation Plus Premium subscribers is planned to begin on Friday, November 21. The official feature overview trailer is available here:

Bottom line – why it matters

The Free Ride Update folds structured replayability into Mafia: The Old Country while deepening immersion with first‑person driving, a classic‑film preset, and a harder difficulty. For players, that means more reasons to revisit Valle Dorata, earn gear that carries into the campaign, and experience the story from fresh angles – whether through tougher combat or a new camera that puts you right behind the wheel.