Crime saga fans may soon have a fresh reason to revisit the underworld of Empire Bay and New Bordeaux on current-gen hardware.

Newly revealed ESRB ratings suggest native PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S editions could be on the horizon for Mafia II: Definitive Edition and Mafia III: Definitive Edition. While both titles are already accessible on modern consoles via backward compatibility, dedicated current-gen SKUs would allow developer Hangar 13 and publisher 2K to leverage faster SSD load times and enhanced graphic performance.

Both games have been rated Mature 17+ for “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, and Use of Drugs and Alcohol.”

According to the reports, updating the franchise’s catalog comes at a perfect time. With massive hype building across the open-world crime genre ahead of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI, expanded access to such crime titles could capture more action-adventure audiences.

Recent ESRB listings point to potential current-gen versions

Both games are already playable on PlayStation 5 through backward compatibility. Since last-gen versions of the titles already exist, the new releases are likely to be tailored specifically to current-gen hardware and specifications.

The series has continued to attract interest following the success of Mafia: Definitive Edition, which launched in September 2020. That momentum was further boosted by the release of Mafia: The Old Country earlier this year.

The Mafia franchise started its run during the PS2/Xbox era of games. Subsequent entries in the franchise were released on next-gen consoles. Mafia II launched on PS3 and Xbox 360, Mafia III on the PS4 and Xbox One, and Mafia: The Old Country on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. All games were also released on PC.

The games earned widespread acclaim for their performances and gameplay. With the Definitive Editions of previous entries receiving updates, PlayStation 5 versions featuring enhanced graphics and refined mechanics could also be something the studios are considering. However, no such update has been officially announced yet. The original Definitive Editions launched on May 19, 2020.

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