Mafia The Old Country: Ultimate Performance Guide - 2025

Sammy Schnor

• 4 min read
Mafia The Old Country: Ultimate Performance Guide - 2025

Struggling with FPS drops in Mafia: The Old Country? You're not alone. Since its release on August 8, 2025, players have been reporting performance issues ranging from stuttering to severe frame drops. This comprehensive guide will help you optimize your settings for smooth gameplay, whether you're running the latest RTX 50 series or an older GPU.

Quick Answer/TLDR

For optimal performance in Mafia: The Old Country, use these settings: DLSS/FSR on Balanced mode, Global Illumination on High, Shadows/Reflections on Medium, and disable Motion Blur. Lock your framerate to 60 FPS for stability. Ensure you have at least 8GB VRAM to avoid stuttering.

System Requirements & Performance Expectations

Before diving into optimization, let's review what you need to run this game smoothly:

Minimum Requirements (30-45 FPS at 1080p Low)

  • CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
  • GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060 6GB / AMD RX 580 8GB
  • RAM: 8GB DDR4
  • VRAM: 6GB minimum (8GB strongly recommended)
  • CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
  • GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3070 / AMD RX 6700 XT
  • RAM: 16GB DDR4
  • VRAM: 8GB or higher

Best Settings for Maximum Performance

These optimized settings will give you the best balance between visual quality and performance:

Display Settings

  • Screen Mode: Borderless Fullscreen (reduces input lag)
  • Render Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (native)
  • V-Sync: Off (unless screen tearing is unbearable)
  • Gameplay Frame Rate: 60 FPS (lock for stability)

Graphics Settings

  • Anti-Aliasing & Upscaling: NVIDIA DLSS or AMD FSR
  • Upscaling Mode: Balanced (best performance/quality ratio)
  • Sharpness: 0.25
  • Motion Blur: Off (improves clarity and performance)
  • Global Illumination: High (crucial for visual quality)
  • Shadows: Medium
  • Reflections: Medium
  • View Distance: Near (big performance boost)
  • Textures: Medium
  • Foliage: Medium
  • Effects: Low (minimal visual impact)
  • Post Processing: Low

GPU-Specific Optimization Guide

For RTX 50 Series (5090, 5080, 5070 Ti, 5070)

Lucky you! These cards can handle maximum settings. However, be aware of the DX12 NVIDIA bug currently affecting performance. Enable DLSS 3 Frame Generation for up to 120+ FPS.

For RTX 40 Series (4090, 4080, 4070 Ti, 4070, 4060)

Use the recommended settings above with DLSS set to Quality mode. You should achieve stable 60-90 FPS at 1080p or 1440p.

For RTX 30 Series (3090, 3080, 3070, 3060)

Stick to the optimized settings listed above. DLSS on Balanced mode is crucial. Consider dropping Shadows and Reflections to Low if needed.

For AMD GPUs (RX 7900 XTX, 7900 XT, 7800 XT, 6000 Series)

Use FSR 2.0 instead of DLSS. Set to Balanced or Performance mode depending on your card. The game tends to favor NVIDIA hardware, so you may need to lower settings further.

Common Performance Issues & Fixes

1. Game Won't Launch on First Startup

Solution: Ensure you're connected to the internet through Steam for initial validation. Verify game files integrity in Steam properties.

2. Severe FPS Drops in Cutscenes

Solution: This is a known issue. Cap your framerate to 30 FPS during cutscenes only, or disable V-Sync entirely.

3. Stuttering Despite High FPS

Solution: This is usually VRAM-related. Ensure you have at least 8GB VRAM. Lower Texture quality to Medium and disable any background recording software.

4. DX12 NVIDIA Bug

Solution: Currently affecting all NVIDIA users. Install the latest drivers and wait for a patch. Some users report switching to DX11 mode helps (if available).

Pro Tips for Better Performance

  1. Update Your Drivers: Always use the latest GPU drivers. NVIDIA and AMD have released game-ready drivers specifically for Mafia: The Old Country.
  2. Close Background Apps: Discord, Chrome, and recording software can impact performance significantly.
  3. Enable Game Mode: Windows 11 Game Mode can provide a 5-10% performance boost.
  4. Install on SSD: The game's linear design means frequent loading. An SSD drastically reduces load times and texture pop-in.
  5. Consider Community Mods: Nexus Mods already has optimization presets for various hardware configurations.

Performance Benchmarks by Hardware

Here's what you can expect with our optimized settings at 1080p:

  • RTX 5090: 120-144 FPS
  • RTX 4070: 75-90 FPS
  • RTX 3070: 60-75 FPS
  • RTX 3060: 45-60 FPS
  • RX 7800 XT: 55-70 FPS
  • RX 6700 XT: 50-65 FPS

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Don't Max Everything: Even high-end cards struggle with Ultra settings. The visual difference between High and Ultra is minimal.
  2. Ignoring VRAM Requirements: Cards with less than 8GB VRAM will stutter regardless of other settings.
  3. Disabling Upscaling: DLSS/FSR provides massive performance gains with minimal quality loss. Use it!
  4. Running Without Latest Drivers: Game-ready drivers fix specific issues and improve performance.

Alternative Settings for Different Priorities

Maximum Performance (Potato Mode)

Set everything to Low, DLSS/FSR on Performance mode, reduce render resolution to 900p. This should get you 60 FPS on older hardware.

Balanced Quality/Performance

Follow our main recommendations above. This gives the best gaming experience for most players.

Maximum Quality (Screenshot Mode)

Everything on Ultra, DLSS off, native 4K resolution. Expect 30-45 FPS even on high-end hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the performance patch coming soon?

A: 2K Games hasn't announced a specific date, but they've acknowledged the DX12 issues. Expect a patch within 2-3 weeks based on their previous releases.

Q: Why does the game run worse than the previous Mafia titles?

A: The Old Country uses a newer engine with more advanced lighting and physics. The linear design also means more detailed environments, which impacts performance.

Q: Should I wait for patches before playing?

A: If you have a mid-range or better GPU, the game is playable with our optimized settings. Only wait if you're experiencing game-breaking issues.

Q: Does the ROG Ally or Steam Deck run this game well?

A: The ROG Ally can manage 30-40 FPS on low settings. Steam Deck struggles and isn't recommended unless you're comfortable with 25-30 FPS.

Final Thoughts

Mafia: The Old Country is a demanding game, but with the right settings, it's absolutely playable on a wide range of hardware. The key is finding the right balance for your system and being patient while 2K Games works on optimization patches.

Remember to check back after major patches, as performance can improve significantly. The community is also working on optimization mods that may help squeeze out extra FPS.

Have you found other settings that work better for your system? Let us know in the comments, and we'll update this guide with community-tested configurations.

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