Rockstar Games appears to have moved on from Red Dead Redemption 2. Despite years of insider claims about a new-gen update, nothing has materialized. With Grand Theft Auto VI facing multiple delays, the window for such a patch seems to have closed. Perhaps one day skeptics will be proven wrong, but for now, the game’s PC version remains the definitive way to experience the Wild West—thanks largely to its thriving modding community.
Enter ‘Mafia 1899’, a free expansion mod created by NexusMods user M8Tmods. This ambitious project infuses Red Dead Redemption 2 with features inspired by 2K‘s Mafia franchise. Players can visit a new Mafia bar complete with a drinking interaction and an interactive meeting table, where voice commands and NPC setups allow for roleplay. There’s also a bedroom and the don’s office, the latter serving as the launching point for the mod’s new missions.
The mod introduces a staggering 13 mission types: protection racket, wagon robbery, personal guard to the don, general assassination, intimidate the prostitute, VIP defence, associate rescues, house calls, deals, bribes, and heists. The wagon robbery and intimidate the prostitute missions are directly inspired by similar quests from Mafia 1: Definitive Edition, paying homage to that classic title.
Heists are particularly comprehensive. The Police Files Heist requires players to break into a police station, searching for incriminating files on their mafia while grabbing valuables. The Booze Wagon Heist, inspired by Mafia 1’s ‘A Trip to the Country’, sends players to a farmhouse on the outskirts of Saint Denis to steal booze and deliver it to nearby docks. The Church of Holy Heist involves smuggling goods into the catacombs of a rival mafia’s church, while the Warehouse Heist tasks players with running illicit cargo from the Castille Cotton Company warehouse, also controlled by a rival.
Though the mod is only a few days old, it has already garnered strong praise from the Red Dead community. One player called it ‘the coolest mod ever, what a great idea,’ while another remarked, ‘This is a truly great one! More than I could’ve asked for or expected.’ A third added, ‘Dude. I remember about three years ago thinking how cool a mafia mod would be. Now my dreams are complete.’
The mod works with both Arthur and John‘s segments of the game. By all accounts, the assassination missions are so enjoyable that some players have requested the modder turn them into a standalone mode. For those seeking a new lease of life in Red Dead Redemption 2, ‘Mafia 1899’ might just be the solution.
