Mafia games usually revolve around the lifestyle of mafiosos in organized crime. These games offer a peek into the criminal underworld, filled with shady deals and illegal practices.
Sometimes, mafia games put you in control of the law. These games are a fun alternative as you’ll attempt to stop the source of a sprawling crime syndicate.
Despite the exhilarating premise, there aren’t as many mafia games as you’d believe. However, the 8 titles on this list undoubtedly deserve to be among mentions for the best mafia games on Switch.
Whiskey Mafia: Frank’s Story
In terms of mafia elements, Whiskey Mafia: Frank’s Story embraced the whole formula from head to toe. It is a side-scrolling adventure game, showcasing a decent pixelized animation and a 50s-style soundtrack which do well with each other.
The game lets you play as Frank, a postman who stumbles upon an old friend that made him a gangster to create new business opportunities. Furthermore, he goes on a different criminal errand to get his name in the mob scene.
The game gives a pretty decent storytelling delivery because of its visual novel-esque type of gameplay. The game revolves around Frank’s story of becoming a wise guy, surrounded by people with ties with the mafia.
On top of that, the game is also depicted as a walking simulator in which players can walk around the area. In addition, it is also a good variety, as players can play in a series of minigames that supplements the story.
Furthermore, Frank’s Story delivers a much more fluid performance than its first initial release, called Leo’s Family, as it showcased significant improvements in the game. For instance, the dialogues are fixed linearly, and a minimal action segment connects with the protagonist’s character.
Overall, Whiskey Mafia: Frank’s Story is one of the best mafia games on Switch regarding the deliverance of crime fiction, especially in the mafia genre. This is a must-have for your library right now.
This is the Police 2
This is the Police 2 took a different approach to the mafia genre; however, it still packs a punch as the game contains conspiracy and drug-related crimes in the mix. This action-strategy game gives a lighter tone to its mature themes as it embraces a paper-mâché aesthetic complemented by its exciting soundtrack.
The game revolves around the town of Sharpwood, where three sheriffs investigate a shady place that happens to be the base of a gang of drug traffickers known as the Necktie gang. However, the plot thickens when all three sheriffs ambushed on the operation.
The game has a very decent narrative that players will hook up quickly, as the game focuses on dealing with traumas and guilt. In addition, its fantastic mo-cap cutscenes complement the game’s art direction while providing decent voice work to match.
On top of that, its enjoyable gameplay entices strategy players because of its wide selection of moves available. Also, to supplement its tactical elements, it allows players to organize their qualified teams for each mission.
You can manually assign different items to your officers; giving equipment to your units will allow you to understand the situation. In addition, you can develop your officers in any attribute you want to depict which they specialize.
Overall, This is the Police 2 is a recommendable strategy game that catches the features of a mafia genre.
Guns, Gore, and Cannoli
Guns, Gore, and Cannoli, is the love child of The Godfather and the Night of the Living Dead. This quirky action-platformer game displays a hand-drawn visual design with a jazzy soundtrack to match its 1920s vibe.
You play as the mob enforcer Vinnie that sets out on a mission to investigate the murders of fellow gangsters on their turf. But, not knowing what was happening, he discovered flesh-eating zombies overrunning the place.
GGC is a straightforward action shooter game that adapts run-and-gun mechanics, which partners well with its platforming segments. On top of that, its fast-paced gunplay brings out an action-packed shooter experience as it gives players different ways to eliminate zombies.
Also, there are different kinds of firearms that you can switch on the fly, giving it some additional firepower. For instance, if your pistol doesn’t perform well, you can switch to your shotgun to defeat clumped zombies in one shot.
Moreover, you can also kick zombies using the B button, pushing away zombies if you get stuck between corners. This way, you can give yourself space for reloading your firearms and stunning them.
All in all, Guns, Gore, And Cannoli is one unexpected mafia game that gives something new to players.
Narcos: Rise of the Cartels
Another one to make it on this list is this strategy game which makes a good suggestion for casual players called Narcos: Rise of the Cartels. This title is a game adaptation from the famous Netflix series with the same name, capturing its elements.
The game lets you play as DEA agents tasks to take down all of the Colombians drug lords that run the cocaine drug trade. In addition, the story is set in the 1980s when cartels run the country, specifically Pablo Escobar, as one of the game’s main antagonists and the series.
The game reminisces players from early XCOM games as Rise of the Cartels captures its signature cover and shoot mechanic to supplement its turn-based system. Also, Rise of the Cartels is loaded with strategy elements as players get to manage their team of agents with each specific skill and attribute that complements with other members.
Furthermore, each campaign deploys you to a stack of structures as each map on the game is designed to be complex, giving players something challenging in combat and gameplay. Because of that, it makes players stuck in confusion, breaking their thinking process while planning their next move.
With that being said, Rise of the Cartels quickly charms players by delivering strategy and mafia elements in one package.
Empire of Sin
If we are talking about mafia games, then Empire of Sin is the one that will fill up the conversation. This tactical action RPG is an action-packed experience as it highlights mafia themes that settle in a 1920s aesthetic, complete with a jazzy soundtrack to jive in.
The game lets you play one of the most extraordinary mafia bosses in the prohibition era. You take on a criminal journey to build your illegal empire in Chicago. You can accept missions and fight countless gangsters in a real-time strategy action.
The game delivered the strategy genre very well, showcasing a turn-based combat system allowing players to strategize their actions in each turn. In addition, each turn contains a limited action of two points, which adds flavors to its intricate combat.
Aside from that, players can also take on a gang war by taking over buildings owned by other bosses; this is the best way to go as objectives are simple turn-based combat gameplay. Also, you can always buy buildings around if you want to play safe.
Also, if you need money to expand your criminal empire, you can take missions to gather money exponentially. Each mission contains different objectives to finish and mostly are beatable with combat while amid a gang war.
All in all, Empire of Sin is a good addition if you’re in the mood for a great Nintendo Switch mafia game.
Saints Row: The Third – The Full Package
Saints Row: The Third took a humorous approach to the mafia genre that always tickles your funny bone. This action shooter game has a different take on mob elements and highlights over-the-top gangster-to-gangster action sequences.
This game is the third entry of the main Saints Row games, which follows the events of the second one, highlighting the mafia’s involvement in cinemas. The story revolves around the 3rd Street Saints gang that decided to take a different turn to become a media company.
The Third is a captivating shooter game that allows players to partake in a bullet frenzy action. On top of that, the combat allows players to play in a quick time event to unleash a series of melee attacks in a hilarious cutscene to match.
As such, you can also equip different firearms to add to our arsenal of weapons, from melee weapons to firearms. For instance, the Viper Laser Rifle that can fire laser charges deals quite a damage while containing good stability.
This open world title allows players to explore its ridiculous location and perform crazy stunts while exploring. In addition, you can accept hilarious survival missions that let you take down hilarious factions such as clowns and luchadores.
Overall, this game may be focused on the comedic side of the crime genre; however, it still delivers a solid relevance in the mafia genre. Thus, Saints Row is highly regarded among mafia games on Switch.
Payday 2
There is something about the charm of heist films, and Payday 2 compiles every heist element into one game. This game is a bombastic first-person action shooter, showcasing a fast-paced action that matches its synthesized soundtrack.
The game is the sequel to the first game with the same name, set two years after the events of the first one. Again, you play as one of the members of the Payday gang, going on an all-out heist through the plains of Washington’s metropolitan area.
Moreover, the combat captures the full might of the first-person perspective, providing a gang member’s point of view in action. Aside from that, you can shoot enemies and make hostages kneel if you aim at them.
Payday 2 is an excellent game with a partner as well; having three members in a single run truly brings out the chaotic action of the game. In addition, each gang member must also fulfill each task to execute the plan effectively.
Also, planning your approach is one of the critical parts of each heist; having a half-baked plan will get you to the authorities in no time. To prevent that, conduct a strategic entry for your heist; sneaking inside is always the best option, as going in secretly will assure the safety of your members.
Overall, Payday 2 is considered a mafia game as heisting is one of the main jobs of being a wise guy.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy The Definitive Edition
Of course, this is not a good mafia list without having Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy The Definitive Edition. This game is a collective of three GTA games from the 3D universe, which showcase a much smoother rendering of graphics, a cleaner soundtrack, and more explicit voice work.
The game allows players to partake in each GTA storyline, such as the Liberty City timeline, which centers around the Leone crime family. On top of that, the definitive edition adds modern controls that capture the same concept from GTA V for newer players.
GTA is one of the most famous open-world games out there, making its exploration one of the staple elements of the game. In addition, you can take different missions to increase your character’s attributes while scouring around each map.
And of course, in true GTA fashion, you can steal cars and roam around each city to perform incredible stunts by lunging into the air. On top of that, each vehicle you stole can be yours by giving it a new paint job.
As for the combat, it embraced third-person shooter mechanics, as you can shoot enemies and take down civilians with an over-the-shoulder perspective. Moreover, to supplement the combat experience, you can equip different firearms, from AK-47s to RPGs, to take down opposing mafia members at once.
That said, GTA: The Trilogy has perfectly delivered the crime genre while hinting at some mafia elements. GTA is undeniably one of the best mafia games on Switch today.
