Open World Sandbox

Lore & Background

The open world sandbox in Mafia II is defined by its commitment to historical authenticity. The game takes place between two distinct time periods – 1945 and 1951 – within the fictional U.S. city of Empire Bay. The city is situated on the United States' eastern coastline and divided by a river, and consists of several districts, including wealthy suburbs, slums, and tenement blocks for the city's different ethnic groups, including Irish, African-American, Chinese, and Italian, and large-scale industrial complexes. The city is supported by a large port, a railroad station, a major prison outside its city limits, several parks, and a collection of shopping malls and supermarkets. The game's main story sees the city divided between a number of criminal outfits, including three mafia families — the Falcone family, Vinci family, and Clemente family — a Chinese Triad outfit, the Irish Mob, and several street gangs. The city's design, including the architectural styles, cultures, public transportation and landmarks, are influenced by various real-life American cities, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Detroit, from within the two respective time periods used in the game.

In Their Own Story

The rain-slicked streets of Empire Bay glisten under neon signs. You pull your vehicle over, the engine ticking as it cools. A radio crackles with a big band tune. Across the street, a diner glows warm, but you're not here for coffee. You watch a man exit a warehouse, a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The city breathes around you—a taxi honks, a woman laughs, a distant siren wails. You step out, the cold air sharp, and follow him into the shadows. This is your city. Your rules.

Reader's Guide

The open world sandbox in Mafia II is not a sandbox of chaos but of opportunity and consequence. The core gameplay revolves around shooting and driving; a limited melee combat system is also included, which combines punching and dodging. There are 50 era-accurate vehicles in the game as well as licensed music. Depending on the weather during the course of the game, vehicles handle differently. For example, during the early chapters in winter, vehicles are more likely to slip on the road due to the ice. Interacting with objects in the environment involves two action buttons: a standard action and a "violent" action, used in context-sensitive situations; for example, when stealing a car, the player may choose to either pick its lock or break the window glass. A map is included as in the original Mafia game, but the checkpoint system has been completely overhauled. New controls include a cover system that allows the player to take cover behind objects and shoot enemies, rather than just entering an arbitrary crouch pose behind them as in the first game. The game features three different in-game radio stations (Empire Central Radio, Empire Classic Radio, and Delta Radio) with licensed music, news, and commercials. The radio stations include music from different genres including rock and roll, big band, rhythm and blues, and doo-wop, with licensed songs by Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Dean Martin, Little Richard, Muddy Waters, Buddy Holly & The Crickets, Bing Crosby, Bill Haley & His Comets, The Chordettes, Ritchie Valens, Bo Diddley, Ricky Nelson, Eddie Cochran, The Champs, The Drifters, The Fleetwoods, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Nat King Cole, The Chords, and The Andrews Sisters. Why it matters: The sandbox grounds the player in the era, making every drive feel like a journey through a time capsule. It reinforces the theme that the mobster's life is not just about shootouts but about navigating a real, living world with its own rules and rhythms. The freedom to explore between missions allows players to absorb the atmosphere and build a personal connection to the city before the next job pulls them back into the underworld. Pro tip: Want to feel the pulse of the era? Park your car on a street corner in Empire Bay at dusk. Watch the headlights sweep past, listen to the jukebox leak from a bar, and let the city’s rhythm set your pace. That’s where the magic lives.

Did You Know?

• The city of Empire Bay is based on New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit.
• There are 50 era-accurate vehicles in the game, and vehicles handle differently depending on the weather, such as slipping on ice during winter chapters.
• The game features three different in-game radio stations: Empire Central Radio, Empire Classic Radio, and Delta Radio.
• When stealing a car, the player may choose to either pick its lock or break the window glass using context-sensitive action buttons.
• The game's cutscenes are created by the game engine in real-time, so if the player is riding in a damaged car, the cutscene will show the same damaged car.