How to Fix Mafia: The Old Country PC Crashes and Stutter

Step 1: Step 1: Launch online the first time

2K says the first Steam launch, and only the first, must be online so the game can validate your copy and download patches.

• Make sure Steam is online (not in Offline Mode). Temporarily disable any network-restricting program, such as a firewall rule or blocker that stops the game going online, and launch the game.
• Pro Tip: After that first successful start, 2K says you can play offline.

How you know it worked: The game gets past the first loading screens.

Step 2: Step 2: Give a black screen 15 seconds

• If the screen stays black on first startup, wait. 2K says this is likely a one-time issue that clears after about 12–15 seconds. Don't force-close straight away.

How you know it worked: The menu appears, and later launches start normally.

Step 3: Step 3: Update the game, graphics driver, Windows and BIOS

Hotfixes, drivers and firmware cover most crashes.

• Let Steam install any pending update. Install the latest NVIDIA, AMD or Intel graphics driver. Run Windows Update.
• Intel 13th/14th Gen: If you have a 13th or 14th Gen Intel Core CPU, update your motherboard BIOS to the latest version. 2K says these chips can crash under heavy loads such as shader compilation, and its Steam post lists the i7-13700K, i9-13900K, i7-14700K and i9-14900KF among affected models. Follow Intel's official guidance and your motherboard manual.
• Pro Tip: A BIOS update carries some risk. Don't interrupt it, and follow your motherboard maker's instructions exactly.

How you know it worked: Crashes during shader compilation or at boot stop.

Step 4: Step 4: Turn off Frame Generation if cutscenes stutter

• Settings → Graphics → set Frame Generation to Off. 2K says it's off by default, but if you turned it on, it can make cinematics hiccup.
• Pro Tip: 2K also suggests setting the cinematics frame rate to unlimited and using DLSS, FSR or XeSS instead of Unreal TSR if you see slowdowns in transitions to and from cutscenes.

How you know it worked: Cutscenes play smoothly.

Step 5: Step 5: Adjust Render Resolution and upscaling

• In Settings → Graphics, lower Render Resolution to about 75–80%, which 2K says should help noticeably, especially at 4K. Switch the upscaler from Unreal TSR to DLSS (NVIDIA), FSR (AMD) or XeSS (Intel), and try a lower Upscaling Mode such as Balanced or Performance.
• Pro Tip: Check your PC meets the minimum requirements: an Intel Core i7-9700K or Ryzen 7 2700X, 16 GB RAM and an RTX 2070 or RX 5700 XT.

How you know it worked: Frame rates rise without a big visual drop.

Step 6: Step 6: Restart the chapter for stuck progression

• 2K's first step for other in-game issues is to restart the chapter. Make sure you're on the latest update, because the 1 September update fixed getting stuck when moving from Free Ride back to Story Mode, companions not acting, and missing progression rewards.

How you know it worked: The mission continues normally.

Step 7: Step 7: Run 2K's general PC checks

2K's general PC article applies to all its games.

• Clear your launcher's cache, close VPNs, overlays (Steam or Discord) and other background apps, add exceptions for the game in antivirus or firewall software, and run Windows Update. Reinstall only if these don't help.
• Pro Tip: Unofficial: some players on 2K's Steam forum report startup crashes went away after turning off G-Sync and using a fixed refresh rate. 2K hasn't confirmed this.

How you know it worked: The game launches and runs without crashing.