10 best gangster games and mafia games for Android

People enjoy crime games. Game franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Mafia Wars helped expand people’s interest in the genre. These days, you can still either play those same games or find similar ones. The gangster game genre hasn’t changed much in a long time, and neither have mafia games. You basically wander a city, commit various crimes, try to grow your empire, and become the next big thing. Games take different approaches, but that’s about how it works. Here are the best gangster games and mafia games for Android.

We’d also like to give an honorable mention to Hitman Sniper (Google Play). It’s not necessarily a crime game, but it has that same noir feel to it.

The best gangster games and mafia games for Android

The Grand Mafia

Price: Free to play

Downtown Gangstaz – Online War

Price: Free to play

Downtown Gangstaz – Online War is a strategy PvP game with a gangster premise. You build up a little city, train some goons, and take down your opponents. The game has a live interaction mode where you can watch the destruction, and there are some strategy elements for both attack and defense. Players can also replay old fights and use skill points to defend and attack better. The businesses could generate a little more cash flow because the game is a bit slower, but otherwise, it’s decent.

Gameloft’s Gangstar franchise (three games)

Price: Free to play

Gameloft actually has three games in its Gangstar series. The first (and most popular) is Gangstar Vegas, followed by Gangstar New Orleans and Gangstar Rio. The games all play about the same, and they all play similarly to Grand Theft Auto. You roam around an open world, getting into all sorts of trouble, stealing cards, completing missions, and instigating gang wars. It was the best alternative to Grand Theft Auto until the franchise landed on Android, and it remains one of the better gangster games on mobile today. All three games are free to play, but one shouldn’t expect anything less from Gameloft.

The Godfather: Family Dynasty

Price: Free to play

The Godfather: Family Dynasty is yet another city-building simulator with a mafia theme. You build up a little city and earn yourself a bunch of money. The money is for hiring goons to protect you and your turf while also taking over the turf of rival gangs. Yes, it’s a fairly standard gang wars type of game. There are some minor social elements and various ways to upgrade your stuff. The online PvP is a bit toxic for newer players as they are often farmed by higher-end players, making the opening grind a little irritating. It’s not too bad after that opening grind.

Grand Gangsters 3D

Price: Free to play

Grand Gangsters 3D is a riff on the popular Grand Theft Auto and Gangster games. It shares a lot of the same gameplay elements. Players roam around an open world, stealing cars, killing people, and doing various jobs. This one strips the granularity out of its competitors and focuses mostly on the carjacking aspect of things. It’s a bit oversimplified and not all that deep, but it’s a decent time killer for folks who like the carjacking portions of GTA or Gangster.

Grand Theft Auto (five games)

Price: Free/ up to $19.99

Everybody knows Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series. It’s one of the most popular and critically acclaimed games ever. Each one plays about the same way. You start out as a dude with some axes to grind with some folks. You complete missions, steal cars, kill foes, and make your way to the big bad guys at the end. The mobile ports are surprisingly good. We recommend Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Definitive Edition since it is the newest port, but you can also play Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City. There are also a couple of made-for-mobile spin-offs with GTA: Chinatown Wars and GTA: Liberty City Stories. The prices range from free-to-play to $19.99 with no additional in-app purchases.

Idle Mafia

Price: Free to play

Idle Mafia is an idle game for crime game fans. You start out with basically nothing and grow your business as you play. Your businesses earn you the passive income needed to continue growing your empire. There are several avenues of growth, but the progression inevitably takes you to the same place at the end. The game definitely has its issues, but it’s the most competent idle mafia game of the bunch. We do hope the developers ease up a bit on its free-to-play strategies, as it does make the endgame a bit of a slog and not in a good way.

Mob Wars

Price: Free to play

Mob Wars has an interesting history. It was the first Facebook game to top $1 million in revenue. LCN (La Cosa Nostra) is the mobile version of that game, and it was Mafia Wars’ biggest competitor before Mafia Wars went down a few years ago. It plays very similarly to its rival. You play as a thug who does crimes, raises money, and becomes a for-real crime boss. It’s a text-heavy game where you make real-time decisions and watch the results. The game boasts thousands of achievements, a social element to invite friends and a swatch of things to do. This game killed Mafia Wars, so obviously, it’s pretty good.

Mafia Sniper

Price: Free to play

Mafia Sniper is one of those games that reminds you that execution does matter. It’s a simple shooter where you hide and take out rival gang members. You must also deal with corrupt cops, politicians, and others. At its core, the gameplay is fairly simple. You aim and shoot bad guys while avoiding getting shot yourself. However, the music is actually good, and everything works quite well. The ads get a little annoying, but it’s not a bad time-waster.

Rise of Mafia: Call for Revenge

Price: Free to play

Rise of Mafia: Call of Revenge is a simulation-strategy game where you run a criminal empire. That includes the usual stuff like making decisions, taking on rival gangs, and hiring a crew. The game doesn’t have a lot of animation, so most of your time is spent in menus watching your numbers go up. You’ll see some moving parts when doing battle and during transitions. In terms of mechanics, it’s pretty good, although it is pretty slow if you don’t buy anything with real money.

If we missed any great mafia games or gangster games for Android, tell us about them in the comments. You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists.