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Play Mafia III’s story expansions in this order: Faster, Baby!, Stones Unturned, then Sign of the Times. They are designed to become available during the main campaign after Lincoln Clay completes the Sit Down mission and has all three lieutenants. You do not have to wait for the finale, and the expansions are not presented as a separate post-game-only chapter.
This is the clearest first-playthrough route because it follows the official rollout and moves from a rural civil-rights conflict, to a Vietnam-linked story with John Donovan, to Father James’s investigation into ritualistic killings. The order is a practical recommendation, not a developer-published scene-by-scene chronology; no official source establishes the exact position of every DLC scene relative to Lincoln’s final ending.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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Mafia III - PlayStation 4 | $19.69 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Mafia III (PS4) | $21.50 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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PS4 MAFIA III (US) | $35.60 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Mafia III Deluxe Edition (PS4) | $83.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Mafia III’s campaign in context
Mafia III takes place in 1968 in New Bordeaux. Lincoln Clay is a Vietnam veteran returning from combat and looking for a sense of belonging. After the Italian Mafia betrays and destroys his surrogate family, Lincoln begins a revenge campaign that forms the main plot.
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteThe three story expansions add parallel conflicts to that campaign rather than replacing it. Each has its own premise and emphasis, but all three can be approached as part of Lincoln’s ongoing time in New Bordeaux. The result is closer to a campaign with optional story arcs than to a traditional “finish the game, then start the DLC” structure.
#1 Best Overall
- Collectible map of New Bordeaux Included.
- 1968 NEW BORDEAUX, A REIMAGINED NEW ORLEANS: A vast open world ruled by the mob and detailed with the sights and sounds of the era.
- A LETHAL ANTI-HERO: Be Lincoln Clay, orphan and Vietnam veteran hell bent on revenge for the deaths of his surrogate family.
- REVENGE YOUR WAY: Choose your own play-style; brute force, blazing guns or stalk-and-kill tactics, to tear down the Italian Mafia.
- A NEW FAMILY ON THE ASHES OF THE OLD: Build a new criminal empire your way by deciding which lieutenants you reward, and which you betray
The original game launched on October 7, 2016, according to Take-Two Interactive’s launch announcement. The later Mafia III: Definitive Edition storefront listing from Xbox is dated May 19, 2020.
At-a-glance order and purpose
| Recommended order | Expansion | Main focus | Primary setting or movement | Supporting character emphasis | Why it fits here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Faster, Baby! | Lincoln and a former flame confront a corrupt sheriff terrorizing Civil Rights activists | Rural outskirts of New Bordeaux, including Sinclair Parish | The former flame and the local activists’ cause | It opens with a self-contained rural conflict and broadens the campaign before its central revenge loop becomes repetitive |
| 2 | Stones Unturned | Lincoln and John Donovan pursue an old rival from their Vietnam days | New Bordeaux and locations tied to their military past | John Donovan | It deepens the link between Lincoln’s war history and the present-day revenge story while the main campaign is still active |
| 3 | Sign of the Times | Lincoln investigates ritualistic killings at Father James’s request | From the old bayou into the inner city | Father James | Its investigation and cult-themed premise provide the strongest tonal change and work well as a late-campaign capstone |
The table describes recommended placement, not a confirmed chronological map of every cutscene. The official material identifies each expansion’s premise and the campaign unlock requirement, while the sequence above is an editorial order based on that information and the expansions’ release rollout.
When the DLC becomes available
2K’s support FAQ states that the DLC missions become available after Lincoln completes Sit Down and has all three lieutenants. This is the important practical rule: the story expansions are intended to be entered during the campaign once that point has been reached.
What to do when the gate opens
- Continue the main story until you have completed Sit Down.
- Make sure Lincoln has all three lieutenants, which is the second condition identified by 2K.
- Look for the newly available expansion missions in the game world and begin with Faster, Baby! if you are following the recommended first-playthrough route.
- Return to the main campaign between expansions whenever you prefer. The unlock rule makes the DLC available during the campaign; it does not require you to abandon the main revenge plot permanently.
The sources do not publish a mission-by-mission chronology showing exactly which main-story scene should occur before or after every DLC scene. Therefore, treat the unlock point as the firm requirement and the three-part sequence as a sensible play plan rather than as an official canon chart.
1. Faster, Baby! — start with the rural civil-rights story
In Faster, Baby!, Lincoln joins a former flame to take down a corrupt sheriff who is terrorizing Civil Rights activists outside New Bordeaux. The expansion moves the action into the rural outskirts and gives the campaign a conflict that is geographically and politically distinct from Lincoln’s core war with the Italian Mafia.
What this expansion adds
- A different setting: The focus shifts away from the denser city districts to the countryside and Sinclair Parish area.
- A separate local conflict: The sheriff’s abuse of Civil Rights activists supplies a self-contained reason for Lincoln to intervene.
- A personal connection: Lincoln works with a former flame, putting a relationship outside his lieutenant structure at the center of the story.
- A change of pace: Its rural premise gives the campaign a clear change of scenery before you move into the more personally connected Donovan story.
Because the expansion is described as a self-contained subplot, it is a forgiving first DLC choice. You can experience its conflict without needing a complete explanation of how every later expansion resolves. Starting here also follows the official post-launch rollout.
Rank #2
- NEW BORDEAUX, A REIMAGINED 1968 NEW ORLEANS: A vast, diverse and seedy open world ruled by the mob and corrupt officials and richly detailed with the sights, sounds and emotionally-charged social atmosphere of the era
- AN UNINTENDED AND LETHAL ANTI-HERO: Be Lincoln Clay, an orphan and Vietnam veteran hell bent on revenge against the Italian Mafia for the brutal slaughter of the black mob, the closest thing to family he's ever had
- REVENGE YOUR WAY: Choose your own personal play-style, from brute force and blazing guns to stalk-and-kill tactics as you use Lincoln's military training and gathered intel to tear down the Italian Mafia
2. Stones Unturned — follow with Donovan and Lincoln’s Vietnam past
Stones Unturned pairs Lincoln with John Donovan against an old rival from their Vietnam days. Its defining contribution is the connection between the present-day revenge campaign and the two men’s military history.
Why it belongs second
- It foregrounds Donovan: John Donovan receives a larger narrative role rather than remaining only a supporting presence around Lincoln’s main campaign.
- It links past and present: The antagonist comes from the Vietnam period, so the expansion adds context to the relationships and experiences that shaped Lincoln and Donovan.
- It preserves campaign momentum: Playing it after the rural detour keeps the broader revenge plot active while introducing a more personal, military-connected conflict.
The expansion is not a replacement for Lincoln’s main objective. It is a focused story about an old rival and the consequences of the characters’ service in Vietnam. Its placement after Faster, Baby! is recommended because it follows the rollout and creates a progression from an external community conflict to Lincoln’s and Donovan’s shared past.
3. Sign of the Times — finish the DLC sequence with Father James’s investigation
In Sign of the Times, Lincoln investigates a series of ritualistic killings in New Bordeaux at Father James’s request. The story moves from the old bayou into the inner city, and its investigation-driven, cult-themed premise is the most pronounced tonal departure among the three expansions.
What makes it a strong final expansion
- Investigative structure: The central question is who is responsible for ritualistic killings, rather than simply which rival faction Lincoln must dismantle.
- A different atmosphere: The cult and ritual-killing premise creates a darker, more unsettling mood than the civil-rights and Vietnam-linked conflicts.
- Father James in the foreground: His request gives a major supporting character a direct reason to involve Lincoln.
- A wider route through New Bordeaux: The movement from the old bayou to the inner city gives the expansion its own geographic identity.
Placing it third is an editorial choice, not a claim that every one of its scenes occurs immediately before the game’s ending. Its unusual tone makes it feel like a natural late-campaign change of register, and finishing the three expansions with it avoids placing another major tonal shift after the DLC sequence.
Is this the official chronological order?
No complete, official scene chronology is published in the cited 2K material. The recommended order is supported by three observable facts: the expansions were rolled out in this sequence, they share the same campaign unlock point, and their premises move naturally from a self-contained rural conflict to a Vietnam-linked story and then to Father James’s investigation.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →That distinction matters if you are trying to place every conversation relative to the final Lincoln ending. The available official descriptions establish when the missions unlock and what each story concerns, but they do not prove that every DLC event happens before or after a specific finale mission. Avoid treating the order as a developer-confirmed timeline.
Rank #3
Two practical ways to combine the DLC with the main campaign
Plan A: Complete each expansion as soon as it opens
This is the simplest approach for a first playthrough. Once the campaign reaches the unlock point, play Faster, Baby!, then Stones Unturned, and then Sign of the Times. After each expansion, return to the main campaign and continue until the next story content is available.
This plan keeps the DLC from being forgotten and lets each expansion serve as a deliberate break from the main revenge loop. It also gives you the full range of settings and supporting-character stories while Lincoln’s campaign is still unfolding.
Plan B: Finish the main campaign first, then play the expansions
You can reserve the DLC for after the finale if you prefer to see Lincoln’s central revenge story without interruptions. The trade-off is narrative texture: the official unlock rule shows that the expansions were built to be entered during the campaign, so postponing them is a player-created order rather than the intended access window.
If you choose this route, retain the same internal sequence—Faster, Baby!, Stones Unturned, then Sign of the Times—to preserve the rollout order and tonal progression. Do not describe this as the only correct chronology; it is simply a clean post-campaign viewing plan.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What comes with Mafia III: Definitive Edition?
The Xbox product listing for Mafia III: Definitive Edition says the package includes the full game and all three story expansions:
- Faster, Baby!
- Stones Unturned
- Sign of the Times
It also includes the Family Kick-Back and Judge, Jury & Executioner packs. Those are additional content packs rather than the three story expansions that determine the order discussed in this guide.
Rank #4
- NEW BORDEAUX, A REIMAGINED 1968 NEW ORLEANS: A vast, diverse and seedy open world
- AN UNINTENDED AND LETHAL ANTI-HERO
- REVENGE YOUR WAY: Choose your own play-style, from brute force and blazing guns to stalk-and-kill
- A NEW FAMILY ON THE ASHES OF THE OLD: Build a new criminal empire
- Includes Full Game & Season Pass Content - Including:.Faster, Baby!.Sign of the Times.Stones Unturned
Buying and platform caveats
Storefront ownership, pricing, platform availability, physical stock and any retailer promotion can vary by region and can change over time. Confirm the current listing for your platform before buying. If your goal is the complete narrative package in one purchase, the natural product name to look for is Mafia III: Definitive Edition; verify that the listing explicitly includes the three story expansions.
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Common mistakes to avoid
Assuming the DLC is post-game only
The campaign unlock condition contradicts that assumption. The missions become available during the story after Sit Down and the three-lieutenant requirement are met.
Treating the recommendation as a confirmed canon timeline
The order in this guide is practical guidance based on the official rollout, unlock rule and premises. It is not a published table that places every cutscene before or after the final Lincoln ending.
Starting with the most tonally unusual expansion
Sign of the Times is the most distinctive in mood because of its ritual-killing investigation and cult theme. Playing it first is possible once the DLC gate has opened, but doing so removes the gradual shift in tone provided by the other two expansions.
Buying an edition without checking its contents
Names and bundles can differ by platform or region. Check the itemized contents rather than assuming that every version includes every pack.
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Reach the DLC unlock point during the campaign, then play Faster, Baby!, Stones Unturned, and Sign of the Times in that order. The first expansion takes Lincoln into a rural civil-rights conflict, the second expands John Donovan’s role through their Vietnam history, and the third closes the DLC run with Father James’s investigation into ritualistic killings. This sequence fits the available official information without claiming a level of scene-by-scene chronology that the published sources do not provide.
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