Mafia III is a 2016 action-adventure video game developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K. It was released in October 2016 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, in May 2017 for macOS, and in October 2021 for Google Stadia. It is the sequel to Mafia II and the third installment in the Mafia series. Set within the fictional city of New Bordeaux (based on New Orleans) in 1968, the story follows former criminal and Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay, who is forced to return to a life of crime to help his adoptive family settle problems with the local branch of the Mafia. After the Mafia betray and murder his family, Lincoln embarks on a quest for revenge while slowly building a criminal empire and seizing power from other criminal organizations in the city.

The development of Mafia III began soon after Mafia II's release, but initially had problems. 2K Czech, the developer of the series' first installments, oversaw restructure, with much of the development team assigned to the company's new studio, Hangar 13. After deciding on recreating New Orleans in 1968, the development team drew influence from the series' previous projects, and designed the game around Lincoln to replicate the core structure of its predecessors. Much of the development work constituted the open world's creation, and several team members conducted field research around Louisiana to capture footage for the design team. The game's soundtrack features several licensed songs composed by various musicians who were active during the time period.

Upon release, the game received a mixed reception, with praise directed at its story, characters, darker themes, and soundtrack. However, some of the gameplay mechanics and the presence of technical issues drew criticism. The game was a commercial success, selling seven million copies worldwide. On May 19, 2020, to coincide with the remake of the first Mafia game, 2K Games released a version of Mafia III comprising all downloadable content packs titled Mafia III: Definitive Edition. This Definitive Edition was later included in the Mafia: Trilogy pack, released on September 25, 2020. The next game in the series, Mafia: The Old Country, was released in 2025.

Mafia III is an action-adventure game set in an open world environment and played from a third-person perspective, in which the player assume control of Lincoln Clay, a Vietnam War veteran on a quest to seek revenge for his adopted family, who are murdered by the local mob. The game is set in 1968 New Bordeaux, a re-imagined version of New Orleans, with the game world being larger than the Mafia and Mafia II maps combined. Mafia III's map is made up of ten districts: Bayou Fantom, Delray Hollow, Barclay Mills, Frisco Fields, Pointe Verdun, Tickfaw Harbor, Southdowns, River Row, Downtown, and the French Ward. The player can complete objectives using a variety of approaches. For example, they can use the weapons provided in the game, like shotguns and revolvers, to eliminate enemies, or call for allies, who arrive in a van and assist them.

Alternatively, they can make use of stealth tactics throughout the entire mission without being noticed by enemies. The core gameplay revolves around gunplay. In addition, the player can also perform executing moves and engage in melee-combat. The game features a cover system, allowing them to take cover behind objects to avoid enemy gunfire or detection. The player can interrogate non-playable characters after defeating them in order to gain more information on their objectives, like scaring them while driving a car. The player can attack and overrun locations owned by the Italian mob, and assign one of their lieutenants to operate around the local area. The game allows them to drive cars from the era with realistic driving mechanics and sounds.

Set nearly two decades after its predecessor, Mafia III takes place during the late 1960s, within the fictional U.S. city of New Bordeaux. Situated within America's southern states and coastline, the city is composed of island districts, industrial complexes and ports, high-rise offices and apartments, slums, suburban housing, and historical districts, interconnected by railroads and an extensive road network, with a large swampland separating the city from the coast. The city consists of a mixture of cultures including African Americans, Irish, Italians and Haitians, and is mostly controlled by one Mafia crime family – the Marcano family – alongside smaller organizations like the Irish Mob, the Haitian Mob, the Black Mob, and the Southern Union, a group of white supremacists.

The city's design, including its architectural styles, cultures and lifestyles, were influenced by the real-life aspects of the southern United States during the time period, primarily the city of New Orleans. The game's story focuses primarily within this setting, while its downloadable content expands the setting with additional locations around New Bordeaux.

In 1968, Vietnam veteran Lincoln Clay returns home to New Bordeaux and reunites with his surrogate father and Black Mob leader Sammy Robinson, his adoptive brother Ellis, and his friend, Father James Ballard. While initially planning to leave for California, Lincoln agrees to stay and help Sammy, who is facing problems from the Haitian Mob and is indebted to mob boss Sal Marcano. Lincoln ends the conflict with the Haitians by killing their supposed leader Baka and meets with Marcano to see how he can cover Sammy's debts. Although Lincoln declines his suggestion to take over the Black Mob from Sammy, Marcano nonetheless recruits him and Ellis to help his son Giorgi rob the city's branch of the Federal Reserve during the local Mardi Gras celebrations. Aided by their friend Danny Burke, whose father is also looking to settle matters with Marcano after a previous falling out, the group carries out the heist with little complications, but the Marcanos turn on them afterward, killing Sammy, Ellis, and Danny before setting Sammy's bar on fire. Lincoln is also shot and left to die but is rescued by Father James.