For the most part, the three games in the Mafia series don’t form a singular, continuous narrative, so players are free to jump into any entry as a standalone and enjoy them in any order they wish. However, it might be better to play some games before others. In order to fully appreciate each one and all of the subtle references and nuances that they hold, players would do well to carefully consider which order they play the games in.

https://screenrant.com/mafia-games-which-order-play-first-definitive-edition/