''Mafia III'' remains highly unique. Situating players in the Deep South at the height of the civil rights movement, New Bordeaux is remarkably detailed and, by extension, flush with inequalities. White and Black areas of the map are highly segregated, with Black families mostly living in the poorer neighborhood and swamps of the city's south-side, while White elites dominate the pristine downtown and the mansions of the north-end. The police are complicit in this issue. As a Black man, Lincoln is continually harassed by the police: if spotted when driving a car, the police will suspect him of a crime, and sometimes can be called if he steps foot in a Whites-only area. Likewise, the game's mechanics reinforce this dichotomy. When someone calls the police to a White area, they respond immediately. But when they one summons them to a Black area, they respond sluggishly or do not appear at all. Put differently, ''Mafia III'' is flush with reflections on the legacy of racism and segregation.

To that end, the game's perspective is constructive. When playing as Clay, one comes to "empathize" with what it is like to live as a racialized subject in a racist society. For example, in many of the game's missions, Clay must enter the turf of the Dixie mafia. Here, he overhears numerous conversations of its members, who often refer to Blacks as "niggers" and "animals". When listening to the radio, one can hear Remy Duvall, a local construction magnate, decry Blacks for their predisposition to violence. Even when he walks on the street, Whites will insult Clay with racial slurs. By placing players, regardless of race or gender, in the position of a Black person, players must endure racism in the game world just as he does. The game's process of identification earned it significant attention from critics. The game was widely praised by media on its release for its blunt portrayal of race and inequality. Tauriq Moosa (2016) posits that the game's treatment of history, one that exposes prejudice and encourages players to empathize with victims of race issues, is "cathartic" for Black players like him. Correspondingly, ''The Washington Post'' (2016) called it a "cultural milestone" for its well-rounded cast of Black characters, and critic Yusuf Cole (2018) praised the game for its nuanced understanding of radical Black politics. ''Mafia III'''s painstaking led one critic to call it a "simulation" of racism. Thus, one can say that ''Mafia III'''s treatment of intolerance is highly constructive, and educates users about the ~~subje''Italic text''ct~~.