Stones Unturned is the second Mafia III story expansion and pairs Lincoln with John Donovan against former CIA operative Connor Aldridge. The campaign begins in New Bordeaux, escalates into a military operation, and travels to Cuba. It favors direct combat more than the base game’s racket loop, so arrive with a dependable rifle, a close-range backup, armor, and banked cash.
Definitive Edition includes the DLC on Windows Steam. Do not transfer that entitlement statement to the native Mac release, whose story-DLC support differs.
Start the expansion from a stable campaign state
Recruit Cassandra, Vito, and Burke in the base story, then answer Donovan’s DLC marker in northern New Bordeaux. Finish any active story conversation before entering so mission prompts and autosaves do not overlap.
Loadout
Carry an accurate automatic rifle or carbine, a weapon for close interiors, full ammunition, and armor.
Services
Unlock mobile arms and vehicle delivery where possible. Some stretches commit Lincoln to consecutive fights.
Save safety
Keep a manual backup before the opening meeting and before travel outside New Bordeaux.
Scope
This is DLC 598021 within the AppID 360430 package, not a separate campaign save or standalone game.
The opening explains Aldridge’s history with Donovan and establishes the stolen military threat. Follow the marked objectives rather than leaving to clear base-game icons; the DLC’s story chain is most reliable when played continuously through its travel transitions.
Survive the New Bordeaux investigation
Use cover and mark enemies before entering each hostile site. Stones Unturned deploys better-armed groups and favors lanes where distant shooters can punish an exposed sprint. Remove elevated enemies first, then advance between solid cover.
Donovan accompanies Lincoln during major sequences, but he is not a replacement for planning. Listen for his combat and objective dialogue; moving far ahead can make a trigger harder to read. After clearing a site, wait for the next instruction before searching every corner.
When a vehicle pursuit begins, prioritize the marked target and road safety over optional enemy cars. A disabled vehicle or missed turn costs more time than leaving one escort behind. Use a fresh delivered car before the mission if the marker allows it.
Prepare for the Cuba operation
The story eventually moves Lincoln and Donovan out of New Bordeaux. Treat the travel point as a commitment: refill ammunition and armor, finish upgrades, and make a manual save before accepting it.
In Cuba, sight lines and fortified positions reward controlled bursts and patient target selection. Use military weapons found during the operation when they solve the current encounter, but do not abandon a reliable primary merely because a new gun appears.
Explosive threats and mounted positions should be handled before ordinary infantry. Move after the dangerous weapon is suppressed, not while it has a clear lane. If a checkpoint reload leaves Lincoln exposed, retreat to the nearest hard cover and reset the fight instead of repeating the same rush.
Close in on Aldridge
The final stretch combines sustained gunfights with story objectives around Aldridge and the stolen warhead. Read the objective marker after every arena; the exit may open away from the last group of enemies.
Conserve armor for the last sequence by using cover, takedowns, and accurate fire earlier. If ammunition is low, search the cleared combat space before crossing a one-way transition. The DLC supplies weapons for its encounters, but arriving prepared prevents reliance on random drops.
During the concluding confrontation, follow the explicit interaction prompts and let each scene finish. Do not open the map or quit while the final autosave is registering. Confirm the DLC completion and rewards in normal free roam afterward.
Use the post-story content
Stones Unturned adds military-themed weapons, vehicles, and further activity tied to Donovan’s operation. Test a reward on a base-game racket or open-road route before replacing your normal loadout. Heavy equipment can be powerful without being the best answer for stealth.
Optional bounty-style targets are well suited to late-game play. Bank cash, take armor, and treat each as a compact assault rather than a normal unguarded pickup. Their presence does not alter district ownership or underboss loyalty.
If a reward is missing, confirm the final DLC scene completed and the game returned to New Bordeaux. Restart Steam, verify the DLC entitlement is installed, and reload the post-completion save before replaying the whole expansion.
Fix a stalled objective
Update Mafia III first. The October 8, 2026 Steam patch is the current public baseline and includes general progression, NPC, crash, and checkpoint fixes. Remove old executable replacements or conflicting mission mods before testing the official files.
For a companion trigger, return to Donovan and the marked zone, eliminate any remaining hostile indicator, and wait for dialogue. For a travel transition, check ammunition and accept the prompt from the intended side. Reload the nearest checkpoint rather than driving away into base-game activity.
Preserve a save from before the DLC starts and another before Cuba. If verification fails, those two points are far more useful than an unknown downloadable save with different campaign decisions.
Sources and verification
- Mafia III: Definitive Edition on Steam — exact base AppID and included story expansions.
- Stones Unturned New Bordeaux walkthrough — same-DLC objective and transition cross-check.
- Missions in Mafia III — base and DLC mission-boundary reference.
- Official October 8, 2026 update — current Steam stability and progression baseline.