Updated
Two kinds of family in one city
The Fifth Family has two family systems that work together. Player families are the crews you found or join with other people: a shared treasury, a chain of command and upgrades that make every member stronger. The five families are the city’s established crime organisations. You earn standing with each of them on your own, and that standing opens their stores, their operatives and their vehicles.
As of 13 October 2026, players have founded 148 families, and more than 140 are open to recruits. Many of them accept brand-new players, or you can start your own and build it from nothing.
Run your own family
- A real chain of command. Five ranks, from Associate through Soldier, Capo and Underboss to Don. The Don and Underboss decide who gets promoted.
- Your identity. Choose the family name, a short tag and a crest.
- A shared treasury. Members donate to the family bank, and the leadership spends it on upgrades for everyone.
- 30 family upgrades in seven areas: income, combat, operations, training, security, growth, and cap breakers that lift the limits on combat stats. Each one applies to every member.
- Room to grow. A family starts with 20 member slots, and the Expand Ranks upgrade takes it to 60.
- Family chat, a family forum and family wars against rival crews. Two Dons can also agree to merge their families into one.
Earn favour with the five families
Above the player crews sit the five families that already run the city. Each has its own identity, its own store, 19 collectable vigilantes and a family vehicle you earn through their respect.
- Iron River SyndicateOld-money East Coast power, built on brute force and heavy industry.
- Society for Balance & ProsperityA corporate syndicate operating behind a respectable front.
- Kito-gumiA Japanese organised-crime family.
- Viola FamilySicilian traditionalists.
- Volkskaya BratvaAn Eastern European bratva.
Your standing with each family is tracked separately and rises as you work with them, starting from Stranger. Those seats are already taken. The question the game asks is whether you and your people can build a family strong enough to force your way in beside them.
Why play a mafia game with a family
Most of the game can be played alone, but a family changes it. Family upgrades add to crime success, income, combat stats and training speed for every member. A good family shares advice and money, plans around timers and backs you up in fights. If a family is not the right fit, you can move on or start your own.
If you want the history behind the idea, the guide to New York’s real Five Families covers the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese families. To see every system in detail before you play, use the public wiki.
The game runs in your browser and on the iPhone and Android apps, with one account across all of them.
Questions about families
How do I join a mafia family in The Fifth Family?
Open Browse Families in the game, look at each family's members, level and whether it is recruiting, then apply. A family can also invite you directly. Families can set a minimum level for new members.
Can I start my own family?
Yes. Any player can found a family, choose its name and tag, set a crest and lead it as Don. Members join as Associates and can be promoted through Soldier, Capo and Underboss.
How many members can a family have?
A new family has 20 member slots. The Expand Ranks upgrade adds two slots per level over 20 levels, so a fully upgraded family can hold 60 members.
Who are the five families?
Five crime families run the city: the Iron River Syndicate, the Society for Balance & Prosperity, the Kito-gumi, the Viola Family and the Volkskaya Bratva. They are the game's own factions. You earn standing with each one separately, alongside the player family you belong to.
Is it based on the real Five Families of New York?
The game takes its name and its idea of a sixth family rising in a city run by five from mafia history, but its families are fictional. The history of the real Five Families is covered in a separate guide to New York’s Five Families.
Is it free to play?
The Fifth Family is free to play, with its core systems available without a purchase. Optional purchases include cosmetics, crates, alignment shard packs and time savers such as gym speedups. These purchases are not all cosmetic. Check the current in-game descriptions before spending.