| Marathon | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
| Release Date | March 5, 2026 More Details |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Extraction Shooter | |
| Platforms | Price (MSRP) |
   |
$39.99 |
| Developer | Publisher |
| Bungie | Bungie |
| Number of Players | Age Rating |
| 1-3 Players | ESRB T |
| Time to Finish | Cross Platform Play |
| 25 Minutes per Run | Yes |
| Official Website | Official Website for Marathon |
Marathon Latest News
⚫︎ Marathon's latest PvP update increases the range of gunshots. This has caused the community to call out Bungie for the increasingly aggressive firefights.
⚫︎ Marathon players have made a major breakthrough revealing the secret behind the clues hidden around the game's launch maps. Players have, so far, gotten a peek at Cryo Archive, the upcoming fourth map.
⚫︎ Developer Bungie has responded to player complaints about Marathon's microtransactions. They are currently preparing a patch to adjust the rates for the game's premium currency.
⚫︎ Marathon just dropped a brand-new cinematic video for its full launch. The 8-minute video features a Thief and Triage suffering repeated loss at numerous skirmishes.
⚫︎ Marathon launches with strong player numbers on Steam. Bungie has also announced future content will be completely free, avoiding player "FOMO".
Marathon Overview
Marathon is a multiplayer-only PvPvE extraction shooter developed and published by Bungie. The game released on March 5, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam, featuring cross-play and cross-save support across these platforms.
Announced in May 2023, it serves as a revival of Bungie's classic sci-fi Marathon franchise from the 1990s, with players taking control of Runners. Players assume the role of "Shells", each equipped with unique abilities that allow them to scavenge and extract valuable resources on the planet Tau Ceti IV, once humanity’s stronghold.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PS |
Xbox |
|||
| $39.99 | |||||
Marathon Gameplay
In Marathon, players assume the role of mercenaries known as "Runners." Using their "Shells", they venture into the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV to gather valuable artifacts, face other players and AI, and strive to survive and escape with their hard-earned loot.
Marathon lets players form a squad of three or go solo. As with all extraction shooters, preparation is key: players must continually adjust their loadouts and scavenge items to maximize each run. Runner shells cater to different playstyles, letting players choose what they think is best for them.
Marathon Characters
Triage
Triage is a combat medic Runner Shell that can shock its teammates back to life using arm-mounted tendrils, provide shields and additional health using medi drones, enhance weapons’ capabilities by overcharging their gauntlet capacitors, and clone any consumables used over to teammates with drones.
A Triage worked with a Thief and Destroyer in the cinematic "In Death We’ve Just Begun" where it slowly formed a bond of trust with the former, who would eventually betray them. It stayed behind to try to save the Destroyer before a mysterious entity killed it.
Thief
Thief is a looter Runner Shell that can scan its surroundings for containers and enemies through walls, deploy a whip-equipped drone that can knock and retrieve loot out of enemies, as well as go on aerial recon, and use a grappling hook. Its various skills’ recharge rate, base handling, and stats will go up with the amount of loot it carries.
A Thief partnered with a Triage and Destroyer in the cinematic "In Death We’ve Just Begun", where it warmed up to the former and saved it from death numerous times. It would eventually betray the two and leave them for dead at the hands of a mysterious entity.
Rook
Rook is a solo-only scavenger Runner Shell designed to join mid-match and take as many items as they can to fill the player’s vault for future skirmishes. It can mask itself as one of the UESC forces to avoid being perceived as an enemy.
Vandal
Vandal is an agile Runner Shell capable of double jumps via micro jets and power slides. Its arm can unfold into a gun barrel to knock people out of cover or buildings.
Destroyer
Destroyer is an aggressive and brutal Runner Shell who wears a modified version of the Mjolnir armour from the original Marathon trilogy. It can sprint or evade fast using its leg thrusters, construct a riot barricade, deploy shoulder-mounted heat-seeking missile pods, and immobilize enemies by locking targets with sustained fire.
A Destroyer accompanied a Triage and Thief in the cinematic "In Death We’ve Just Begun" and often acted as their protector before it was abandoned to die together with the former.
Marathon Trailers
The Loop | Marathon
In Death We've Just Begun ft. Poppy and Son Lux (Official Music Video) | Marathon Launch Cinematic
Marathon | Reveal Cinematic Short
Marathon Announcement Trailer
Marathon Trivia
⚫︎ Marathon is Bungie's first game since becoming a subsidiary of PlayStation Studios.
⚫︎ Marathon will feature familiar elements from Bungie’s other sci-fi IP: Halo. Fans of both will notice similarities with its lore, universe, and thematic elements.
⚫︎ The game is a spiritual successor to the Marathon series, published by Bungie for the Apple Macintosh in 1994 and 1995. The game was a sci-fi first-person shooter and is one of the first games Bungie has ever developed and published.
⚫︎ The game’s cinematic short was directed by Alberto Mielgo, the director of the acclaimed Love, Death + Robots’ episodes, "Jibaro." and "The Witness".
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