Everything You Need to Know about Marathon

In just a few days, Bungie is set to release Marathon, a brand new extraction shooter from the prolific studio behind Halo and Destiny. While Marathon will be a new universe for several generations of gamers, it’s actually a reboot of Bungie’s 1990s sci-fi franchise. As we prepare for the much-anticipated launch, we put together a guide to everything you need to know about Marathon, from the series history to recent controversies.

The Trilogy

The first Marathon game was released in December 1994. A year later, in November 1995, Bungie released Marathon 2: Durandal, and eleven months after that, they followed it up with Marathon Infinity. All three games were originally released as Macintosh exclusives and are the earliest examples of computer games that allowed players to look up and down as well as the traditional side-to-side.

Marathon gets its name from the interstellar colony ship that is sent to the Tau Ceti system (yes, like from Project Hail Mary) to colonize the fourth planet. This won’t be a story breakdown, as it is unneeded for the new game, but if you want a great recap and analysis of the original games, check out the videos from Mandalore Gaming.

In 1999, Bungie released the source code for Marathon 2, which led to the Aleph One engine, an open-source enhanced version of the one used on the original. Marathon‘s assets were released as freeware in 2005, which led to the Steam rerelease from Aleph One Developers. Thanks to them, you can play the three Classic Marathon games for free on PC via Steam.

The Setup

This reboot will technically be the fourth game in the series; however, it’s not as story-driven as its predecessors. The 2026 Marathon is a PvP-focused extration shooter set nearly a century after the original game. Something has gone wrong in Tau Ceti IV following the return of the Marathon colony ship. You play as a Runner, who is hired by mega corporations to explore the colony to retrieve valuable artifacts and resources.

When you drop into the map, you will be shown points of interest to go and explore. Runners must navigate the environments, survive firefights with players and NPCs, while trying to collect items. Like any extraction shooter, it’s not over until you get out with the loot. Runners can come back to life in a new cybernetic body upon death on the battlefield, but their inventory will be permanently lost.

The reason I didn’t deep dive into the Marathon lore is that it’s mostly set decoration for the new game. There is environmental storytelling for those patient enough to take it in, but there is no traditional single-player campaign in the new game. There will be narrative turning points across the in-game Seasons through special events, but Marathon is designed to be a multiplayer experience to survive with other players; friends and foes alike.

The Launch

As we head into the full release, here are some important things to keep in mind about what to expect on March 5 and beyond. For starters, the game will have cross-play and cross-save functionality. Marathon will launch with 4 maps:

• Perimeter
• Dire Marsh
• Outpost
• Cryo Archive

Keep in mind that the Cryo Archive zone will be available only after the community unlocks the way into orbit. As for Runner classes, there are 7 to boot:

• Destroyer
• Recon
• Thief
• Assassin
• Vandal
• Triage
• Rook

As is the case with every live service game, Marathon will have Seasons. Each Season will last roughly 3 months. Seasons will introduce new free content and features for all players. Other than achievements and cosmetics, everyone starts each season with nothing.

Most notably in Marathon, Reward Passes you buy during a Season won’t expire after those 3 months. You bought it, so it’s yours to unlock. Furthermore, you can buy Reward Passes from previous Seasons too if the unlocks are enticing. The Premium Passes only give you cosmetics, so no paying for better equipment or power.

There are two types of in-game currency to look at. The first is SILK, which can only be acquired by playing the game. You can also get it by purchasing the Deluxe Edition, but after that, there is no way to spend real-world money to get it. The other is Lux, the premium in-game currency that you can purchase with real-world money to buy cosmetics.

The Price

No pre-release guide is complete without pricing details. Marathon will release globally on March 5 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.

At a time when every new game is being priced at $69.99, it’s nice to see a new AAA game adjust the price based on the content on offer. Much like its direct competition, Marathon has a $39.99 price tag for the base game. For those wanting more, for $59.99, the deluxe edition bundles the base game with:

• 1x Premium Rewards Pass Voucher
• 200 SILK Rewards Pass Tokens
• Weapon Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Misriah 2442 Pump Shotgun Style]
• Weapon Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Overrun AR Style]
• Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Vandal Shell Style]
• Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Destroyer Shell Style]
• Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Assassin Shell Style]
• Runner Cosmetic – MIDNIGHT DECAY [Thief Shell Style]

The Drama

Marathon has been the center of much controversy. Despite Bungie’s pedigree, the game was announced at a time when live service games were known more for their failures than successes. That, plus Marathon’s strong visual aesthetic, began to polarize gamers immediately.

This was followed by an alpha test in April of 2025. The alpha was originally under an NDA, but with leaks quickly spilling out, Bungie lifted that restriction. Runners jumped into Bungie’s new game with a lot of expectations, and it was clear that the game wasn’t entirely delivering.

Many believed the alpha showed a stale slice of gameplay that needed better run incentives, increased visual fidelity, and proximity chat. With the September 2025 release date approaching, gamers urged Bungie to delay the game for some much-needed content and polish.

The real bad news struck in May of 2025, when Scottish indie artist Fern “Antireal” Hook alleged that some of Matathon‘s in-game assets were copied or strikingly similar to her own designs from 2017. This wasn’t Bungie’s first plagiarism accusation, and with the amount of proof and context Antireal provided for her claim, the internet quickly got up in arms.

This prompted Bungie to issue a statement on Twitter, where they said they investigated the unauthorized use of artist decals and confirmed that a former Bungie artist included them in a texture sheet that was ultimately used in the alpha. Soon after that, in June, Bungie announced via their blog that Marathon was delayed indefinitely so they could focus on upping the survival game, double down on the Marathon Universe, and add more social experiences.

The Comeback

Of course, the game hasn’t come out yet as of when I am writing this, but if the recent server slam is a sign of anything, it’s that Bungie is listening. The near-final version of the game included much improved gameplay, visual tweaks, prox chat, and more. The server slam hit a peak of 143,621 players, and the game jumped up to second place on the Steam Top Sellers list.

The dev team also shared the server slam recap that goes into all the items Bungie is actively tracking from time-to-kill (TTK) in PvP to UI feedback. As the game preps for full release, there’s a lot of work ahead for the team as they optimize the game, tweak the med and ammo economy, and keep the content fresh. In a time where live service games are heavily scrutinized, there’s a lot riding on Marathon.

It’s the first new game from the team since Sony acquired them in 2022 for $3.6 billion. However, if the last two decades have told us anything, it’s that while it isn’t always perfect, few studios can build out a sci-fi multiplayer shooter universe like Bungie. They proved it with multiple Halo titles at the start of the millennium. They did it with Destiny and built on that with the sequel. Let’s hope they can do the same for Marathon. Best of luck, Bungie!