Bungie Finally Feels Confident to Host a Marathon Open Playtest Soon

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Bungie Finally Feels Confident to Host a Marathon Open Playtest This Month (1)

Published Feb 12, 2026, 8:53 PM EST

Eric Warner is a Journalist and Multimedia Producer based in New England with over seven years of experience producing stories for multiple print, online, radio, and video publications.

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Bungie's upcoming PvP extraction shooter reboot of Marathon is less than a month away from its official release, and with this ever-shortening timetable, the developer has been ramping up its marketing and showcases.

Marathon was recently shown during Sony's first State of Play for 2026 in February, with a new scenic trailer focusing more on the environments of Tau Ceti IV and delving more into the backstory of its abandoned colony, suggesting an AI malfunctioned and led to the colony's downfall.

Marathon is Already One of Steam's Best Selling Games Despite Controversy

The brief appearance at the State of Play concluded with the announcement that Bungie will be hosting an open preview weekend of Marathon called Server Slam, starting on Thursday, February 26th, and ending on Monday, March 2nd, just three days before its scheduled launch on Thursday, March 5th.

Marathon will additionally appear during the Steam Next Fest next week, starting on Monday, February 23rd, and also ending on March 2nd, but this Server Slam points toward Bungie being finally ready to let Marathon back into the public after its mixed reception alpha test in mid 2025.

Marathon's Server Slam Explained

Marathon's Server Slam playtest will essentially function similarly to a public beta, as seen with previous Bungie games like Destiny, allowing gamers from most platforms to play Marathon ahead of its official launch to test out its features and submit feedback for improvements.

Progress made during the Server Slam will carry over to Marathon's full release, with players who complete the first mission during the playtest receiving an exclusive emblem highlighting that they were part of the first wave of Runners and unlocking a Standard Arrival Cache full of cosmetics, cores, mods, and weapons.

If players reach level 10 during the Server Slam, they'll unlock an Enhanced Arrival Cache, and if they reach level 30, they'll unlock a Deluxe Arrival Cache, which, on top of cosmetics, cores, mods, and weapons, will include a Deluxe Base Backpack.

Bungie will be hosting an open preview weekend of Marathon called Server Slam, starting on Thursday, February 26th

Not everything featured in Marathon will be available during the Server Slam, however, as players will only be able to infiltrate two zones, take on early contracts for five factions, and play as only five of the six Runner Shells.

Once Marathon launches in early May and Season 1 begins, players will gain access to two more zones, including Outpost and Cryo Archive, the sixth Runner Shell, Thief, unlock full progression for all six factions, and be able to participate in a ranked mode, which will debut later on during the first season.

For PlayStation Plus players who partake in the Server Slam, they'll additionally gain access to unique weapon charms based on Helldivers 2, Ghost of Yotei, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, while Steam and Xbox players will gain access to other exclusive charms to be revealed at a later date.