Marathon - Release Date, Pricing Details, And Everything We Know About Bungie's Extraction Shooter

Bungie is best-known for its work on Halo and Destiny, but before it made its mark on those franchises, the studio was building the grand sci-fi saga of Marathon. Decades later, Marathon is making its grand return as a multiplayer-focused extraction shooter that aims to combine Bungie's signature gunplay with a vibrant art direction.

Ahead of its launch in March, we've gathered up all the pertinent information on the game, and you can read up to see how Marathon is shaping up.

When will Marathon be released?

One of the Runners off Marathon

Marathon will launch on March 5, 2026. The game was originally scheduled to be released on September 23, 2025, but was delayed so Bungie could spend more time fine-tuning the game and addressing feedback from players who participated in early alpha versions.

Marathon preorders

Preorders are now live for Marathon, and the game will be available in Standard, Deluxe, and Collector's Editions. Preordering Marathon unlocks additional rewards--including weapon cosmetics and additional rewards for Destiny 2 players--and the Deluxe Edition includes the Midnight Decay weapon and Runner shell cosmetic bundle, plus additional rewards. The Collector's Edition includes a 1/6-scale Thief Runner Shell statue, collectible miniature WEAVEworm, embroidered patch, postcards, digital rewards, and more.

Marathon platforms

While Sony acquired Bungie--at a cost of over $3.5 billion--back in 2022, Marathon won't be exclusive to PlayStation. The game will arrive on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with full cross-play and cross-save support. Bungie also confirmed that PC and Xbox players won't need a PSN account to play Marathon.

Marathon PC system requirements

Minimum

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB) / Intel Arc A580 (8 GB, with ReBAR on)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection

Recommended

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB) / Intel Arc A770 (16 GB, with ReBAR on)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection

Is Marathon free-to-play?

Unlike many other games in the live-service space, Marathon will not be free-to-play. The Standard Edition of Marathon is priced at $40, the Deluxe Edition is $60, and the Collector's Edition is $170 without a game code and $230 with it.

Marathon storyline

We're going to be insultingly brief here, but let's just say that Marathon can give Destiny a run for its money when it comes to lore quality and quantity. The original series of games were published exclusively on Apple Macintosh desktops from 1994 through to 1996, and the overarching story involves space exploration, civil war, hostile alien invaders, immortal cyborg super-soldiers, and the concept of using a hollowed-out Martian moon to transport resources between planets.

The Marathon trilogy storyline is one that has been chronicled and preserved for decades by fans, and while you won't need to know any of it before the new game launches, Bungie says that there will be references to the trilogy that longtime fans will appreciate.

"A massive ghost ship hangs in low orbit over a lost colony on Tau Ceti IV," the official synopsis reads. "The 30,000 souls who call this place home have disappeared without a trace. Strange signals hint at mysterious artifacts, long-dormant AI, and troves of untold riches. You are a runner, venturing into the unknown in a fight for fame… and infamy. Who among you will write their names across the stars?"

In the reveal stream, Bungie revealed a few more details. For starters, the game takes place in 2893, and you'll play as a runner; a synthetic human working for one of several factions as you scour the planet for valuable artifacts. "Survive and everything you've scavenged is yours to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti IV or if you're brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above," the updated synopsis reads.

We also know that Marathon will use seasonal storytelling to flesh out its narrative, with each season lasting three months.

Marathon gameplay

A closer look at a Marathon Runner.

Winning in Marathon can be achieved in several ways, and Bungie says it wants to make these elements as accessible as possible.

"One of the ways we're addressing this is by making the core fantasies of survival and extraction fun, clear, and easy to understand," Barrett explained. "We want people to quickly understand fundamentals like healing, or oxygen, or how to organize their gear. After all, if they get those things intuitively there’s much more room for tactical thinking and creativity. You know, it's our job to create the fun and the fantasy, not the busy work and tedium."

As you'd expect from an entry in this genre, Marathon players can expect to face some stiff resistance when they're out in the field. Teams of three will battle each other and powerful NPCs in the wild, and if you die, you'll lose all of the loot that you acquired from your expedition.

In his hands-on preview of Marathon, GameSpot's Tamoor Hussain noted that the gameplay feels excellent, but the experience could leave a lot to be desired.

"After around eight hours of gameplay where I faced off against developers, content creators, and members of the press, I left Bungie's Bellevue studio keen to play more of its high-stakes PvPvE multiplayer game. And at the same time, I couldn't deny that I had serious concerns about the experience that its compulsive gameplay loop is couched within," Hussain said "Putting it plainly, I'm worried Marathon could launch as a solid multiplayer shooter that is brimming with potential but thin on content. And in the dog-eat-dog world of multiplayer games, that could be a major issue."

Another feature of Marathon that might be a hard sell is its seasonal model: while players can amass a sizable arsenal through successful extractions, each new season resets all Runners back to square one. The seasonal reset will add new zones, weapons, events, and stories, but losing your loot might be a bitter pill to swallow.

Marathon Runners

Marathon is a focused PvP game from Bungie--one in which players can play solo or with up to two other players joining them. As a Runner, you'll be venturing out into the wilds of Tau Ceti IV as you compete for survival, riches, and renown in a world of evolving zones. You'll be running into some not-so-friendly fire while out in the field, but thanks to the cloning technologies mastered in 2850, you'll be able to shrug off death, as shifting your consciousness between bodies is a part of everyday Runner life. Speaking of Runners, there'll be several distinct classes to choose from, and each one specializes in various roles.

Destroyers can pop a shield and close the distance, Recon shells are intel specialists, and Vandals can unleash chaos in a firefight thanks to their disruptive skills. The Rook is also an interesting Runner shell, as players can select this and drop into a match that's already in progress. Because Rooks have a predefined loadout, they won't risk losing any loot from previous runs if they're eliminated. Any loot they do find, they can take back with them once a run ends.

• Destroyer -- Combat specialist
• Assassin -- Shadow agent
• Recon -- Intel specialist
• Vandal -- Combat anarchist
• Thief -- Covert acquisitions
• Triage -- Field medic
• Rook -- Scavenger

Marathon screenshots

A Void Runner in Marathon.

Marathon is a multiplayer-only game

While Marathon won't have a single-player mode, Barrett added that the game is being built with the PvP experience as the "foundation" of this game. That means that you can expect a narrative and a "rich, immersive world" according to the game director. "Our design philosophy here is to have players affect the story of the world through their choices and their actions. This approach also lets us shape the overall narrative direction of the game experience while giving players a direct sense of agency and power."

Bungie says it's creating opportunities for player-driven stories to unfold across a world full of persistent, evolving zones. That might mean that players cross paths and engage in a firefight against each other for the same loot, or a last-second extraction while fending off hostile AI-controlled enemies. The reveal stream did confirm that players will be able to switch squad autofill off and play as a solo Runner, if you're up to the challenge.

According to the developer, it's also working on ideas that will see tangible changes across the game world. One such example given is that a crew could discover a hidden artifact that opens a new area of the map for all players to explore, with such discoveries being available during every season of Marathon.

Is Marathon a sequel to the original trilogy?

Unsurprisingly, Bungie offers a vague answer about Marathon's place in the established timeline. Game director Christopher Barrett has described the game as being "not a direct sequel to the originals, but something that certainly belongs in the same universe."

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