Marathon – Release Date, Price, And Everything We Know About Bungie’s Extraction Shooter

Before it made a name for itself in the gaming industry with titles like Halo: Combat Evolved or Oni, Bungie’s big video game series was Marathon, a grand sci-fi saga that was originally released for Mac. In many ways, Marathon was ahead of its time thanks to its rich lore, groundbreaking gameplay elements, and ideas that would help shape Bungie’s work on Halo and Destiny. After decades of dormancy, Marathon returns later this year, this time as a multiplayer-focused extraction shooter that combine’s Bungie’s signature gunplay with a vibrant art direction.

Ahead of its launch in September, 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?

Marathon will launch on September 23, 2025. This will be around two years after Bungie first unveiled the game, although it’s worth noting that the studio has undergone massive restructuring since then. Two-hundred and twenty employees were laid off in 2024, and former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly fired for inappropriate behavior, a claim that he is disputing as he is suing both Sony and Bungie.

Marathon preorders

Physical and digital preorders for Marathon aren’t open yet, but we’ll update this page as soon the listings go live. Preorder bonuses for Marathon might have already leaked as well, as datamining fans claim that free Marathon-themed skins that players can use to dress up their Guardian in Bungie’s Destiny 2 will be an incentive to grab the game.

Marathon platforms

While Sony may have 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.

Is Marathon free-to-play?

Unlike many other games in the live-service space, Marathon will not be free-to-play. Pricing hasn’t been revealed yet, and Bungie says that it will not be a “full-priced” title when it launches. It has been rumored that Marathon will cost $40 when it launches, the same price as Sony’s ill-fated Concord.

Marathon Alpha

Marathon’s first closed alpha test will begin in April 2025, and if you’re interested in trying it out, you can join the official Marathon Discord for the chance to get access to this early cut of the game. There will be several playtesting sessions before the September launch as well.

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

Winning in Marathon can also be achieved through several different methods, and Bungie says that it wants to make these elements as accessible as possible in this extraction shooter.

“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 commented on how 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, as while players will be able to amass a sizable arsenal with successful extractions, each new season will reset 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 six distinct classes to choose from, and details on four of them have been revealed. Each Runner is equipped with a Prime and Tactical ability, as well as two Traits to complement specific playstyles.

Locus

The soldiers of Marathon, Locus players can pop a shield and their playstyle favors aggressive combat tactics.

• Prime ability: Search and Destroy
• Tactical ability: Barricade
• Trait 1: Thruster
• Trait 2: Tactical Sprint

Blackbird

Recon specialists, Blackbird players can help their team plan for battle as they’re capable of scanning for other players and dangers.

• Prime ability: Echo Pulse
• Tactical ability: Tracker Drone
• Trait 1: Interrogation
• Trait 2: Stalker Protocol

Glitch

While Bungie hasn’t shared too much detail on the Glitch class yet, it looks like these Runners are skilled at disrupting enemies and flushing them out of hiding.

• Prime ability: Amplify
• Tactical ability: Disruptor
• Trait 1: Micro jets
• Trait 2: Powerslide

Void

Stealth specialists, Void Runners can use optic camouflage and smoke grenades to strike from the shadows.

• Prime ability: Smoke Screen
• Tactical ability: Active Camo
• Trait 1: Shadow Dive
• Trait 2: Shroud

Marathon screenshots

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 that it’s creating opportunities for player-driven stories to unfold across a world full of persistent and 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 is offering a vague answer to 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.”