Bungie just pulled back the curtain on Marathon with nearly 23 minutes of gameplay footage, and the extraction shooter is shaping up differently than what we saw earlier this year. After an indefinite delay following mixed feedback from the April alpha test, the studio has been quietly reworking the game through closed betas. The result is a more polished experience that launches in March 2026 for $39.99 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
What Changed Since Alpha
The biggest surprise is proximity chat, a feature Bungie previously rejected over toxicity concerns. After watching Arc Raiders steal the show with this exact feature, Marathon reversed course. Now players can communicate with nearby enemies, opening doors for impromptu alliances, negotiations, or good old-fashioned trash talk. It’s a feature that feels essential to the extraction shooter experience, letting social dynamics play out naturally.
Solo players also got some love with a dedicated solo queue option. Previously, you’d risk getting matched against full three-person squads, which rarely ended well. The new matchmaking keeps things fair by separating solo warriors from coordinated teams. There’s also a new Runner shell called Rook, designed specifically for scavenging matches already in progress with limited risk to your hard-earned loot.
Four Maps and an Endgame Challenge
Marathon launches with four distinct zones that escalate in difficulty. Perimeter serves as your training ground on the edge of the Tau Ceti IV colony, teaching you the basics of survival. Dire Marsh ramps up the intensity with tougher NPCs and better loot opportunities. Outpost pushes things further with locked rooms and high-stakes rewards that demand careful risk assessment.
The endgame lives on the UESC Marathon ship itself in a zone called Cryo Archive. This floating vessel hovers above the surface maps and acts like a high-stakes raid. You’ll breach a series of vaults while facing the game’s toughest challenges, but the payoff is Marathon’s best loot. The first zone unlocks during Season 1, with more areas planned as free post-launch content.
Runners, Weapons, and Customization
Each match throws up to 18 players into 25-minute extraction runs, typically in three-person crews. You pick from six Runner shells at launch, each with unique abilities that shape your playstyle. Locus brings deployable shields and aggressive push-forward tactics. Glitch disrupts enemy tech with ability-dampening tools. Blackbird can interrogate downed enemies to reveal teammate positions. Unlike pure loot-based shooters where you lose everything on death, Marathon lets you keep your Runner’s core abilities, making it easier to bounce back after a bad run.
The weapons lean into Bungie’s signature gunplay polish with futuristic arsenals ranging from kinetic rifles to arc blasters. You’ll customize loadouts before deployment and scavenge higher-tier gear during matches. Weapon power scales horizontally rather than vertically, meaning better guns perform more consistently without becoming instant-win buttons. Mods add another layer of customization, letting you fine-tune weapons to match your approach.
Monetization That Respects Your Time
Bungie is taking a different approach to monetization with Marathon. The $40 entry fee avoids the free-to-play trap, and the studio promises no pay-to-win mechanics. Reward Passes replace traditional battle passes with one crucial difference – they never expire. You can buy previous passes and progress through them whenever you want, eliminating the FOMO that plagues most live service games. The studio also confirmed that survival will never depend on how much money you spend, focusing instead on skill and strategy.
Visual Overhaul and New Direction
The footage shows a significant visual upgrade from the April alpha. Bungie describes the new aesthetic as dark, gritty, and grounded, moving away from the overly vibrant look that didn’t quite land with players. Environmental storytelling got beefed up with realistic weather effects and improved zone design. The UI received a complete makeover, appearing cleaner and more intuitive than previous versions. Everything aims to make you feel the pressure of surviving on a hostile alien world.
The updated audio design reinforces this tension. Sound cues help you track enemy movements, identify threats, and coordinate with teammates. Combined with proximity chat, the audio landscape creates opportunities for psychological warfare and tactical deception that weren’t possible before.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Marathon release?
Marathon launches in March 2026 for PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Bungie hasn’t announced an exact date yet, but the window is confirmed.
How much does Marathon cost?
The game is priced at $39.99 USD, €39.99 EUR, or £34.99 GBP. Additional regional pricing will be announced closer to launch.
Does Marathon have proximity chat?
Yes, despite initially rejecting the feature over toxicity concerns, Bungie added proximity chat after community demand. Players can now communicate with nearby enemies and allies through voice chat.
Can you play Marathon solo?
Absolutely. Marathon includes a dedicated solo queue that matches you against other solo players instead of three-person squads. The new Rook Runner shell is specifically designed for solo scavenging with limited risk.
What is the Cryo Archive?
Cryo Archive is Marathon’s endgame zone located on the UESC Marathon ship floating above the surface maps. It offers high-stakes vault breaching challenges with the best loot rewards. The first zone unlocks during Season 1.
Are there battle passes in Marathon?
Marathon uses Reward Passes instead of traditional battle passes. The key difference is they never expire, and you can purchase and progress through previous passes at your own pace without FOMO pressure.
How many players are in each match?
Each extraction match supports up to 18 players, typically organized into three-person crews. Matches last 25 minutes, and you must extract with your loot before time runs out.
Looking Ahead
Marathon has come a long way since the rough April alpha that prompted Bungie to hit the brakes. The 20-minute gameplay deep dive shows a studio that listened to feedback and made meaningful changes. Proximity chat and solo queue address major community concerns, while the visual overhaul gives the game a more fitting atmosphere for the extraction shooter genre. The anti-FOMO monetization approach is refreshing in a market saturated with predatory battle pass systems.
Whether Marathon can compete with established extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov or newcomers like Arc Raiders remains to be seen. But Bungie’s pedigree with Halo and Destiny gives them credibility in the shooter space. The March 2026 launch window isn’t far off, and with regular playtests continuing behind closed doors, the final product should benefit from months of player feedback. If the gameplay lives up to what we’ve seen so far, Marathon might just carve out its own space in the crowded extraction shooter market.