With Marathon, the new shooter from Bungie will be released in March 2026. Everything you need to know about the game can be found on MeinMMO.
What is Marathon? Marathon (PS5, Steam, Xbox Series X|S) is a new extraction shooter developed by Bungie (creators of Destiny 2). As an extraction shooter, Marathon follows a specific gameplay principle:
- You start a run, loot gear, fight against NPCs and other players (PvPvE), and try to extract. Loot includes weapons, materials, and equipment.
- During a run, you also try to complete missions for the factions (essentially merchants) to earn rewards and faction progress.
- If you die, you lose the gear you were carrying. If you lose all your gear and have an empty stash, the so-called factions can sponsor you a new loadout.
Marathon is best played in a team. A squad consists of up to three players. However, you can also go solo hunting for loot.
Here you can watch the launch trailer for Marathon:
Marathon: All about the release, start time, and preload
When is the release?
The release of Marathon is on Thursday, March 5, 2026.
What time does Marathon start?
Currently, there is no specific release time for Marathon known. The upcoming server slam on February 26 starts at 7:00 PM German time. So it is likely that the release on March 5 will also be at 7:00 PM.
Is there a preload?
So far, it is not known if and when there will be a preload for Marathon. As soon as we know more about it, we will update the information here in the article.
Marathon: Price, platforms, and editions at a glance
On which platforms will Marathon be released?
Marathon will be released on March 5, 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
Will there be crossplay and cross-save between platforms? Yes, Marathon will support crossplay and cross-save at full release. This means you can use and continue your progress made on PS5 on Steam on PC.
How much does Marathon cost?
Marathon will cost €39.99 in the standard edition and has been available for pre-order since the end of January. The larger deluxe edition of the game is slightly more expensive at €59.99 and offers various bonuses such as skins for four runner shells. There is also a collector’s edition with special content.
Here is an overview of all editions of Marathon:
- Standard Edition: €39.99
- Deluxe Edition: €59.99
- Collector’s Edition without game: €170.00
- Collector’s Edition with game: €229.99
What is included in the collector’s edition? The collector’s edition includes among other things a statue of the runner “Thief”, postcards, and a lenticular poster – in other words, a wobble picture that creates the illusion of changing.
The key information about the Marathon server slam
What you need to know about the server slam
With the server slam, Bungie wants to test the Marathon servers again before the release. For players, this is the last chance to test the extraction shooter for free.
When does the server slam start? The Marathon server slam starts on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 7:00 PM German time.
When does the server slam end? The Marathon server slam ends on Monday, March 2, 2026, at 7:00 PM German time.
How can I participate in the marathon server slam?
The Marathon server slam has no special participation requirements. You can simply download the game as soon as the download is available and then play over the weekend.
Is there a beta?
No, there will be no more traditional beta before the release of Marathon that you can play. However, you can consider the server slam as a kind of open beta, where you can get an impression of the game.
For everything else you need to know about the Marathon server slam, you can find it here:
System requirements for Marathon on Steam
What are the system requirements? Bungie has announced the system requirements for Marathon that your gaming PC should meet if you want to play the game via Steam.
Minimum:
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64-bit or newer
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- RAM: 8 GB
- Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB) / Intel Arc A580 (8 GB)
Recommended:
- Operating system: Windows 10, 64-bit or newer
- Processor: Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500
- RAM: 16 GB
- Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB) / Intel Arc A770 (16 GB)
The minimum requirements for Marathon are relatively low, so you will likely be able to play the shooter even if you do not have modern hardware.
All runner shells from Marathon presented: These are the classes
What are the runner shells? Marathon differs in gameplay through its class system from other extraction shooters such as ARC Raiders or Escape from Tarkov. You are “runners”, cybernetic mercenaries who enter so-called “runner shells” at the start of a round. These runner shells are the classes you can choose and play in Marathon.
How many runner shells will there be? Upon release, there will be 6 runner shells, each with different abilities. In addition, as an alternative to the standard classes, there is the “Rook”. This is essentially a seventh class that allows you to play a free loadout instead of your own gear.
Here is a brief description of all runner shells:
- Destroyer: A combat specialist equipped with a shield, missile systems, and engines for improved mobility.
- Assassin: The stealth class of Marathon. Can use synthetic smoke and turn invisible.
- Recon: The reconnaissance specialist can discover enemies with echo pulses and tracking drones and can track them using holographic footprints.
- Vandal: The class for movement fans. It is the only class with a double jump and can slide further. In addition, it has a “recoil cannon” that allows you to knock enemies out of their cover.
- Thief: The loot goblin: Can activate a visor to see loot through walls and can also use a controlled butterfly drone to locate and retrieve loot. In addition, the Thief has a grappling hook.
- Triage: The team’s medic has drones that heal you, as well as a kind of defibrillator ability to revive downed teammates faster. He also has abilities to boost you or your teammates in combat.
- Rook: The class for solo players allows you to join an ongoing match. However, you cannot bring your own gear with the Rook, but get a starter kit instead. However, the class has an ability that makes NPC enemies not perceive you as hostile and therefore do not attack you.
However, you can assume that Marathon may receive additional runner shells in the future. Currently, there are no details about this, but Bungie aims to update the shooter in the future. For example, a ranked mode will also be introduced in Season 1.
MeinMMO editor Dariusz particularly noticed the “Thief” when presenting the various runner shells. However, he is also sure that some abilities of the different classes will annoy him immensely: The 7 classes of Marathon look exciting for loot goblins like me, but I know I will hate my opponents
