BungieAt the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Bungie announced a revival of its 1994 sci-fi first-person shooter Marathon. However, a turbulent development put the title’s timeframe in question at the time.
Since it was announced in May 2023, impressions were not been positive. In October 2023, Marathon was allegedly delayed after several Bungie staff members were laid off.
One month later, the title reportedly flopped amongst playtesters, as none of them raised their hand when asked if they would play if it came out tomorrow.
Fear escalated when Bungie lost roughly 40% of its workforce in one day on July 31, 2024. The layoffs put the Destiny series in peril, and fans weren’t sure if that would extend to Marathon.
Those fears have since been quelled, and Marathon’s reveal has fans of the long-standing game developer more excited than ever. April 12’s reveal gave us a ton of new information about the title.
Here’s what we know so far about Bungie’s Marathon.
Does Marathon have a release date?
Marathon will be releasing on September 23, 2025. With a very specific release date set in stone, they’re also planning on running a closed Alpha test to give the public a chance to get their hands on the game and try it out.
Is Marathon free to play?
BungieNo, Marathon will not be free to play. A report from TheGamePost claims that they’re targeting a $40 release price, less than what a premium AAA game costs but a much bigger asking price than what FTP competitors have.
Bungie haven’t confirmed the price, but they have confirmed it will have one.
“Marathon will be a premium title. Marathon will not be a ‘full-priced’ title. We’ll announce details this Summer,” they said.
How to sign up for Marathon’s Alpha
Getting into the Alpha is tricky, at least at the time of writing. You’ll have to go to their official Discord server and follow a long series of steps to get there, not to mention that the server is so busy that getting the bot to work and give you a form to fill out is a process.
You can read our full guide for more detail on how to have a better chance of getting into the Alpha. Just bear in mind it’ll be fairly small, and users aren’t allowed to record or even talk about their experience with the game during that time.
Marathon is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox series X/S, and PC, and those are the platforms in which you’ll be able to play the Alpha on. It’s running from April 23 to May 4.
Trailers
The first trailer showed a brief glimpse of a gunfight taking place on a remote planet, providing a peek at its extraction shooter gameplay.
Bungie then went silent until a series of vague teasers and cryptic messages about the game came out, leading up to a reveal on April 12, 2025.
Additionally, they released a cinematic trailer highlighting some of the game’s story elements. Though it’s mainly dedicated to being a multiplayer game, there’s an ongoing story that players will be able to track.
Marathon gameplay details
Marathon is also a follow up to one of Bungie’s earliest shooters, a game of the same name that released in 1994. The Marathon series predates Halo by almost an entire decade, and it’s one of the earliest examples of an FPS title considering the original Doom released in December 1993.
However, this is a far cry from the original. Players will get to choose from a number of Runners, all of which have different abilities. Teams of 3 will be thrust into a match of up to 18 players in a PvPvE extraction shooter format.
We know about 4 Runners so far:
- Void is a stealth-based character meant to sneak in and out of fights or steal loot without having to get into a gunfight for it
- Glitch has enhanced mobility along with abilities that disrupt and damage opponents, giving you the edge if you get the drop on your opponent
- Locus is a tankier Runner more focused on going in loud and soaking damage than other characters, with a larger health bar but slower movement
- Blackbird is all about scanning and recon, with them being able to reveal their opponents’ locations
If you’re able to grab enough loot and extract, you’ll have much better equipment than you did before. Die, and you’ll lose it all. However, it’s not quite as brutal as something like escape from Tarkov, with the game featuring revive mechanics that are somewhat similar to Apex Legends.
That’s what we know about Marathon so far, with them keeping details close to their chest ahead of the Alpha build’s release and the game’s launch later in 2025.
