When is the Marathon release date? Marathon is a forthcoming first-person shooter from Bungie, the team behind hit games like Destiny 2 and the original Halo. It's been a while since the first trailer gave us the scoop on what players could expect from the game, which was rumored to be in development for quite some time before Bungie's actual announcement in May 2023. Fortunately, the wait for a launch date is now over.
While the Marathon release date is still a fair way away, the hype is real given Bungie's history of delivering unrivaled gunplay and the stunning trailer that re-introduced gamers to the remake of the FPS game, which remains a classic.
Marathon release date
Marathon is launching on September 23, 2025, as confirmed by Bungie. It's coming to PC via Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series consoles. A closed alpha will go live on April 23.
Bungie CEO Pete Parsons confirmed in a 2019 interview that a non-Destiny game would be released by the end of 2025. While a lot can happen in six years – Marathon made "aggressive changes" after Joe Ziegler took the helm as game director in 2024 – it has thankfully maintained its course.
On April 12, 2025, Marathon was emphatically unveiled, flanked by a slew of content, including a hefty eight-minute cinematic, a gameplay trailer, and a full-fledged livestream. A closed alpha was also announced for NA, though you can at least play the OGs on Steam for free if you don't get in.
What is Marathon?
This version of Marathon is a reimagined version of the space game of the same name that Bungie released in 1994. The series continued with annual installments, with Marathon 2: Durandal in 1995 and Marathon Infinity in 1996. The original trilogy were single-player Doom-like FPS games available only on Mac OS, the ill-fated Apple Pippin console, and iOS. As such, the Marathon trilogy has a niche cult following.
This modern Marathon will be a PvP-based game with no single-player campaign element. Players can play solo or in crews of up to three people. Bungie has clarified this is not a remake or a sequel to the 1994 game but set in the same world.
"Become a Runner in Bungie's new sci-fi PvP extraction shooter. Compete for survival, riches, and renown in a world of evolving, persistent zones, where any run can lead to greatness," Bungie describes the game on the official Marathon website.
A story description regales a tale of a ghost ship over a lost colony on Tau Ceti IV, home to 30,000 souls that have disappeared. As a Runner, which is a cybernetic mercenary, you'll enter an area that's full of Artifacts, dormant AI, weapons, and more in a fight for infamy and fame.
The game is an Escape from Tarkov-style extraction shooter, and your objective is to collect items you need while staying alive and avoiding death from environmental elements or other players. Any items you collect will level up your character to make them stronger, giving them the tools they need to survive future missions. Artifacts can be combined to make even stronger tools called Prime Artifacts.
Unlike some extraction shooters, the game centers on a broader narrative that will unfold throughout each season. The development team has suggested there are many ways to become "famous or infamous" in the game, such as through leaderboards, being the first to unlock zones, or helping other players throughout your journey.
Marathon Game Director Christopher Barrett confirmed the game is not intended to be a sequel. "It's not a direct sequel to the originals, but something that certainly belongs in the same universe and that feels like a Bungie game," Barrett said in the Bungie blog post.
The game also features a unique, cyberpunk-esque art style full of bright, vibrant colors. In true Bungie style, it will have Bungie-like elements of deep lore, a unique design style, and solid gunplay and weaponry.
Marathon trailers
Marathon was officially announced in May 2023, and while its first trailer didn't give a whole lot away, we were treated to a look at the colorful cuts, bold lines, and futuristic elements that form the basis of its art style.
Between the official announcement and 2025, Marathon went dark for the most part, outside of October 2024's dev update. Then, in early April, a 'save the date' trailer was posted. Once again, we're treated to glimpses of Marathon's graphic realism, with sharp contrast and vibrant colors taking over the screen.
Finally, on April 12, Bungie dropped a shipload of content. The gameplay reveal trailer only serves as a tiny fraction of the gameplay showcased across multiple content pieces, but it does grant us a solid look at the weaponry, classes, and overall feel of Marathon's core loop.
Marathon gameplay
A team-based extraction shooter based on the lost colony planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon places you in the shell of a Runner, a mercenary who has traded out their skin suit for a biosynthetic one. Team sizes are capped at three players, and you'll be playing on maps with a limit of up to 18 Runners. Of course, you'll also have to contend with "countless security forces, and otherworldly threats" as you scour for riches.
First and foremost, Marathon will follow the standard extraction shooter formula. As Ziegler describes the genre, "it's a game type where you essentially go into a dangerous world, a world filled with hostile mobs and players alike that are all existing in that environment, and are a huge threat to you, and challenge your ability to survive and get out alive.
"The goal of every session is to get out alive, and along the way, you're going to be completing quests, finding loot that will either help you upgrade yourself or things you can equip to make yourself stronger. If you get out alive, all that loot is yours to keep. If you don't, you will be losing all of that and someone else will be able to take that from you."
Ziegler notes that Marathon will feature stat-boosting or gameplay-changing equipment, alongside utility consumables like mines and grenades, and survival consumables. Marathon's characters, known as Runners, each come with "a small subset of abilities," and can be customized. As for the overall vibe, Marathon will be drawing on the "psychological creepiness" of the original, meshed with modern elements.
It's all standard fare so far, though there are a couple of notable elements highlighted in the gameplay overview trailer. Firstly, if you're killed, "factions can sponsor you with a fresh loadout, so you can get right back into the fight." Additionally, before you're taken out of commission, there's a 'down but not out' system in play that lets you try and get the last laugh. What's more, teammates can revive each other, making it imperative to finish off a squad before moving on.
This may also make things more difficult for solo players. Currently, Marathon will let you queue solo, but you will still be matched against squads. This means that you'll have to stay on your toes at all times and ensure that the isolated target you took out doesn't have friends nearby who can get them back on their feet.
That's everything we know about Marathon, the forthcoming Marathon crossplay will be a thing.