Marathon: Bungie’s Sci-Fi Shooter – The Ultimate Guide

Bungie, renowned for their work on Destiny and Halo, are revisiting their earlier science fiction first-person shooter series, Marathon, after more than two decades spent exploring new universes. The original Marathon trilogy concluded in 1996, making the announcement of a new Marathon game nearly two years ago a significant surprise.

This news has undoubtedly excited long-time gaming enthusiasts. However, it’s crucial to manage expectations: this isn’t simply a return to the Marathon of yesteryear.

The landscape of first-person shooters has shifted dramatically since the dominance of titles like Doom and Quake. While those classics have also evolved, Marathon is set to undergo a more radical transformation. Bungie’s reimagining of the classic MacOS trilogy is an extraction shooter, pitting teams of three “runners” against each other in a fierce competition for resources. While a traditional single-player campaign is absent, a season-to-season narrative will still unfold.

Here’s a breakdown of everything we currently know about the new Marathon, including its development timeline, playtests, key features, and the confirmed runners.

Marathon: The Release Date Situation

Unfortunately, the release of Marathon has been delayed, and a concrete release date is not yet available. However, the announcement of the delay included the promise of a new release date reveal in the autumn.

Prior to the delay, a “Game and Network Services” document suggested a release within Sony’s 2025 fiscal year, which extends until 31st March 2026. Whether this timeframe remains accurate following the delay is uncertain, but it provides the only current basis for speculation.

The game was initially slated for launch on 23rd September 2025, but this was postponed shortly after PlayStation Studios head, Hermen Hulst, acknowledged “varied” feedback from playtesters.

Since its initial unveiling in 2023, the development of Bungie’s science fiction extraction shooter has faced challenges. The studio announced layoffs that year, followed by a further reduction of 220 development roles in 2024.

These layoffs coincided with leadership changes at Bungie. Former Marathon director Chris Barrett was reportedly dismissed for inappropriate behaviour towards female employees and is now pursuing legal action against Sony and Bungie. Joe Ziegler, previously the director of Valorant, has taken over as the lead for the extraction shooter.

Adding to these difficulties, the discovery of stolen artwork within Marathon has reportedly contributed to a decline in morale within Bungie.

Marathon: Alpha Testing and Access

The initial closed alpha test for Marathon concluded on 6th May 2025.

Bungie hasn’t announced specific dates for a second alpha test. The best chance of gaining access is by joining the official Marathon Discord server. So, if you missed the first round, don’t be discouraged.

Bungie is also offering additional playtesting opportunities outside of the alpha program. Selected closed testing sign-ups are occasionally available within the official Marathon Discord, even for those who didn’t participate in the first alpha. For those eager to get involved, monitoring the Discord channel is highly recommended.

Marathon: Trailers and Gameplay

Alongside the release date news, Bungie revealed Marathon’s gameplay trailer. This was one of several videos published during their April livestream, including an extended look at the extraction shooter’s mechanics in the Marathon gameplay overview, and a cinematic introduction to its runners.

Marathon: Story and Setting

Marathon is set in the year 2893 on the planet Tau Ceti IV, where you and other “runners” are competing for scarce resources. The original colony of 30,000 inhabitants has mysteriously vanished, and resources are dwindling. The fate of these colonists remains unclear, but cryptic messages and inadequate explanations suggest that the UESC (United Earth Space Corporation) is concealing the full truth.

The runners – humans who have traded their physical bodies for biosynthetic prints – dominate the remnants of the planet, vying for riches. Factions employ these runners, and their motivations and interests will be revealed over time. Bungie has provided further details in recent updates, confirming that the narrative will be delivered through seasonal storytelling. This approach aligns more closely with Destiny than with what fans of the original Marathon might expect.

Marathon: Gameplay Features

Marathon is described as a challenging experience, even by extraction shooter standards.

One reviewer noted that it “drips with Bungie’s signature shooter sauce” and believes it will be a strong title despite the challenges. Extraction shooters are inherently demanding, but Marathon’s unforgiving risk-reward system within its 25-minute matches intensifies the impact of both success and failure.

The core mechanics of extraction shooters apply to Marathon, with teams of three battling each other for control of a safe area on the map. However, death carries a significant penalty: runners lose all their loot with no chance of recovery. This makes decisions about reaching the exfiltration point even more critical, as runners contend with UESC incursions, puzzles, and boss encounters.

The game remains challenging until the very end. Marathon doesn’t even provide an indication when your team is the last one standing, leaving players in suspense. Bungie anticipates that the typical map survival rate will be below 50%.

Further Details About Marathon

Following the gameplay debut, Bungie has shared a wealth of information about Marathon, covering various aspects from anti-cheat measures to update cycles. Here’s a summary of the key features:

• Marathon will utilise dedicated servers, disconnect protection, and BattlEye anti-cheat.
• The game is designed for three-person teams, but players can disable autofill and queue solo or as a duo.
• Ranked play is planned for the future, but will not be available at launch.
• Seasonal resets will occur every three months, introducing new zone updates, runners, weapons, events, and story elements.
• Proximity chat will be implemented, despite initial concerns about its potential for toxic behaviour.

Marathon: Runners Available in Alpha

Runners serve as the classes in Marathon, each possessing a Prime ability, a Tactical ability, and two Traits. A runner’s kit is designed to support specific playstyles and fulfil a role within the squad, such as providing intelligence or stealthily eliminating enemies.

The following runners were available in the initial alpha:

• Blackbird
  • Prime: Echo Pulse
  • Tactical: Tracker Drone
  • Trait 1: Interrogation
  • Trait 2: Stalker Protocol
• Glitch
  • Prime: Amplify
  • Tactical: Disruptor
  • Trait 1: Microjets
  • Trait 2: Power Slide
• Locus
  • Prime: Search and Destroy
  • Tactical: Riot Barricade
  • Trait 1: Thruster
  • Trait 2: Tactical Sprint
• Void
  • Prime: Smoke Screen
  • Tactical: Active Camo
  • Trait 1: Shadow Dive
  • Trait 2: Shroud

Marathon: Factions and Maps

Familiarity with the layout of Tau Ceti’s maps will be crucial for survival. The initial alpha included two maps:

• Perimeter: A wooded map designed for five crews.
• Dire Marsh: A more open battlefield accommodating six crews.

Outpost, a close-quarters map, is scheduled to launch with the game. The fourth map, the UESC Marathon ship, is planned for a post-launch update.

Marathon: Factions

A runner’s activities will revolve around contracts undertaken for various factions. Building reputation with these secretive organisations will unlock passive perks throughout the season.

Bungie has revealed six factions: Cyberacme, Arachne, Sekiguchi, MIDA, Traxus, and NuCal.