Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter Marathon is finally ready for release, thanks in large part to a ton of feedback from the game’s closed tests.
Earlier this year, Marathon’s closed alpha test was met with lukewarm responses, to say the least. Since then, the team has been hard at work iterating on feedback and preparing it for launch after it was delayed out of its initial drop date in September.
Marathon is now confirmed to be coming in March 2026, so the wait is really not much longer at all. And in the ViDoc above, the team highlighted what’s different and improved from previous tests, including proximity chat, a solo queue, improved visuals, and enhancements to the “survival experience, immersion, and danger of the world.”
Many of the alpha’s main complaints have been addressed, specifically the lack of proximity chat (which has been a huge pull in fellow extraction shooter ARC Raiders), world-building and atmosphere in general, and the game’s visual fidelity when it came to outdoors areas. The game is built to feel more dangerous now, too, upping the stakes that you would expect in the genre.
Bungie is already teasing Cryo Archive as a new map placed on the Marathon ship itself. The devs say “if you’re not ready to take your best stuff, well, you’re not gonna survive.” This is in addition to several other existing maps that have already been playable such as Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost.
The studio confirmed that Marathon will launch at $39.99, which puts it at the same price at another extraction shooter like ARC Raiders. The studio says there are no pay-to-win mechanics, and gameplay outcomes are never determined by spending, plus cosmetic reward passes will not expire, and players will be able to buy past ones if they join late.
Marathon is now just a few months away from release. Judging by the ViDoc, it seems as though the game is in a way better place than it was a year ago. Are you interested in it now, judging by what’s been shown? Let us know in the comments below.
