Bungie's Marathon Revealed, Launches This September as a "Premium" Product
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Bungie has fully revealed their next title, Marathon—a sci-fi first-person extraction shooter—set to release on September 23 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. It will launch with full cross-play and cross-save support.
Marathon Launching this September
This is Bungie’s first new IP since Destiny debuted in 2014. Unlike many recent shooters, Marathon isn’t free-to-play. Instead, it’s being labeled a “premium title”. This was clarified by the game’s official social media account, which corrected a user who mistakenly called it “full-priced.”
That distinction suggests Marathon might not launch at the standard $70 price point. Many now speculate it could follow Helldivers 2’s lead with a $40 launch price. Bungie says more details about pricing will be shared this summer.
What we do know: Marathon will launch with the following features:
A battle pass system
Three playable maps (a fourth arriving shortly after launch)
In-game cosmetics
Four Runners at launch (with two more coming post-launch)
Marathon Closed Alpha Test Announced
Bungie also revealed a closed alpha test set for April 23. Select players can sign up for a chance to participate via the official Marathon Discord server.
We tried applying and through the process they will ask you to take a survey, asking your age and what region you are in.
To have a better chance you’ll need to say you are over 18 and live in either North America or Canada as the upcoming beta is limited to these regions.
No additional details about the alpha were shared, but we can likely expect more information to drop in the coming days.
About Marathon
The game is set on Tau Ceti IV, as a mysterious lost colony now overshadowed by a massive ghost ship in orbit. 30,000 souls have disappeared without a trace, and the planet is littered with strange signals, ancient artifacts, and hostile AI threats.
You play as a Runner—a cybernetic mercenary hired by rival factions to explore the ruins of the lost colony and uncover its secrets. Players choose from a roster of Runners, each with unique abilities, and customize their loadouts using weapons, implants, and gear.
You can play solo or team up with up to two others in matches featuring up to 18 players. That could mean six full squads or a mix of duos (still not confirmed) and solos—flexible team compositions seem to be part of the design.
As an extraction shooter, death means your entire loadout is up for grabs. Risk and reward are central to each run, and surviving to extract is key while getting some of your objectives completed in the process.
Gameplay footage shown below suggests the combat has Destiny-like pacing and feel, which isn’t too surprising coming from Bungie.
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