After a series of delays and extensive community testing, Bungie has finally locked in a release window and price for its highly anticipated revival of the Marathon franchise. The studio has shifted the sci-fi extraction shooter from its original September 2025 target to March 2026, simultaneously revealing a mid-tier pricing strategy and a wealth of new details about its ambitious "gunfight poker" design. This announcement, made via a new "Vision of Marathon" video documentary, provides the clearest picture yet of how Bungie intends to blend its signature gunplay with the high-stakes tension of the extraction genre.
A New Launch Target and Revised Pricing Strategy
Bungie has confirmed that Marathon is now targeting a release in March 2026, a significant delay from its previously announced September 2025 date. This follows an earlier internal postponement and reflects the studio's commitment to refining the game based on extensive alpha and closed playtest feedback. Accompanying the new date is a confirmed price point: the game will cost USD 39.99 (EUR 39.99 / GBP 34.99), positioning it as a mid-tier premium title rather than a full-price USD 69.99 release or a free-to-play experience. Purchasing the game grants access to all core gameplay updates, including new maps, Runner shells, and live events, as they are released throughout the year. The studio has also committed to regional pricing details at a later date.
Marathon: Key Specifications & Data
- Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Target: March 2026
- Price: USD 39.99 / EUR 39.99 / GBP 34.99 (Regional pricing to follow)
- Business Model: Mid-tier premium (not free-to-play, not full-price)
- Gameplay Genre: PvPvE Extraction Shooter
- Key Features: Proximity Chat, Persistent Corpse Decay, Dynamic Weather Events, "Rook" Beginner Mode, Non-expiring Rewards Passes
- Confirmed Playable Zones: 4 (Outer Rim, Dread Swamp, The Outpost, Cryo Archive)
- Loot Scale: 400+ weapon mods, multiple implant types, variant Runner shells
Core Gameplay: "Gunfight Poker" in a Hostile World
Bungie describes Marathon's core loop as "gunfight poker," emphasizing constant risk assessment, strategic pushes into dangerous territory, and the critical decision of when to extract with loot. The game is a PvPvE extraction shooter set on the colony world of Tau Ceti IV, where players, known as Runners, compete against each other and hostile UESC forces. A key addition since the alpha test is proximity chat, a feature directly requested by the community. This tool allows for emergent, fleeting alliances between players, even those not in pre-made squads, adding a layer of social strategy to the tense encounters. The environment itself is a key adversary, with persistent, decaying corpses serving as a gameplay read on recent activity and dynamic weather events capable of dramatically altering the flow of a match.
Four Distinct Zones and an Absurd Amount of Loot
The playable world is divided into four major zones, each designed for different player experiences and skill levels. The Outer Rim acts as a beginner-friendly area with clearer sightlines, while the Dread Swamp leans into environmental horror with dense, continuous PvE combat. The Outpost is a compact, vertical facility filled with traps and high-risk, high-reward loot. Finally, the Cryo Archive—the derelict UESC Marathon ship—is billed as the apex endgame zone, featuring the game's most difficult sequential vault challenges. Bungie promises an "absurd" amount of loot to discover across these areas, including over 400 weapon mods that can radically alter a gun's function, various implants, and different Runner "shells" that define playstyles like tank or stealth assassin. This deep customization allows for significant build crafting, where gear, abilities, and perks can synergize in powerful ways.
Progression, Accessibility, and Business Model Promises
Progression is tied to completing contracts for various in-game factions, each offering unique reputation tracks. Reaching the apex of a faction's track grants not only top-tier gear but also permanent base-stat upgrades for a Runner that last an entire season, creating a seasonal metagame. To help newcomers, Bungie introduced the "Rook" mode, a special session where players can drop into matches with minimal risk to their main inventory, allowing them to learn maps and mechanics safely. The developers have made several firm promises regarding the business model: there will be no pay-to-win mechanics, and survival will never be determined by spending money. Furthermore, the game's Rewards Passes (likely similar to battle passes) will not expire, and players can earn rewards from previously purchased passes at any time, with the option to buy past passes—a direct move to eliminate player fear of missing out (FOMO).
Development Timeline
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Original Internal Target | 2024 |
| Post-Layoffs Target | 2025 |
| Publicly Announced Date (2024) | September 23, 2025 |
| Delay Announcement | June 2025 |
| Current Confirmed Target | March 2026 |
The Road to March 2026
The path to this March 2026 launch has been turbulent. Originally slated for 2024, the game was delayed internally to 2025 following layoffs at Bungie in late 2023. The September 2025 date was later announced but was pushed back again in June of this year following alpha test feedback and, reportedly, pressure from parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment in the wake of other high-profile studio challenges. Bungie states that since the alpha, it has been "quietly iterating" with a dedicated community, adding features like solo queue and proximity chat based on direct feedback. With a firm date, price, and a detailed vision now public, Bungie is setting the stage for Marathon's arrival as a distinct and thoughtfully crafted entry into the competitive extraction shooter landscape.