Marathon is almost here as Bungie confirms release date and cross-platform support

Squad-based survival and loot define Marathon’s core

By Manisha Priyadarshini Published January 20, 2026

marathon-release-date-cross-play — Bungie

Bungie has finally locked in a release date for Marathon, and the wait is almost over. The studio has confirmed that its long-anticipated extraction shooter will launch on March 5, priced at $40.

Alongside the release date, Bungie also dropped a new gameplay trailer and shared fresh details about Marathon’s deluxe edition. Pre-orders are now live on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S, with full crossplay support confirmed across all platforms so players can team up regardless of where they play.

This is a big moment for Bungie. Marathon is its first completely new game since Destiny 2 launched back in 2017, and it reimagines a cult-classic IP from the 1990s in a very modern way.

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Set in the year 2850, the new Marathon drops players into a sci-fi world as “Runners,” teaming up in squads of three to scavenge loot, survive hostile environments, and fight both AI enemies and rival players. Unlike the original Marathon, which was a single-player, story-driven shooter, this version is firmly built as a PvPvE extraction shooter.

What delayed Marathon’s release

The road to this March release has not been smooth. Bungie originally planned to launch Marathon in September, but the game was delayed last June following negative feedback from its alpha playtest.

Players criticised the UI for feeling cluttered, said the gunplay lacked punch, and felt the overall pace lagged behind other extraction shooters already on the market. Bungie framed the delay as a necessary time to rethink core systems rather than rushing the game out.

Since then, Bungie has continued testing the game and recently introduced features like proximity chat and an option to solo queue, suggesting the studio has been actively responding to early feedback.

However, Marathon arrives in a much more competitive landscape than Bungie originally planned, with extraction shooters like ARC Raiders already finding success. Whether Marathon can carve out its own space remains to be seen, but players will finally find out where it stands when March arrives.

Manisha Priyadarshini

News Writer

Manisha Priyadarshini is a tech and entertainment writer with over nine years of editorial experience.

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