When is the Marathon release date? For extraction shooter fans, it’s a date that you’re probably going to be counting down to. Destiny 2 developer Bungie is reviving one of its earliest IPs and giving it a lick of futuristic sci-fi paint as it looks to take a slice of the pie in the extraction shooter genre. But when will this exciting new project launch, and how much do we know about it so far? Well, here’s all you need to know about Marathon, including the latest news on the Marathon release date, gameplay details, and more.
With Bungie’s experience of making great shooters, there’s a good chance that Marathon will be one of the best FPS games when it does finally arrive. With a PvP focus, this will be a truly high-stakes extraction shooter with a unique visual style to boot. Marathon crossplay support will also ensure players on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC can compete against or alongside each other.
Marathon release date estimate
We anticipate that the Marathon release date will arrive in Q2 or Q3 2025. While Bungie is yet to state a release window or date, given it was only revealed in May 2023, and CEO Pete Parsons said previously he wanted “other franchises” outside of Destiny up and running by 2025, this window is likely. This also lines up with news reported by Jason Schreier that Marathon is delayed to 2025.
Bungie has confirmed that when it does launch, Marathon will be coming to current-gen consoles and PC only – it won’t be coming to PS4, Xbox One, or Switch.
Rumors of the Marathon reboot were first reported by Insider Gaming in October 2022. Its report revealed that Bungie would be reviving the Marathon IP and would transform it into an extraction shooter, which has come to fruition. At the time, Insider Gaming’s sources said the game was in a “pre-alpha” state.
Parsons’ comments about launching a new franchise by 2025 stemmed from an interview he did with IGN in 2019, which is most likely referring to Marathon first and foremost. While we expected a 2025 release date anyhow, Bungie was perhaps planning for an earlier launch, possibly in late 2024, as Schreier reports that Marathon has been pushed back to 2025.
This comes alongside news of a series of important and unfortunate layoffs across Bungie in October 2023, particularly in regards to Destiny 2, including community and social positions, art, marketing, player support, and even Michael Salvatori, one of the many talented composers behind the Destiny OST. It’s likely that Bungie’s portfolio of projects has been rescheduled and delayed, as Destiny 2 The Final Shape expansion is also reportedly delayed alongside Marathon.
This means that eager players will be waiting quite some time before they can sink their teeth into Marathon. We can’t rule out any further delays either, so keep checking back in on this guide as we’ll update it with all the latest news on Marathon.
Marathon platforms
Bungie’s new extraction shooter Marathon will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles, as well as PC. And yes, just like Destiny 2, there will be full Marathon cross-play and cross-save functionality. Unfortunately, this does mean that Xbox One and PS4 players won’t be able to join in on the fun, unlike Destiny 2.
While this should result in a more ‘next-gen’ feeling game, it is nevertheless unfortunate that many won’t be able to play the game. However, by 2025, we’ll be well and truly into the current-gen consoles, with five years behind us.
Marathon gameplay
While we haven’t seen any proper gameplay footage, we do know a few things about Marathon already – both officially, and leaked.
In Marathon, you’ll be playing in teams of three players, as was suggested by the below shot in the reveal trailer and confirmed by Bungie in its Marathon Vidoc. It’s unclear whether you’ll be able to play solo or as a duo, but three appears to be the team size that gameplay has been built around.
A brief description of Marathon’s gameplay on its official website also reveals more: “Become a Runner in Bungie’s new sci-fi PvP extraction shooter. Compete for survival, riches, and renown in a world of evolving, persistent zones, where any run can lead to greatness.”
The objective of Marathon is to enter a match to complete challenges and extract with artifacts. Artifacts appear to be of different sizes, values, and importance, and one of their main purposes looks to be unlocking new zones of the map. In the Marathon Vidoc, game director Chris Barrett describes such a scenario.
“Imagine if one crew happens to find an alien key, they place it on this altar, and then they get immortalized for opening up the next zone. And they have to go and figure out how to unlock that [zone] for everyone else,” he says.
While the main focus is on PvP moments, there will also be PvE elements in Marathon as well. A Q+A with Barrett and general manager Scott Taylor confirms that “AI-controlled” enemies will be present.
Insider Gaming sources have also revealed some other potential gameplay details. They claim that Marathon will have an oxygen system, which acts as the limiting factor as to how long you can spend looting and exploring in a given run. You enter matches with a certain amount of oxygen supply, and this gradually runs dry unless you bring top up cannisters with you or find cannisters as you play. Run out of oxygen, and you’ll start losing health. Run out of health and, well, you know the rest.
There will also be an injury system like Escape From Tarkov, whereby damage taken to certain body parts will have different negative effects on your gameplay. An example Insider Gaming gives is that injuries to the stomach can negatively impact your oxygen supply, causing it to run out faster.
Its report also claims that there will be an ability and perk system, that will give your character certain benefits.
The leadership team overseeing Marathon’s development is also packed with Bungie veterans: Barrett, Taylor, and senior design lead Lars Bakken collectively have over 50 years of experience at Bungie between just the three of them. As a result, the game will feel typically Bungie, meaning that you can expect “incredible feel of the weapons to beautiful and evocative world building, rich in lore, immersion, and opportunities for incredible adventure”, according to Barrett.
If you’re a fan of extraction shooters (or at least open to trying one), Marathon is one of the best games to keep on your radar. And if you’re looking for the latest games to play while you wait for Marathon, there’s always tons of great new PS5 games and new Xbox games.
Marathon story
Marathon takes place far in the future on the planet of Tau Ceti IV. A “massive ghost ship hangs in low orbit” over the planet, and a colony of “30,000 souls” that settled there have vanished, according to Bungie.
You play as a Runner, who goes to the planet looking for answers – and loot. “Strange signals hint at mysterious artifacts, long-dormant AI, and troves of untold riches.”
That’s all we know about Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter and the Marathon release date. Of course, this isn’t the only thing Bungie is working on – the Destiny 2 The Final Shape release date is also on the horizon, which will be the last expansion of the game’s Light and Dark saga. Oh, and did you know that the worlds of Destiny and Marathon are connected? Bungie sure does go deep when it comes to lore.