BungieMarathon, Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, has experienced a rocky road during development, to say the least.
In addition to attendees invited to early playtests coming away from their sessions with lukewarm impressions, more widely available Alpha Tests culminated in similar trepidation.
That sentiment, combined with controversy over plagiarism, ultimately led to the IP revival being delayed indefinitely from its original September 23 release date.
On December 15, 2025, following a period of silence, Bungie released a meaty ViDoc for Marathon, detailing all of the visual and mechanical changes the extra development time has allowed.
In addition to confirming a new release window for the game, Bungie also confirmed the price tag it’s aiming for when Marathon arrives in 2026.
Does Marathon have a release window?
Marathon will be released in March 2026. This is the window provided by Bungie in a December 15, 2025, ViDoc. The game had originally been scheduled to drop on September 23, 2025, but was delayed to provide more polish and address controversy around artwork plagiarism.
Is Marathon free to play?
BungieNo, Marathon will not be free to play. Bungie confirmed in its December 2025 ViDoc that it is targeting a $39.99 price.
Trailers
Bungie released a ViDoc on December 15, 2025, providing an overview of the changes made to Marathon following its delay.
In addition to improved visuals, lighting, and other aesthetic changes, the shooter will now ship with proximity chat and allow players to queue either in a group, or as a solo Runner. See the video below for more information.
A cinematic trailer highlighting some of the game’s story elements was released in early 2025. Though Marathon is mainly dedicated to being a multiplayer game, there’s an ongoing story that players will be able to progress through.
Related
The original Marathon trailer showed a brief glimpse of a gunfight taking place on a remote planet, providing a peek at its extraction shooter gameplay.
Marathon gameplay details
Marathon is a follow-up to one of Bungie’s earliest shooters, a game of the same name that was released in 1994. The Marathon series predates Halo by almost an entire decade, and it’s one of the earliest examples of an FPS title.
However, this is a far cry from the original. Players will get to choose from a number of Runners, all of which have different abilities. Teams of three will be thrust into a match of up to 18 players in a PvPvE extraction shooter format.
We know about 4 Runners so far:
- Void is a stealth-based character meant to sneak in and out of fights or steal loot without having to get into a gunfight for it
- Glitch has enhanced mobility along with abilities that disrupt and damage opponents, giving you the edge if you get the drop on your opponent
- Locus is a tankier Runner more focused on going in loud and soaking damage than other characters, with a larger health bar but slower movement
- Blackbird is all about scanning and recon, with them being able to reveal their opponents’ locations
If you’re able to grab enough loot and extract, you’ll have much better equipment than you did before. Die, and you’ll lose it all. However, it’s not quite as brutal as something like escape from Tarkov, with the game focusing on having more mainstream appeal, similar to Arc Raiders.