A PvP-focused extraction shooter set on the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV, Marathon will see players inhabit the bodies of Runners, cybernetic mercenaries who have been designed to survive the planet’s harsh environments, exploring the lost colony that once inhabited Tau Ceti’s surface. Players will engage solo or in crews of three, searching for mysterious alien artifacts, as well as for valuable loot and new weapons and gear that they can add to their collection.

A massive ghost ship hangs in low orbit over a lost colony. The 30,000 souls who called this world home have disappeared without a trace. Strange signals hint at rumors of mysterious artifacts, long-dormant AI, and troves of untold riches. You are a cybernetic mercenary – a Runner – and your destination is Tau Ceti IV. You are one of many, working solo or with a crew, venturing into the unknown and facing the unimaginable in a fight for survival, for riches, for fame... and for infamy. Who among you will write their names across the stars? 

In Marathon, players inhabit a Runner, a cybernetic mercenary scouring the remains of a lost colony of Tau Ceti IV for fortune and power. Players team up in crews of three as they battle rival Runner teams and hostile security forces for weapons and upgrades. Survive and everything they’ve scavenged is theirs to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti IV—or if they’re brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above.

Welcome to Tau Ceti IV, a lost colony whose inhabitants disappeared without a trace. Rival factions compete for the resources left behind, hiring Runners who’ve given up their human form for biosynthetic shells. Death is but a hurdle in this cutthroat competition where power, fortune, and answers to Tau Ceti IV’s mysteries hang in the balance.

Choose from a roster of cybernetic mercenaries with unique abilities. Players customize their Runner’s playstyle with the weapons, implants, and equipment they collect on their runs. Strategize, execute, and become Tau Ceti’s most feared mercenary.

Since the Alpha playtest in April, we’ve been quietly iterating on Marathon alongside a dedicated community of players. Every closed playtest was a chance for us to hear candid feedback about what’s working, what needs work, and where Marathon can shine.

Today we’re sharing a new look at Marathon – and the impact of the fusion between the community’s feedback and our vision for Marathon.

In Marathon, players scavenge the lost colony of Tau Ceti IV as a bio-cybernetic Runner while surviving against hostile security forces, rival Runners, and inhospitable environments to seek their fortune. As part of the ViDoc, Bungie developers showcased updates to the tactical shooter including.

ViDoc Highlights

Today we shared new gameplay footage and we dove into how we’re embracing the survival extraction challenge and dark, sci-fi world of Marathon.

Highlights include timestamped links if you'd like to learn more.

• New features since alpha, including...
  • Proximity chat
  • Solo queue
  • Rook, a Runner shell used to scavenge matches in progress
• The world and fantasy of Marathon
  • Ways we’re doubling down on the dark, gritty, and grounded sci-fi world
  • Your role in Marathon–you are the Runner, and you transfer your consciousness into different shells designed with unique capabilities
• Improved visual fidelity and immersion, including...
  • Dead Runners drop as corpses that decay over time
  • Deepened environmental storytelling
  • The role of audio
• Introduction to Marathon’s four zones (maps)
  • Three surface zones–Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost
  • The first zone on the UESC Marathon–Cryo Archive, an end-game challenge
• Loot and customization
  • Weapons and mods, including ways to customize your gun in unique ways (like turning the Battery SMG into the Needler)
  • Runner shell archetypes and ways to customize your playstyles
• Factions and progression
  • Factions and the jobs they’ll ask you to do in game, like MIDA requesting you blow up a UESC dropship
  • Faction upgrade trees and the capstone rewards you’ll earn each season
  • The Codex, a collection of your achievements and narrative discoveries; progress to earn exclusive cosmetics and lore

 Marathon’s launch plans were outlined:

• Purchase Benefits:
  • Access to all gameplay updates (maps, Runner shells, events, etc.) as the year progresses
  • Cryo Archive, the first deck on the UESC Marathon ship, will open during Season 1

• Competitive integrity:
  • No pay-to-win mechanics
  • Gameplay outcomes (exfil or death) are never determined by spending
• Rewards Passes:
  • Do not expire
  • Players can earn rewards from previously purchased passes anytime
  • Ability to buy past Rewards Passes
• Future updates: More details on seasonal content and roadmap coming closer to launch

More news to come in January 2026.

Marathon is designed from the start as a PvP-focused game and won’t have a single-player campaign, instead, with the PvP experience as the foundation, Marathon creates opportunities for player-driven stories to unfold, stories that are integrated with the overarching game narrative in a world full of persistent, evolving zones, where players create their own journey with every run they take. That might mean an unforgettable firefight against another crew vying for the same loot, or a last-second extraction while beset on all sides.

Compete for survival, riches, and renown in a world of evolving, persistent zones, where any run can lead to greatness.

Marathon's gunplay sets the stage for a unique mix of tactical and fast-paced action, where every run is a tense competition for a big score. End game challenges, ranked play, seasonal storytelling, community events, and more await in Season 1.

Marathon is coming to PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC (Steam) in March 2026 at $39.99/€39.99/£34.99 with full cross-save and cross-play.