Bungie’s delayed extraction shooter revival, Marathon, has re-emerged with an early 2026 launch window and a $39.99 value level.
The studio behind Halo and Future introduced narrowed launch plans for its subsequent recreation as a part of a new “Vision of Marathon” ViDoc add to its YouTube channel in the present day. It places a lens as much as its subsequent venture with rather less than 23 minutes of footage, showcasing the PvPvE FPS’s world and gameplay whereas doing its greatest to reply two main questions: How a lot will Marathon price, and when is it popping out?
Bungie says its “goal pricing” is presently $39.99, a value level that places it on par with the not too long ago launched (and massively profitable) extraction shooter from Embark Studios, Arc Raiders. Further particulars on the Marathon bundle are hazy for now, with the PlayStation studio solely telling consumers to count on entry to all gameplay updates – together with maps, Runner shells, occasions, and extra – “as the yr progresses.”
Bungie provides that reward passes won’t expire, with gamers in a position to buy previous passes and earn their rewards at any time. These nervous about potential pay-to-win mechanics have been assured that they don’t have anything to concern, too.
“Lastly, and most significantly, we imagine in preserving aggressive integrity in Marathon, so survival won’t ever come right down to how a lot cash you spend,” the studio mentioned in a blog post today.
“We’ll share extra about our plans for seasonal content material, a roadmap, and particulars about if you’ll have the ability to strive the sport as we get nearer to launch.”
Bungie had beforehand set a Marathon launch date of September 23, 2025, earlier than what it referred to as “sturdy and clear” suggestions from gamers associated to an April alpha take a look at resulted in an indefinite delay. On the time, Sony laid out a plan to see the brand new extraction shooter launch earlier than March 2026, with Bungie now doubling down on that plan in the present day with a firmer March 2026 launch window for PC through Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Sequence X | S. The precise launch date stays a thriller for now.
The Marathon ViDoc additionally contains a great deal of contemporary gameplay displaying how its darkish sci-fi world can have gamers combating tooth and nail to outlive. Bungie desires Runners to really feel the strain when scavenging Tau Ceti IV, so it’s made modifications to immerse gamers with real looking climate and up to date environmental storytelling in a world it’s calling “darkish, gritty, and grounded.” Different latest additions embrace proximity chat, a solo queue choice, a Rook shell with a restricted loadout, and elevated visible constancy and up to date UI.
As Bungie exhibits off its progress, the video additionally serves as a much-needed side-by-side for gamers to see what has modified since suggestions resulted in that hefty delay earlier this yr. The studio says extra updates will arrive within the coming months, telling gamers to count on the following replace in January.
Whereas we await that elusive Marathon launch date, you possibly can examine why Sony was keen to confess its live-service technique wasn’t panning out as it had hoped. You too can study the fiasco revolving round uncredited paintings, which was not too long ago resolved.
Michael Cripe is a contract author with IGN. He is greatest identified for his work at websites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Make sure you give him a observe on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).