Marathon is about to expand its game mode roster with an experimental two-player mode that players have been asking for basically from day one. The game was originally envisioned to be a dedicated three-player experience. Even the currently available solo mode featuring Rook Runner Shells was a late-stage development brought about by community feedback. Now that Marathon is widely available, though, Bungie is seemingly set on implementing player feedback in quick order.
Very recently, Bungie confirmed that Marathon is getting a crucial item management feature players wanted to see, and this track record of chasing after community goodwill can only do the game good in the long run. Though it’s had a troubled history since its announcement, Marathon has since established itself as a solid Bungie offering with plenty of quirkiness on offer and may yet continue drawing in big audiences as time goes on.
It’s Official: Marathon Will Have Seasonal Wipes
Developer Bungie reveals key details about Marathon’s upcoming content seasons, which include a progress wipe at the start of each new season.
Marathon Is Adding Duos as an Experimental Feature
Marathon game director Joe Ziegler announced that his team will push out the experimental two-player Duos queue on Wednesday, March 18 at 10 AM PT. According to Ziegler, this is Bungie going “a bit rogue,” and players shouldn’t expect an overly polished experience this early on. The two-player mode is going to be locked to just one map for now, Perimeter, and there will be no matchmaking in place just yet. The game will only match Duo teams with other Duo teams, and there will be about two weeks for players to give the mode a shot. “Some things will be a bit jank,” Ziegler noted. Bungie’s experimental Marathon adjustments have been largely positive so far, and the release of Duos is likely to receive similar feedback over time.
Anyone interested in Marathon‘s experimental Duos mode should give it a whirl sooner rather than later, however, as the two-week-long testing period isn’t actually set in stone. As per Ziegler’s post, Bungie may choose to end this particular testing period early or let it run a bit longer. Further, Ziegler also mentioned that Bungie is bound to run more Marathon experiments as the game continues, which is good news for those who feel certain aspects of it could be better. It’s going to be particularly interesting to see if this new two-player mode gets something like Marathon‘s solo queue Rook loadout complexities, which greatly affect how players approach situations on their own.
With Duos now confirmed for testing in Marathon, the eventual full release of the mode will give the game a full breadth of options for players to choose from. It’s a very player-centric choice that’s only going to help Marathon stick around as its player base ebbs and flows between major content releases. Further, some may never have a full three player squad to play with, making Duos an excellent alternative. All in all, despite Marathon‘s early bout of review bombing, Bungie is clearly on to something with its striking PvPvE FPS.
It’s seemingly good news for fans of Marathon nowadays, then, as the game continues to enjoy decent reviews on Steam and solid concurrent player counts across the board. The same cannot be said for Bungie’s previous live-service smash-hit, however. Destiny 2 is losing players every step of the way, with over 91% of its player base having ditched the game since its last major expansion pack released.
- Released
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March 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op