ARC Raiders is facing stiff competition from Marathon, as Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter has officially overtaken Embark Studios’ latest release on the Steam Top Sellers chart. While ARC Raiders has been dominating the gaming space for the last few months, it may finally be about to meet its match, as extraction shooter fans are now jumping into Marathon to experience its new Server Slam playtest ahead of an official release next week.
After finding moderate success with its first title, The Finals, Embark took things to another level with the release of ARC Raiders last year. The extraction shooter, which started life as a PvE-only game before development shifted and ARC Raiders transformed into a PvPvE title, has been a massive hit. Not only did it win Best Multiplayer at last year’s Game Awards, but ARC Raiders has also sold over 12 million copies to date and maintained a strong player base on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. These achievements are all the more impressive when you take into account that it launched right between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, two of the most well-established shooters of all time.
Feburary 26 Will Be a Make or Break Day for Bungie’s Marathon
Marathon’s February 26 server slam could decide whether Bungie’s extraction shooter finds momentum or collapses under mounting skepticism.
Marathon Overtakes ARC Raiders on Steam Charts
ARC Raiders may have survived its battle against Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, but Destiny 2 developer Bungie is gearing up to release its own extraction shooter, which is already proving to be a big hit. As spotted by Insider Gaming, Marathon has made its way to third position in Steam’s Top Sellers chart, surpassing ARC Raiders, which now sits in fifth position. While it was already massively impressive that ARC Raiders managed to maintain such a high position four months after launch, the excitement for Marathon is clearly at an all-time high as players are now jumping into the game’s Server Slam ahead of an official release next week.
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The Marathon Server Slam kicked off today, February 26, and will run until March 2, giving fans a chance to test out the new shooter before its release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on March 5. No pre-order is required to access the Server Slam, as anybody on either of the aforementioned platforms can download and jump into the playtest for free this weekend. Those who do jump in will also have some in-game rewards to earn that will then be transferred to the full gam next week, if they decide to purchase it.
Bungie also recently outlined its networking and security plans for Marathon ahead of its highly anticipated Server Slam, confirming that cheaters will be permanently banned from the game for life, depending on the severity of the crime. This announcement, along with plenty of player feedback, seems to have prompted Embark to enforce a similar ruleset in ARC Raiders. The studio was facing backlash from the community due to its three-strike rule, which allowed cheaters to be temporarily suspended twice before receiving a permanent ban. However, in the recent Shrouded Sky update, Embark confirmed that serious infractions now carry stricter consequences, with strong detections now receiving permanent bans right off the bat.
With ARC Raiders‘ player count slowly beginning to decline, now could be the perfect time for Marathon to strike. The shooter faced an indefinite delay last year, as closed playtests for Bungie’s new shooter received negative feedback from those who participated. In response, Bungie made some drastic changes, including updates to Marathon’s AI, time-to-kill adjustments, various balancing tweaks, and new social features, such as proximity chat. These changes, among the many others, appear to have done the world of good, as Marathon is already a top-selling game on Steam before fans even had the chance to go hands-on.
- 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
