Bungie’s new game, Marathon, will launch in March 2026, priced at $40 USD. The game’s release timing and price were two of the biggest unanswered questions, with many speculating that Marathon would be priced less than $70. In the end, Bungie chose $40, the same price as Arc Raiders.
Buying Marathon provides “full access to the game,” along with its free updates, including new maps, Runner shells, events, and other content. Season 1 will introduce UESC Marathon’s Cryo Archive, Bungie said.
“We also want to ensure you are logging in because you love the game, not from fear of missing out–so Marathon’s Rewards Passes will not expire, and you’ll be able purchase and unlock prior Passes,” Bungie said, modeling what other games, like Halo Infinite, have done with their own battle passes.
Bungie also stressed that Marathon will not be pay-to-win with its microtransactions. “Most importantly, we believe in preserving competitive integrity in Marathon, so survival will never come down to how much money you spend,” the developer said.
Bungie made these announcements alongside the release of a new, 22-minute video that dives deep into a variety of facets of Marathon. The video includes new details on Marathon’s proximity chat, solo queue, and the “Rook” Runner shell. The video also provides a new look at the game’s world, what Bungie has done to improve the game’s visual fidelity since we last saw it, and an overview of how the game’s weapons and mods work, among other things.
Looking ahead, Bungie said it will share more details on Marathon’s gameplay, along with “other surprises,” in the time leading up to launch in March 2026.
In June, Bungie delayed Marathon indefinitely after gathering feedback from its alpha tests.
People have questioned publisher Sony’s committment to live-service games after Concord stumbled, but Sony is pushing ahead. The company said it had put new systems in place to help ensure Marathon doesn’t suffer the same fate as Concord.
PlayStation boss Hermen Hulst said feedback from Marathon’s latest alpha test was “varied,” but Sony maintains that the live-service category remains a “great opportunity” for the company. Concord, Hulst said, was “insufficiently differentiated” in a “hyper-competitive segment” of gaming, referring to live-service multiplayer games.
“We have reviewed our processes in light of this to deeply understand how and why that title failed to meet expectations and to ensure we’re not going to make the same mistakes again,” he said.
For Marathon, Hulst said the aim is to create a “very bold, very innovative, and deeply engaging title.” The response to the Marathon alpha test was mixed, and Hulst said the whole idea of offering early tests is to gain feedback that can then be used to improve the product.
“This cycle of test, of iterate, test again, that is such a key component of the live-service success, both leading up to launch but also throughout the life of the game,” he said.
The announcement of Marathon’s release timing and price comes just after the artist who accused Bungie of stealing their art announced that they resolved the matter with Bungie.
GameSpot’s Marathon preview, which was conducted on an earlier version of the game, said, “In a world of free-to-play titles, a paid game that is light on content but full of hopes, dreams, and ambitions may not be enough to inspire in others the same confidence I have in Bungie.”
