Marathon, the upcoming extraction shooter from Destiny and Halo developer Bungie, has officially kicked off its Server Slam ahead of the title’s full release next week, and it’s off to a flying start on Steam. The Marathon playtest is free to play between now and March 2 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. And despite previous controversies, the Server Slam has already managed to surpass 143,000 concurrent players on Steam in its first few hours.
The Marathon Server Slam is an open preview weekend for all supported platforms, and can be downloaded right now. This not only gives fans of the extraction shooter genre a chance to try before they buy, but also allows Bungie to stress test its servers ahead of the game’s full release on March 5. However, it should be noted that anybody jumping into the playtest won’t have access to the entire game, as Bungie has only provided fans with two zones on Tau Ceti IV. The first is Perimeter, an edge-site expansion on the colony’s outskirts, while the second is Dire Mash, the colony’s agricultural research hub. The Server Slam will also feature five of the six Runner Shells available at launch, and a total of five contracts.
Marathon’s Free Loadout Option Will Have Limits Some Arc Raiders Fans Would Go Absolutely Bananas Over
Attempting to avoid some free loadout pitfalls from other extraction shooters like ARC Raiders, Marathon features a few limits to its Rook shell.
Marathon’s Server Slam Hits 143,000 Concurrent Steam Players
Just hours before the Server Slam went live, Marathon overtook ARC Raiders on the Steam Top Sellers chart, with fans clearly eager to jump into something new. So it’s no surprise that the shooter’s open playtest appears to be off to a flying start on Steam, surpassing 143,000 concurrent players in its first few hours. There’s no way to know how many have jumped in on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but there’s a strong chance that this figure grows even higher over the weekend as more players jump in once they finish work for the week. For reference, ARC Raiders‘ final playtest before launch peaked at 189,000 concurrent players on Steam. So while Marathon hasn’t quite beaten ARC Raiders in that department, there is still time, as the Server Slam is live until March 2.
Balance the critic averages
Balance the critic averages
Easy (6)Medium (8)Hard (10)
Those considering jumping into the Server Slam should also know that there are tons of rewards up for grabs that will then be available in the full game. These rewards depend on how much time is spent playing Marathon‘s Server Slam, with the first unlocking after a player completes their first mission. Further rewards will then be unlocked by reaching Runner Level 10 and finally Runner Level 30. Bungie also notes that cosmetic and loot rewards will roll out at launch, but it may take time for all players to receive them.
Sadly, any progression made in the Server Slam will not carry over to the full release on March 5, so players shouldn’t get too attached to any high-value weapons, gear, or loot that they may find while visiting Tau Ceti IV.
Although there may be login queues, disconnects, errors, and general stability issues during the Server Slam, Bungie did recently outline its networking and anti-cheat measures for Marathon. The studio says that anybody who loses connection mid-run can reconnect and continue playing. However, if a player cannot reconnect due to their own personal connectivity issues, gear will not be returned to the player. If Bungie’s official servers go down and players are unable to reconnect, the studio will attempt to return gear to all impacted players.
Bungie also made its stance against cheaters firm, noting that it will be taking a strong approach to tackling cheaters in Marathon. The studio says that anybody found to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned from the game forever, with no second chances. However, it does admit that “no system is perfect,” so there will be an appeals system to monitor for any incorrect cheat detections that result in innocent players being banned.
- 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
