Marathon is Bungie’s highly-anticipated extraction shooter, and the company just dropped a new gameplay overview trailer and a release date: September 23, 2025. You take the role of a Runner, a cybernetic humanoid whose goal is to explore the ruins of the planet of Tau Ceti IV and uncover its secrets — and walk away with as much loot as you can carry.
The reveal was unlocked through an alternate reality game, where thousands of community members all cooperated to find the date. For long-time Bungie fans, that shouldn’t come as a surprise; Halo 2 was announced in a similar way through the iconic I Love Bees campaign. Bungie also announced a closed alpha test that will start on April 23, 2025. If you’re interested in taking part, join the community Discord for a chance to sign up.
“In Marathon, players inhabit a Runner, a cybernetic mercenary scouring the remains of a lost colony of Tau Ceti IV for fortune and power. Players team up in crews of three as they battle rival Runner teams and hostile security forces for weapons and upgrades. Survive and everything they’ve scavenged is theirs to keep for future runs on Tau Ceti IV—or if they’re brave enough, a journey to the derelict Marathon ship that hangs above,” wrote the team.
Bungie is best known for the Halo and Destiny franchises, but those two series have something in common: phenomenal gunplay that makes them an absolute joy to play. The upcoming Marathon is a sort of sequel to the original Marathon trilogy that first released in 1994. If you’re old enough to have played the original — or you feel like diving in and trying it for yourself now — you might have an idea of what kind of secrets lie in wait on Tau Ceti IV.
The new Marathon is absolutely a revival of an old IP, although with a different spin. Bungie hasn’t definitively said the titles are linked, but it isn’t a stretch to draw comparisons between the two. If you haven’t played the original, you won’t miss out on anything — but diehard fans will appreciate the references scattered throughout.
Marathon will drop on September 23 for Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series with full cross-play and cross-save. There’s no word yet on whether it will be a day one Game Pass title or not.
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