Skip to main content

Marathon

Marathon is revival of Bungie’s dormant 30-year-old franchise. With excellent gunplay, stylish graphics and a thrilling gameplay loop Marathon is a welcome return. This despite confusing UI, frustrating runs and questions about its future.
84%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:story, monetization
91% User Score Based on 52 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 16 reviews

Platforms

Xbox Series X|SXboxWindows
Buy Nowfrom $19.50

About Marathon

Marathon is a shooter game. It was developed by Bungie and was released on March 5, 2026. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Includes: Base Game Marathon - Deluxe Pack 1x Premium Rewards Pass Voucher 200 SILK Rewards Pass Tokens Weapon Cosmetic - MIDNIGHT DECAY [Misriah 2442 Pump Shotgun Style] Weapon Cosmetic - MIDNIGHT DECAY [Overrun AR Style] Runner Cosmetic - MIDNIGHT DECAY [Vandal Shell Style] Runner Cosmetic - MIDNIGHT DECAY [Destroyer Shell Style] Runner Cosmetic - MIDNIGHT DECAY [Assassin Shell Style] Runner Cos…

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Skip Games Like Marathon

Games Like Marathon

Looking for games like Marathon? Here are top shooter recommendations, selected from player-similarity data — start with ARC Raiders, The Cycle or Splitgate 2.

ARC Raiders Image
82%247.3kreviews

ARC Raiders

2021Open World Shooter
Xbox Series X|SPCEpic Games+8
Games like ARC Raiders
The Cycle Image
64%25.2kreviews

The Cycle

2022Survival Shooter
PCCloudWindows
Games like The Cycle
Splitgate 2 Image
66%17.9kreviews

Splitgate 2

2025Shooter
LinuxXbox Series X|SPC+8
Games like Splitgate 2
Novarith Image
86%1.1kreviews

Novarith

Action Adventure
PCWindows
Games like Novarith
Whispefall Image
85%1.1kreviews

Whispefall

Action
PCWindows
Games like Whispefall
THE FINALS Image
79%150.5kreviews

THE FINALS

2023Tactical Shooter
Xbox Series X|SPCXbox Game Pass+7
Games like THE FINALS
Eldegarde Image
64%4.3kreviews

Eldegarde

2025Role Playing Shooter
PCWindows
Games like Eldegarde
The Forever Winter Image
75%20.7kreviews

The Forever Winter

2024Tactical Shooter
PCWindows
Games like The Forever Winter
Witchfire Image
92%10.6kreviews

Witchfire

2024Role Playing Shooter
PCCloudNVIDIA GeForce NOW+2
Games like Witchfire
Arena Breakout: Infinite Image
77%30.3kreviews

Arena Breakout: Infinite

2025Survival Role Playing Shooter
PCWindows
Games like Arena Breakout: Infinite
More games like Marathon
Skip User Reviews

Reviews

91%Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews
gameplay7 positive mentions
monetization3 negative mentions
  • Exceptional gunplay with satisfying, punchy combat and well-balanced PvP that keeps players highly engaged.
  • Rich and immersive world design, atmosphere, and lore that create a mysterious and rewarding narrative experience.
  • Unique and challenging extraction shooter gameplay loop that rewards skill, progression, and strategic play, especially with friends.
  • Confusing and clunky user interface and inventory management detract from game flow and can cause frustration under pressure.
  • Steep learning curve and punishing seasonal resets make onboarding difficult for new or casual players.
  • Limited player base causing long queue times and some matchmaking issues, reducing overall accessibility and fun for solo or late joiners.

  • gameplay

    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    32% positive mentions, 54% neutral mentions, 14% negative mentions

    The gameplay is praised for its world-class gunplay, immersive and rewarding extraction shooter loop, and a strong blend of stealth, PvPvE, and atmosphere that sets it apart from other games. While initially challenging, it becomes engaging with practice, offering a unique, competitive experience with deep mechanics and streamlined pacing. However, some users note issues with UI, loot management, repetition, and monetization that may hinder long-term appeal.

    • “The visuals, audio and gameplay design all work in perfect harmony to immerse you in this brutal and unforgiving world.”
    • “Marathon has a wealth of deep and intricate gameplay systems that require you to pay attention, slow down, and put in the effort to learn and improve.”
    • “Its top-level gunplay and extremely rewarding gameplay loop that centers on strong gameplay experiences over better loot, paired with an atmosphere and world design that does an incredible job of weaving narrative into a multiplayer PVPVE setting, make it a must-play for first-person shooter fans and anyone feeling tired of the current live service landscape.”
    • “The UI and loot management are still messy, and the game asks for a lot of patience to even feel comfortable. Repetition in the gameplay loop starts creeping in, and it’s unclear what will keep broader audiences hooked long-term.”
    • “Monetization is bad with a weak rewards pass, duplicate items, and storefront pricing/cosmetics that don’t justify themselves.”
    • “Storytelling is exposition-light and feels like extra work to uncover the lore.”

  • graphics

    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    57% positive mentions, 43% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The graphics are widely praised for their bold, unique, and immersive art style that perfectly complements the game's brutal world and lore. Visuals and audio work seamlessly together, creating a captivating atmosphere with stylish, high-quality environments. Overall, the game's aesthetic is fresh, engaging, and greatly enhances the gameplay experience.

    • “The visuals, audio and gameplay design all work in perfect harmony to immerse you in this brutal and unforgiving world.”
    • “Environments, immersion, visuals, and audio are all top notch.”
    • “The art style Bungie has crafted is bold and unique, and exactly what it needs to be.”

  • story

    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The story of the game is praised for its deep lore and strong universe-building, continuing Bungie's tradition of compelling storytelling. However, some find the narrative exposition light and requiring extra effort to fully uncover, which may hinder long-term engagement for broader audiences.

    • “Destiny has an incredible story and lore.”
    • “Incredible sound, music, and design with a deep story to unearth through lore formatted in a similar manner to the original games.”
    • “With universe building experience like Halo and Destiny under their belts, they bring storytelling to extraction shooter gameplay like no other studio has.”
    • “Storytelling is exposition-light and feels like extra work to uncover the lore.”
    • “Repetition in the gameplay loop starts creeping in and it’s unclear what will keep broader audiences hooked long-term.”
    • “The UI and loot management are still messy and the game asks for a lot of patience to even feel comfortable.”

  • atmosphere

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    60% positive mentions, 20% neutral mentions, 20% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive world design and seamless narrative integration, creating a tense and evocative multiplayer experience. It complements the top-tier gameplay and sound design, delivering a classic Bungie feel that resonates well with fans. While some find the interface and complex inner systems add to the mysterious ambiance, these aspects can also cause occasional frustration.

    • “Atmosphere, gameplay, sound design, and lore are all top-notch, classic Bungie.”
    • “Its top-level gunplay and extremely rewarding gameplay loop, centered on strong gameplay experiences over better loot, paired with an atmosphere and world design that weaves narrative into a multiplayer PvPvE setting, make it a must-play for first-person shooter fans.”
    • “World-class gunplay, incredible world design and atmosphere, tense and evocative stealth gameplay, chaotic and bombastic PvPvE gameplay, and an extraction shooter gameplay loop focused on better gameplay experiences rather than loot.”
    • “Sluggish menus that could use some cleaning up, its inner systems are needlessly obtuse, which adds to its mysterious atmosphere but also results in understandable frustration.”

  • humor

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The humor is subtle, clever, and adds a rewarding layer of fun to the game, complemented by amusing lore dumps and quirky details that enhance the overall entertaining experience.

    • “It is challenging, hilarious, rewarding, and wonderfully mysterious fun.”
    • “I like the visuals, the music, the audio component, the lore, the intensity, the speed, the subtle humor, and the drinkable cheeseburger.”
    • “The lore dump in the menus is hilariously vast.”

  • monetization

    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The monetization is criticized for a weak rewards pass, overpriced or unjustified cosmetic items, and issues with duplicate items. Additionally, the game's repetitive gameplay and cluttered UI contribute to a less engaging experience, raising concerns about long-term player retention.

    • “Monetization is bad with a weak rewards pass, duplicate items, and storefront pricing/cosmetics that don’t justify themselves.”
    • “The UI and loot management are still messy, and the game asks for a lot of patience to even feel comfortable.”
    • “Repetition in the gameplay loop starts creeping in, and it’s unclear what will keep broader audiences hooked long-term.”

  • music

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The music is praised for its incredible sound and seamless integration with the game's design, enhancing the overall experience. It complements the deep story and lore, contributing to the game's intensity and atmosphere.

    • “Incredible sound, music, and design with a deep story to unearth through lore formatted in a similar manner to the original games.”
    • “I like the visuals, the music, the audio component, the lore, the intensity, the speed, the subtle humor, and the drinkable cheeseburger.”

  • grinding

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is described as tedious and frustrating, with players facing glitches that can cause loss of valuable gear and encountering uncooperative teammates, making progression through repetitive runs challenging.

    • “I was able to get a decent amount of green gear and a few blues in my vault, but 10 runs later of terrible teammates and weird glitches in the game that literally caused me to lose all my best gear twice, my vault is depleted and even completing contracts is proving tedious at best.”

  • stability

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    The game suffers from stability issues, including glitches that can cause players to lose valuable gear, leading to a frustrating and tedious experience despite progress in obtaining items.

    • “I was able to get a decent amount of green gear and a few blues in my vault, but 10 runs later of terrible teammates and weird glitches in the game that literally caused me to lose all my best gear twice, my vault is depleted and even completing contracts is proving tedious at best.”
Skip Critic Reviews

Critic Reviews

77%Critics’ scoreBased on 16 critic reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy Marathon

Some of these are affiliate links — if you buy through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Play Times

354h Median play time
354h Average play time
354-354h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
Skip Game News

Game News

Marathon Still Has a Lot to Prove, Even With Its New PvE Mode

July 23 on gamingbolt.com

Marathon's experimental PvE mode is live, immediately tripling its daily player count

July 21 on pcgamer.com

The next major moment for Marathon arrives today with a new update and the debut of its PvE mode, Vault Breaker

July 21 on eurogamer.net

Marathon’s Limited-Time Vault Breaker Mode Detailed in New Overview Trailer

July 20 on gamingbolt.com

Marathon director Joe Ziegler leaves Bungie just four months after launch

July 19 on eurogamer.net

A month after mass layoffs at Bungie, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler is leaving the studio

July 18 on rockpapershotgun.com

Marathon Director Joe Ziegler leaves Bungie

July 17 on shacknews.com

Marathon just lost its game director: Joe Ziegler is Bungie's latest high-profile departure

July 17 on gamesradar.com
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Marathon is a shooter game.

Marathon is available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows and Xbox.

On average players spend around 354 hours playing Marathon.

Marathon was released on March 5, 2026.

Marathon was developed by Bungie.

Marathon has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked Marathon for its gameplay but disliked it for its story.

Marathon is a local co-op game.

Similar games include ARC Raiders, The Cycle, Splitgate 2, Novarith, Whispefall and others.