After months stuck in awkward limbo over its price tag and release plans, Bungie has finally taken a real step forward. The studio confirmed its extraction shooter, Marathon, will launch in March 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC with a $39.99 price tag. Unsurprisingly, it becomes another game that plans to release early next year to avoid competing with GTA 6. But what’s surprising, it won’t use expiring battle passes to guilt-trip players into logging in or spending.
Spending $40 for Marathon gets the game with a year of free gameplay updates — including new maps, Runner Shells, events, and narrative content, starting with Season 1’s dive into the UESC Marathon’s Cryo Archive. The team added that it’s taking a firm stance on monetization in gameplay and when it comes to passes. Rewards Passes won’t expire, meaning players can buy and complete older passes whenever they want.
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.
Finally, and most importantly, we believe in preserving competitive integrity in Marathon, so survival will never come down to how much money you spend.
In addition, Bungie also released its usual behind-the-scenes video documentary, highlighting new features since alpha. That includes proximity chat, solo queue, a unique system that lets you scavenge matches in progress ‘without risking anything,’ and a permanent seasonal progression. Check out the ViDoc below.
That said, the $40 asking price immediately set off alarm bells online. HadesWTF on r/gaming summed up the mood bluntly. “I’m honestly shocked it costs money. They must have saw Arc Raiders and thought they could get away with it too.”
Vinzir141 was far less optimistic, quipping, “Concord 3 release date confirmed. I’m getting my popcorn.” Concord 2, meanwhile, is reserved for Highguard, a hero shooter made by Titanfall developers, according to the Redditors.
Still, not everyone is being negative. Some seem genuinely intrigued by Marathon‘s minimalist futuristic vibe. “Gonna go against the general sentiment on the internet with this game and say I’m looking forward to this one, that art style is something else,” One-love wrote on r/Games. GuiSim added that Bungie might’ve accidentally timed the release right, “Arc Raider has put extraction shooters on a lot of player’s mind. I think there’s a great opportunity for Marathon to ride this wave.”
Bungie plans to share more details on seasonal content, its long-term roadmap, and future playtest opportunities closer to launch. Whether that $40 price bet pays off or backfires, Marathon is shaping up to be one of gaming’s most closely watched launches next year.
