Marathonupcoming extraction shooter from Fate and Halo developer Bungie has officially kicked off its Server Slam ahead of the title's full release next week, and it's kicked off on Steam. The Marathon playtest is free to play from today until March 2nd on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. And despite previous controversies, Server Slam has already managed to surpass 143,000 concurrent players on Steam within the first few hours.
The Marathon Server Slam is 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 their servers before the game's full release on March 5th. However, it should be noted that anyone who jumps into the playtest will not have access to the full game, as Bungie has only given fans two zones on Tau Ceti IV. The first is Perimeter, a fringe expansion on the edge of the colony, while the second is Dire Mash, the colony's agricultural research center. The Slam server will also feature five of the six Runner Shells available at launch and a total of five contracts.
Marathon Freeloading Will Have Limits Some Arc Raiders fans would go completely bananas
In an effort to avoid some of the freeloading pitfalls of other extraction shooters like ARC Raiders, Marathon features several limits to its tower.
Marathon's Server Slam hits 143,000 concurrent players on Steam
Just a few hours before the Server Slam was launched, Marathon overtook ARC Raiders in the top-selling products on Steam, with fans clearly eager to jump into something new. So it's no surprise that the shooter's open playtest on Steam seems to be off to a flying start, surpassing 143,000 concurrent players in the first few hours. There's no way to know how many of them jumped on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but there's a good chance that number will increase over the weekend as more gamers jump in after the week's work is done. for reference ARC RaidersThe final pre-launch playtest peaked at 189,000 concurrent players on Steam. So while Marathon he is not completely defeated ARC Raiders there's still time in that department, as the Server Slam runs until March 2nd.
Match the critics' averages
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Match the critics' averages
Easy (6) Medium (8) Hard (10)
Those considering jumping into the Server Slam should also know that there are plenty of rewards that will then become available in the full game. These rewards depend on how much time you spend playing Marathon's Server Slam, with the first unlock after the player completes their first mission. Additional rewards will then be unlocked by reaching Runner Level 10 and finally Runner Level 30. Bungie also notes that cosmetic and loot rewards will be triggered at launch, but it may take some time for all players to receive them.
Unfortunately, any progress made in Server Slam won't carry over to the full release on March 5th, so players shouldn't get too hung up on any valuable weapons, gear, or loot they may find while visiting Tau Ceti IV.
While login queues, disconnections, bugs, and general stability issues may occur during the Server Slam, Bungie recently outlined its networking and anti-cheat measures for the Marathon. The studio says that anyone who loses their connection mid-run can reconnect and continue playing. However, if the player is unable to reconnect due to their own personal connectivity issues, the 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 equipment to all affected players.
Bungie also took a strong stand against cheaters, noting that to combat cheaters in Marathon. The studio says that anyone who cheats or develops cheats will be banned from the game forever, with no second chance. However, he admits that “no system is perfect,” so there will be an appeals system to monitor any incorrect cheat detections that lead to 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, user interaction
- Multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, online co-op
