To say there are tons of great-looking upcoming space games on the horizon is an understatement. From expansive action-RPGs to cosmic horror adventures, we have lots to look forward to, and now, we can add Bungie's Marathon to the list.
After being enigmatically teased almost two years ago, the developer and publisher (now part of Sony Interactive Entertainment) has finally pulled the trigger on this complete reboot of the Marathon IP, which consisted of three first-person shooters released during the mid-1990s. Whereas the original games were plot-heavy single-player shooters — akin to other early first-person shooters like the Doom games — this revival of sorts is a team-based extraction shooter that can only be played online.
Before we hack into the details of the lore and what may be happening, check out actual gameplay below with two generous gameplay trailers that were released on April 12 (one above, one below):
The original storyline followed the colony ship Marathon, partially built from Mars' moon Deimos, and what happened as it tried to reach the Tau Ceti system and came across hostile aliens.
In this action-packed extraction shooter, teams of cybernetic mercenaries with unique abilities and augments try to grab valuable loot and weapons from the lost Tau Ceti IV colony, as well as the derelict ship itself, all while battling hostile NPCs and other teams of human-controlled mercs.
Bungie says in a blog post that this multiplayer reboot is packed with "references and deep cuts" for fans of the predecessors. Looking at the 'reveal cinematic short' released alongside the gameplay trailers (watch it below), we're both impressed with the visual style and scratching our heads regarding the story and new lore holding all the player-versus-player action together.
After seeing those trailers, and given Bungie's track record with sci-fi shooters, we can't wait to get our hands on Marathon when it launches.
Speaking of which, Marathon will release on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5 on September 23, 2025, as a premium (but not full-priced) release. A closed alpha is happening this month, and you can try to get into the test by joining the game's official Discord server and following the instructions.
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