Marathon has become one of those games where the conversation around it becomes louder than the game itself. Behind this new extraction shooter is Bungie’s long development history and old baggage from Destiny 2. And amid rumors of layoffs after the end of Destiny 2, there are people who have already decided that Marathon represents everything wrong with live-service gaming. But some of these reviews are before these players have even extracted once.
Now that Bungie has announced its first Open Play Week, this is the perfect time for many to have an original experience with Marathon.
The game will be free to play from June 2 to June 9 on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, with progress carrying over if players buy the full game later. This limited-time access also arrives as Season 2 of Marathon kicks off on June 2, which will have Bungie wipe gameplay progression so both new and returning players start on a level playing field.
Don’t play it like a ranked shooter
Marathon is an extraction shooter, which means it naturally comes with stress baked into the loop. You drop in, scavenge for loot, engage with AI enemies and other runners, and finally try to get out alive. While losing in a typical competitor shooter can be frustrating, an extraction shooter stings more as you even lose your gear. Getting your gear and time stolen is annoying, and this hardcore structure will turn some people away—and that’s fair.
Extraction shooters are not designed for everyone. But I also think Marathon becomes more interesting when you stop treating it like a competitive shooter where every mistake needs to be litigated. The fun is in the panic and in the final triumph. You’re not fighting just for the sake of it; the excitement is in getting out alive. My recent experience with Arc Raiders also brought the same feeling.
Hearing footsteps has you make critical decisions about engaging or disappearing into the bushes. You might’ve been looking for loot a few seconds ago, and a sudden noise could mean that a player is right around the corner. “Gear fear” is what often paralyzes gamers from bringing their best gear, so this is why the free week is just perfect. You can try the loop without treating it like a long-term commitment. Go in curious, without the fear of losing.
But if the game hooks you in with its risk and reward, you’re already free from having to sweat about winning or losing elo in ranked.
Marathon is confident from the start
The other big reason Marathon deserves a try is that it has a real identity. I can’t stress enough how gorgeous this game looks. Graphics are important since they are your first impression of a game, but a distinct art style is what makes you stand out from the competition. And Marathon? Well, it lives and dies by its aesthetics. This is not a generic military shooter with loot slapper on top. It’s in the same genre as Hunt: Showdown and Arc Raiders, and still manages to bring its own feel to the experience.
Marathon is colorful and deeply stylized. Its visual direction pulls from the old Marathon legacy while turning it into something sharper and more modern. The new entry in a long-dormant franchise has a retro-futurist mix of fluorescent colors, ASCII text, old web design, and 90s-inspired sci-fi culture.
With mainstream games focusing on tried-and-true formulas, Marathon is the opposite of safe.
A fresh start
Season 2 also gives Bungie easier access to newcomers to the game. There’s a new Sentinel shell built around defensive play, a nighttime Dire Marsh zone with survival-horror energy, new gear, and the Cradle progression system, which lets players convert equipment into character growth separate from faction progression.
None of that guarantees Marathon will become a long-term hit. A free week will not magically solve every concern around Bungie, monetization, balance, or the future of this game. But it does give players something new to experience firsthand before an online argument decides your opinion on it. Try it because it’s free, and only stick around if it’s worth it. You never know, it might become your next obsession.