Marathon’s Launch Date Has Been Leaked

A leaked trailer seems to pinpoint a extra correct launch date for Bungie’s upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, suggesting the controversial title could possibly be launching for PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and PC on March 5. Marathon comes from the studio behind smash-hit shooters Future and Halo, nevertheless it’s already been clouded in controversy after being delayed final 12 months following poor fan reception. Gamers got the possibility to go hands-on with the shooter throughout a closed playtest, however fan suggestions was largely adverse.

After initially being revealed throughout a PlayStation Showcase again in 2023, developer Bungie would later go on to set a September 2025 launch date for Marathon. The Halo and Future studio then went on to set a closed playtest in late April, simply 5 months earlier than its deliberate launch. Sadly, the reception to the Marathon test was largely adverse, with a lot of the group calling for the sport to be delayed. Though the playtest was restricted to a small group of people, Steam numbers shortly started to plummet as followers known as for Bungie to take extra time to carry the sport “as much as par.”

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Marathon Might Launch March 5

In June, Bungie confirmed that it could delay Marathon indefinitely following participant suggestions to the closed alpha playtest. On the time, the studio didn’t share a brand new launch date for the shooter, however mentioned followers would hear from them once more within the Fall. As promised, Bungie returned in December and confirmed a brand new March launch window for Marathon. As of writing, the studio has but to specify when in March the title will launch, however a brand new leaked video noticed by a consumer on Reddit claims that Marathon will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Sequence X/S, and PC on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

Whereas this information has but to be made official by Bungie, the validity of the leaked trailer does look like fairly reputable, because it reportedly comes instantly from the Xbox ‘Membership’ web page for the sport, though it has since been eliminated. Other than the leaked March 5 launch date, the trailer additionally reveals a Deluxe Version for Marathon that seemingly comes with two further weapons. It additionally appears as if pre-orders for the title will go reside alongside the trailer, however when Bungie really intends to launch it formally is unknown.

Whereas we already knew that Marathon would be releasing in March, its launch date being so early within the month has come as fairly a shock. After its delay final 12 months, Bungie’s mum or dad firm, Sony, remained dedicated to releasing the sport by the tip of March 31, 2026, calling Marathon a “revolutionary new title.” Nonetheless, the corporate did acknowledge the controversy surrounding the sport, noting that suggestions has been “various.” Regardless of the considerably lackluster response from the group, Sony mentioned it’s going to nonetheless “give the title the optimum likelihood of success” and mentioned the corporate is happy for its launch.

Sadly, Marathon was hit with another setback in late December, as its artwork director, Joseph Cross, parted methods with Bungie. The developer didn’t element why he determined to go away the studio, however did launch a press release saying he was “extremely proud” of the visible world Bungie has created for Marathon and that he’ll get pleasure from taking part in the sport as a fan alongside the remainder of the group. Cross had been working beneath the studio since 2011 and was beforehand a developer at EA, having labored on the massively standard Useless House collection. Fortunately, Cross’s departure got here only a few months earlier than the launch of Marathon, so it (hopefully) will not have a lot influence on the sport’s launch, as the sport will already be content material full.