Marathon Reviews
If you enjoy intense, competitive experiences that demand constant learning, then Marathon will definitely be worth it. The game delivers some of the best gunplay currently available, combined with an extremely engaging risk-reward loop, where each match generates real tension.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Marathon excels as a high-quality PvPvE extraction shooter with top-tier presentation, gunplay, and atmosphere, though its demanding design and weak UI make it a niche experience.
Review in German | Read full review
Marathon arrives at a pivotal moment for extraction shooters, and despite the pressure on Bungie, the studio delivers a solid experience. Its rich universe, gradually revealed through the codex, gives players a real reason to get invested. The well-paced map-based progression culminates in the particularly well-crafted Cryo Archive. Faction contracts effectively structure the progression, even if some of the basic missions lack variety. The learning curve remains steep, and the interface could benefit from simplification, but Bungie demonstrates a genuine willingness to listen to its community. It remains to be seen whether the game can maintain its momentum. Marathon remains a niche title, but its launch is encouraging. If it continues to be supported and refined, it could well establish itself as a lasting benchmark for the genre.
Review in French | Read full review
If you’ve got a solid squad and are looking for an alternative to Arc Raiders, Marathon might be the game for you. Otherwise, you’ve probably already found a title in this genre that has earned your trust before. It may be worth keeping an eye on the changes, at least until the launch of the second season. But will the developers manage to bring interest back to even half of its launch numbers? That seems highly doubtful.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Marathon is not an easy sell, but it is a bold one. It is stylish, mechanically sharp, and much more interesting than its surface-level pitch suggests. If Bungie can do a better job of helping players see the world, the story, and the reasons to care before the friction pushes them away, it may have something special on its hands. For now, it feels like a strong, ambitious swing that does not always make the cleanest first impression, but rewards the players willing to stay with it.
Marathon is the adrenaline shot the extraction shooter genre desperately needed. It successfully combines the immaculate, responsive gunplay Bungie is famous for with a deeply rewarding, loot-driven progression system that minimizes frustrating downtime. While solo players may find themselves struggling against coordinated trios, and the initial learning curve is undeniably brutal, the sheer thrill of surviving an ambush, securing a massive haul, and extracting by the skin of your teeth is unmatched. Whether you are a hardened Tarkov veteran or a Destiny refugee looking for your next obsession, Marathon is an absolute must-play.
Bungie proves with Marathon that postponement pays off. Despite the rough start and the chaotic menus, there will be a visually overwhelming extraction shooter with an unprecedented atmosphere in 2026. The bold art style and phenomenal sound design draw you mercilessly into a grim world where every step counts. The greatest asset is the narrative depth; the mysterious lore also keeps you busy outside the runs. Although the learning curve is steep and the first map looks a bit less, the strategic depth of the seven Shells and the nerve-wracking weekend events in the Cryo Archive make up for it. For fans of tactical extraction shooters and deep mysteries, this is an absolute must-play, provided you're willing to bite through the sour apple of the menus for the first few hours.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Marathon is not a failure. Even if the numbers might suggest otherwise, this statement speaks purely to the immense effort Bungie put into developing its latest game. From its inception, Marathon has always been, first and foremost, a title that the creators themselves wanted to play. A concrete response to a niche landscape—that of first-person extraction shooters—plagued by the demands of the current era in which the entire video game industry finds itself. Abandoned by its original director and with its core team reduced by half, the American team managed to create a work light-years away from the recent failures, which have proven to be nothing more than gambles and attempts to chase the usual trends, without trying to reinvent or refine the mechanics of their genres. For those who have never had the chance to try Marathon, or haven’t had the time to overcome the steep initial learning curve, it’s hard to convey just how much of the original Bungie’s DNA lies behind this production. Fans of extraction shooters will find in Marathon perhaps the best experience currently on the market, capable of consistently balancing the genre’s more hardcore and more casual sides, succeeding—through its constant updates based on player feedback—in building a product that is increasingly less experimental and increasingly the benchmark for the design of similar products. For those still undecided, Marathon remains a title worth considering carefully. The decision to release it as a Premium title in a market dominated by F2P games may pose a challenge given its niche nature and exclusive focus as a multiplayer title. Although a roadmap is already in place, the game’s future will depend heavily on player response, but if free events are offered, our advice is simple: Try to complete at least one run on Tau Ceti IV. If you can.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Marathon was facing a tough challenge to overcome the doubts surrounding it, but after dozens of hours, we can confidently say it has succeeded in its mission. It doesn’t deliver a traditional PvPvE experience; instead, it offers something different in its ideas, direction, and sense of risk. With a unique and visually striking identity, Bungie has managed to create an experience that keeps you coming back for more. However, it may not appeal to everyone—especially those who don’t enjoy challenging experiences.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Marathon stands as one of the most refined extraction shooters available, but its unforgiving structure and seasonal resets mean it won’t appeal to everyone. For those willing to embrace its high-stakes tension, however, it’s an experience that’s hard to put down.
Marathon may not offer revolutionary or groundbreaking ideas in the gaming world, but it boasts excellent quality across the board. This quality makes it an outstanding gaming experience for all shooting game enthusiasts.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Marathon is an extraordinary game that stands out with an exotic aesthetic, visceral gunplay, an excellent Runner Shell system, and lore that is masterfully delivered through its matches. However, it falls short with a slow and unwelcoming start for new players, something that could easily be improved in future seasons.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Marathon is a bold, punishing shooter that asks for patience before it gives much back. Bungie’s superb gunplay, distinctive retro futuristic setting, and rewarding faction system create a thrilling loop, even when a run falls apart. A frustrating UI and misjudged monetisation may test that patience, but something compelling awaits on the other side.
Marathon delivers a level of tension hardly seen in shooters, as everything feels polished and ready for consumption, but make no mistake, this is a hard sell for anyone outside the extraction shooter crowd as there's a lot of friction and time-gated content that could be a problem for some players.
Finally, there is an extraction shooter that not only competitively inclined gamers can enjoy, but narrative-loving players as well. There is a crossover here that takes an immense amount of polish, quality, and consistency to pull off.
Unlike other recently released live-service games, Marathon is a title with a solid foundation, built on a satisfying combat system and a distinctive and striking audiovisual presentation. This creates an immersive atmosphere and a tense gameplay loop that can be addictive for those who overcome its initial hurdles. However, its niche appeal is marred by design choices that hinder the user experience. The excessively steep learning curve, coupled with a confusing user interface that makes inventory management difficult, creates an unnecessary obstacle for players who aren't extremely dedicated or who are new to this type of FPS. The game fulfills its vision of being a high-level challenge, but its lack of accessibility and certain archaic monetization and interface design choices limit its appeal. Fortunately, these issues can be addressed with one or more updates.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Marathon is simply fantastic, there’s no other way to describe it. Bungie really knocked it out of the ballpark with this game, and I can’t wait to see what they continue to do with it.
For those not put off by the more hardcore nature of what Bungie delivered, I highly recommend you give Marathon a try. You might just become as hooked as I did.
Marathon is proof that Bungie still understands what makes an FPS special. Delivering singular technical mastery, the studio brings identity, cohesion, and, above all, a gameplay loop that hooks you in an almost inescapable way. Between its striking aesthetics, refined gunplay, and a progression system that turns even defeat into advancement, the game builds an experience that goes beyond the extraction genre and establishes itself as one of the most engaging in the current multiplayer landscape.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Marathon is an ambitious yet controversial attempt by Bungie to put its own spin on extraction shooters.
Review in Greek | Read full review