Bungie has confirmed there will be an open preview weekend for Marathon before the game’s March 5, 2026 launch, and said “everyone will be able to try Marathon out.” The studio did not provide a date for the preview weekend. The announcement follows a mixed reception to Marathon’s first public playtest last year. That early closed alpha ran from April 23 until May 4, 2025, and later closed tests in 2025 were restricted and required signups and invites. Bungie’s recent message suggests the upcoming preview will be fully open across platforms rather than invite-only.
Bungie’s exact wording appears on X, where the studio said, “We’ll have an open preview weekend before launch, and everyone will be able to try Marathon out.”
Yes. We'll have an open preview weekend before launch, and everyone will be able to try Marathon out!
— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) January 19, 2026
Last year’s closed alpha included multiple maps, Runners, quests, and factions. Many of those systems have since been overhauled and new features have been added, so the preview weekend will be a limited chance to see how those changes play in public. The studio has previously run longer playtests that lasted a week or more, but this preview looks set to be a shorter weekend event. Marathon is being positioned as an extraction shooter and will be compared to recent playtests like Arc Raiders. Bungie has been iterating on core systems since the first public test, and the open preview will supply final player data ahead of the March 5 launch. For context on the schedule and pricing details Bungie has confirmed, see Bungie’s March 2026 release date coverage on our site.
There have been other Marathon-related developments in recent months, including staff changes on the art team reported in December 2025. Those stories and the playtest rollout form the backdrop to what Bungie is calling the final public test before launch. Keep an eye out for Bungie to announce exact preview weekend dates and platform availability as we move closer to March 5. Find more on Marathon and Bungie’s plans on our coverage of the March 2026 release date and the art director departure.
Follow updates on Marathon and Bungie via X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
