What is Marathon?
Marathon is Bungie's upcoming sci-fi PvP extraction shooter. You are a cybernetic mercenary known as a Runner, venturing into the unknown in a fight for survival and fortune where any run can lead to greatness.
Is this a remake or a sequel to the original Marathon Trilogy?
The game takes place in the same world as the original Marathon trilogy but is not a remake or direct sequel.
How do I sign up for the Marathon Closed Alpha Test??
- Join the official Marathon Discord Server
- Visit the #🐛alpha_access channel on the Discord Server, then type in /alpha and press Enter/Send on your keyboard
- Follow the prompts from the Marathon Discord Bot and answer a few questions to receive a link to the Alpha registration page on Bungie.net
- Sign into your Bungie.net account
- If you don't have one, you will be prompted to create one
- Choose the platform you want to play the Marathon Alpha on
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam
- Accept the Marathon Closed Alpha non-disclosure agreement (NDA)
- Consent to receive emails about the Marathon Closed Alpha
- Answer survey questions about your Marathon Closed Alpha gaming experience
- This should take about five minutes to complete
- Once completed, you will be taken to a page telling you to watch your email
- Emails will be sent out later next week
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If you are selected to participate in the Marathon Closed Alpha, you will receive an email from marathonthegame @ info.bungie.net (without the spaces) with instructions on next steps
- Invites will go out both at the start of the Marathon Closed Alpha and continuously during the 2-week test period
- Please make sure this email address is whitelisted in your mailbox, so you don’t miss it!
How do I download the Marathon Closed Alpha Test?
If selected, you will receive an email with instructions on how to download the Marathon Closed Alpha Test on the platform you selected in the survey.
Do I need a Bungie.net account to play?
- If you don't have a Bungie.net account, you will be prompted to create one during the registration process.
- If you already have a Bungie.net account, you can sign in to it during the registration process.
What platforms will the Alpha support?
The Marathon Closed Alpha Test will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and Steam (PC).
Is PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live required to play the Alpha?
No, a subscription service is not required to play the Marathon Closed Alpha Test. However, one will be required when Marathon officially launches.
How much space will I need to install the Alpha?
The Marathon Closed Alpha Test is approximately 6 GB in size.
Can I invite my friends to play the Alpha with me?
If you and your friend have been selected for the Marathon Closed Alpha Test, you will be able to group up with them in-game; however, the Closed Alpha Test will not be supporting Friend Invites to players that were not selected.
Can I give away my code to play the Alpha?
No, if you give your code to someone else, they will not be able to access the Marathon Closed Alpha Test. You may play only on the Bungie.net account that you used for registration.
Am I required to join the Marathon Discord server?
Yes, you will need to join the official Marathon Discord server as part of the first step in the registration process.
Can I leave the server and still play the Alpha?
Yes, you can leave the Marathon Discord server and still have access to the Marathon Closed Alpha Test; however, the Discord server will be the primary communication method for all the Closed Alpha Test participants.
Am I allowed to stream while playing and/or share that I’m playing the Alpha?
No. Marathon Closed Alpha Test participants will be subject to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), which means they are not allowed to talk about the playtest, share images, videos, or stream the game outside the private Closed Alpha Test channels on the Marathon Discord.
What are the qualifications for getting access to the Alpha?
- Be located in North America
- Be 18 years old or older
- Have access to and a valid account on a supported platform (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and Steam)
- Have a valid Bungie.net account in good standing
What languages will be supported in the Alpha?
The Marathon Closed Alpha Test will be limited to English, but we plan to support many additional languages at launch
When does the Alpha start and end?
The Marathon Closed Alpha Test will start on April 23, 2025, at 10 AM PDT, and will run until May 4, 2025, at 10 AM PDT.
What are the minimum specs for PC?
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB) / Intel Arc A580 (8 GB)
- Video Memory (VRAM): 4 GB
- DirectX: DirectX 12 with Feature Level 12_1 support
- Operating System: Windows 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)
Will the Alpha support cross-play? Cross-save?
The Marathon Closed Alpha Test will support cross-play between all platforms. However, participants will only receive one code for their specified preferred platform and thus participants will not be able to play on multiple platforms with cross-save for this test. We plan to support both cross-play and cross-save at launch.
Will I get to keep my account progress from Alpha to launch?
No, all account data will be deleted when the test servers are closed and no progress will be saved for launch.
When does the sign-up start and end?
If you are reading this, sign-ups are active now! While we do not have a hard date for the end of sign-ups, please sign up as early as possible for the best chance at getting access. As noted, we have limited slots for Closed Alpha Test participants.
How can I confirm my registration for the test was successful?
After completing the survey on Bungie.net, you will receive a confirmation screen with a message saying that you have entered the pool of potential Closed Alpha participants.
Does the Alpha work outside North America?
While the Marathon Closed Alpha Test does not have a region lock on Steam and Xbox, we have limited server capacity outside North America, so your network experience while playing the game may be less than optimal.
The Alpha is region locked to North and South America on PlayStation 5.
How do your server regions work? Can I join a crew with my friends in different regions?
We have servers located in multiple regions around the world. If you enter matchmaking with a crew of players in multiple different regions, we will select the best available server with the lowest average latency to your crew. Note that this depends on server availability, and your network experience while playing with a widely geographically separated crew may be less than optimal.
Bungie gave me an invite code, but I live outside North America. Do I have to say on the survey that I live in North America to play in the Alpha?
No. Please answer the questions honestly. If you have an invite code, you will not be excluded from the Alpha based on your geographic region.
When I enter my code, I'm taken to an error page.
More than likely, you have a privacy app extension on within your browser. You will need to disable this or use a different browser to continue.