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Marathon: Everything You Need To Know About Launch Times, Pre-Load, Server Slam Rewards, And More

March 5, 20264 Mins read5 Views

Wesley LeBlanc

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The launch of a new Bungie game is upon us as Marathon, the studio’s Y2K sci-fi extraction FPS, launches tomorrow, on Thursday, March 5. Ahead of its launch, we have all the details you need to know about hopping in on release day, pre-loading the game today, when the game’s servers go live, and more.

Everything You Need To Know About Marathon’s Launch

Below, we’ll list all of the things you might have questions about related to Marathon’s launch on March 5. If you haven’t already, read about the post-Server Slam feedback and changes being made to Marathon, and then check out these Server Slam stats. After that, read about Marathon Season 1 and how new content like Runner shells, maps, and more will be free for all players here.

Marathon Launch Times

Marathon Release Timing Confirmed Alongside Other Launch Day FAQs

The launch times for Marathon around the world will be listed below by time zones – the times are for March 5 (unless otherwise stated):

Los Angeles: 10 a.m. PST
New York: 1 p.m. EST
Rio de Janeiro: 3 p.m. BRT
London: 6 p.m. GMT
Berlin: 7 p.m. CET
Sydney: 5 a.m. AEDT (March 6)
Seoul: 3 a.m. KST (March 6)
Tokyo: 3 a.m. JST (March 6)

Marathon Pre-Load

You can pre-load Marathon right now if you preorder the game, regardless of platform. As a reminder, Marathon launches on Thursday, March 5, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Marathon Client Download

If you hopped into the Marathon Server Slam last weekend, you will need to redownload Marathon from your chosen platform’s store. That’s because the Marathon Server Slam ran on a client different from the launch day client.

Marathon Platforms, Crossplay, And Cross-Save

Marathon Platforms And Crossplay

Marathon is playable on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam). Regardless of where you play Marathon, the game supports crossplay (allowing you to play with players on platforms other than where you’re playing) and cross-save (your progression carries over regardless of the platform you’re playing on). It’s important to note, however, that in order to play Marathon on consoles, you will need a PS Plus subscription on PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Game Pass Core subscription (which replaced Xbox Live Gold) on Xbox Series X/S.

Marathon Launch Day Build vs. Server Slam Build

The final release build of Marathon will include the full suite of the game’s progression systems, a new Runner shell, Outpost, and the following:

Full faction and contract progression
All six factions, including Sekiguchi Genetics
All six launch Runner shells, including Thief
Three zones, including Outpost
- Outpost will unlock the day after launch (so March 6) to give players time to gear up and unlock the zone at Runner Level 12
28 weapons, plus mods, implants, cores, and more to craft your Runner builds
Earnable cosmetics, achievements, and storytelling through the Codex

Bungie says the final release of Marathon includes fixes and updates informed by the recent Server Slam, including adjustments to PvP frequency on Perimeter (Beginner), with more changes to come.

Cryo Archive

Cryo Archive is an endgame experience that will go live “once you unlock the way into orbit in the second half of March,” according to Bungie. It is a zone set within the derelict UESC Marathon ship that hangs in the sky above the planet of Tau Ceti.

Ranked Mode

Ranked Mode is arriving in Marathon as part of Season 1 and is expected to go live in the second half of March. Bungie says it will share more details closer to the mode’s launch.

Server Slam Rewards

If you played in the Server Slam, you might be expecting specific rewards based on what you did in the playtest. You can read more about those rewards here, but Server Slam cosmetic rewards and earned Arrival Caches (determined by the Runner level you achieved during the Server Slam) will roll out during the first day of Launch. Bungie says it will take some time for them to reach every player awaiting them, but don’t worry if they aren’t there when you first boot the game up.

However, if you earned Server Slam rewards, you have to log in before Season 1 concludes to receive them. If you do not log on during Season 1, you will not receive your rewards.

Twitch Drop Rewards

Twitch Drops

If you tuned into Twitch streamers playing Marathon during the Server Slam and secured specific Twitch Drops, Bungie says your rewards will be granted to your Bungie.net profile and delivered in-game on launch day. However, it says the Twitch Sponsored Kit may take up to 48 hours to arrive in your in-game Mailbox and must be redeemed by March 31.

There will also be new Twitch Drops as part of Marathon’s launch. To earn them:

Below are the Marathon launch day Twitch Drop rewards. You have between 10 a.m. PT, March 5, through 10 a.m. PT, March 9, to earn them:

Weapon Sticker: Smol K.i.t.t.y. (Subscribe or Gift a Subscription to a Creator playing Marathon)
Twitch Sponsored Kit, aka Standard in-game loot (Watch for 1 hour)
Profile Emblem: Pink Graffiti Bingus (Watch for 1 hour)
Profile Background: Pink Graffiti Bingus (Watch for 2 hours)
Weapon Sticker: Pink Graffiti Bingus (Watch for 3 hours)
Weapon Skin (Style): White and Purple – Ballistic Sniper (Watch for 4 hours)

Bungie says players can also earn a new set of Twitch Drops during the Tau Ceti Cup on March 14, which it describes as “an event pitting creator teams against each other to prove they’re the best Runner.”

Platform Weapon Charms

Players on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Steam will receive weapon charms unique to their platform.

PlayStation players will receive the For Freedom, Battle Guitar, and Onryō weapon charms, and must visit the PlayStation Store to claim them when Marathon launches.
Xbox players will automatically receive the Emerald Clutch and Emerald Catch weapon charms upon logging in at launch.
Steam players will automatically receive the Crowbar weapon charm upon logging in at launch.

Marathon Login Queues

Bungie expects login queues on Marathon’s launch day and says it will communicate status updates if it needs to perform maintenance via the Bungie Server Status accounts on X and Bluesky. It will also share updates in the Marathon community Discord.