Bungie is finally pulling back the curtain on Marathon, its highly anticipated PvP extraction shooter, with a free Server Slam event kicking off today, February 26, and running through March 2. After a string of delays that tested the patience of eager fans, the studio is giving everyone a chance to drop onto the mysterious planet of Tau Ceti IV ahead of the game’s full commercial launch on March 5 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The event goes live at 10am PST, with staggered start times across global time zones, as reported by IGN.
In Marathon, players take on the role of Runners — cybernetic mercenaries built to endure the punishing conditions of Tau Ceti IV — as they explore the remnants of a lost human colony. The Server Slam will open up two playable zones: Perimeter, a frontier expansion on the colony’s edge, and Dire Marsh, a former agricultural research hub. Players will also be able to tackle early contracts for five in-game factions, including CyberAcme, Traxus, and MIDA, and work through their initial progression trees.
Just ahead of the event, Bungie dropped one final character trailer spotlighting the Rook, a scavenger-type shell that takes a decidedly different approach to survival. As Eurogamer detailed, the Rook is a loot goblin at heart — capable of temporarily pacifying NPC enemies to swipe their goods rather than engaging in direct combat. The short cinematic leans into the archetype with humor, showing the Rook panicking and accidentally undoing its own pacification trick before fleeing with stolen loot. It rounds out a roster of five playable shells available during the test.
Bungie is sweetening the deal with a tiered reward system that carries over to the full game at launch. Completing a first mission unlocks a Standard Arrival Cache containing implants, shell cores, and weapons. Reaching Runner Level 10 earns an Enhanced cache with upgraded gear, while hitting Level 30 grants a Deluxe cache packed with top-tier implants, weapon mods, and an Enhanced Base Backpack. PlayStation Plus subscribers will receive additional weapon charms inspired by Ghost of Yōtei, Death Stranding 2, and Helldivers 2, while Steam players will automatically pick up an exclusive Crowbar Weapon Charm.
Beyond giving players a taste of the action, the Server Slam serves a critical technical purpose. Bungie has stated it will use the event to stress-test its anti-cheat infrastructure, and the studio is urging participants to report any suspected cheaters they encounter. The developer has made it clear there will be zero tolerance for cheating once Marathon officially launches, signaling a firm stance on competitive integrity from day one.
Early signs point to strong interest in the title. Marathon has already been hovering near the top of Steam’s best-seller charts despite not yet being released, suggesting that Bungie’s pivot from the Destiny formula to a squad-based extraction shooter has captured significant attention. Whether that buzz translates into a thriving player base will depend on how smoothly the Server Slam goes — and how the full game holds up when it arrives on March 5.