Marathon

June 2, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. ET on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

No, at least not yet. It still normally costs $40, but it will be free for the first week of season 2. That runs June 2 through June 9. Players across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC can hop in and experience the full game at no cost, with all progress carrying over for anyone who decides to eventually buy it. As a reminder though, anyone on console will still need a paid subscription (PS Plus or Game Pass Core) in order to play Marathon even when it’s free since it’s an online multiplayer game.

A lot, actually. The biggest content additions are as follows: an updated Dire Marsh (Night) zone, new Sentinel Runner shell, new progression system called the Cradle, new weapons, updated contracts, faction progression improvements, and sandbox balance changes. Let’s break down each one of those real quick.

You might think that simply swapping the time of day for an existing map instead of adding an entirely new one would be a big disappointment. In fact, that’s how I originally felt. But then I saw the first trailer for the new map and realized how much everything being dark would completely upend the way I currently play Marathon. Limited vision, flashlights giving away positions, and whatever’s going on with the new monsters that come out at night feels like more than enough to offer a very different, survival horror-infused take on the usual Marathon experience. And that was already super ten