Marathon is finally here. Bungie’s long-awaited sci-fi extraction shooter drops players into the mysterious colony world of Tau Ceti IV as bio-cybernetic mercenaries known as Runners. Marathon brings that signature good feeling Bungie gunplay and mixers that with high stakes extraction, all wrapped up in a stylized sci-fi universe unlike any other game on the market. It doesn’t matter if you are a solo player or squadding up with your crew, you’ll want a gaming PC that keeps up. We got you.
Marathon Gameplay
Marathon is a first-person PvPvE extraction shooter set in 2893, a century after the original Marathon colony ship went dark above Tau Ceti IV. You play as a Runner, a biosynthetic mercenary stripped of human skin and rebuilt for combat, hired out by warring factions to scavenge the dangerous ruins of an abandoned colony world.
Each run tasks you and your crew with trespassing across deserted research facilities, rugged landscapes, and security outposts, all holding the remnants of a vanished expedition. Each new zone escalates in difficulty as you work toward the UESC Marathon, the massive ghost ship locked in orbit above the planet. Once you earn your way up there and are properly kitted out with high level gear you’ll go through what is essentially this game’s version of a raid. It’ll be up to you and your squad to figure out a way past security measures in the Cryo Archive, breach frozen vaults, all while other highly kitted-out teams search their way through the cramped corridors of the Marathon.
You have access to 6 distinct Runners, each with their own playstyle and abilities. Stack on moddable weapons, body implants, and core system upgrades to craft builds that are uniquely yours. Coordinate with your crew each run to form comps that get the most out of each of your Runner’s abilities.
Marathon also supports solo queue for those who prefer to go it alone, and a unique Runner called Rook that let’s lone players sneak into in-progress matches with nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Marathon PC Requirements
Overall, Marathon features some accessible specs. Thanks to it’s stylized nature, the game performs well across a variety of hardware. For Intel ARC systems, note that ReBar is recommended for the best performance.
Marathon Minimum System Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4GB) or Intel Arc A580 (8GB, ReBAR on)
- RAM: 8GB
Marathon Recommended System Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8GB) or Intel Arc A770 (16GB, ReBAR on)
- RAM: 16GB
Table of Contents
- Marathon Gameplay
- Marathon PC Requirements
- The Best Gaming PCs for Marathon
- Minimum Spec PC
- Recommended Spec PC
- High-Performance Runner PC
- FAQs
The Best Gaming PCs for Marathon
Don’t infil Tau Ceti IV unprepared. Here are our top picks for the best gaming PCs to get you exfiltrating with the best loot for even deeper runs into the derelict colony.
Minimum Spec PC
AMD Mainstream Gaming PC
Specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 8400F
- GPU: AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT
- RAM: 16GB DDR5/6000MHz
- Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Recommended Spec PC 1
GeForce Elite Gaming PC
Specs:
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- GPU: GeForce RTX 5070
- RAM: 32GB DDR5/6000
- Motherboard: B850 Motherboard
- Storage: 2TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
Recommended PC 2
March RTX 5060
Specs:
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF
- GPU: GeForce RTX 5060
- RAM: 16GB DDR5/6000
- Motherboard: Z890 Motherboard
- Storage: 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen 4 SSD
FAQs
Where can I purchase Marathon?
Marathon is available now for PC on Steam.
Does Marathon support crossplay?
Yup. Marathon features full cross-play and cross-save across all the platforms it is available on — PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. You will be able to team up with your buddies no matter what platform you guys all play on.
Can I play Marathon solo?
Yes, you can hop in to Marathon as a solo player without a squad. There is a unique wrinkle that Marathon adds to solo play, a unique class known as Rook. Playing as this class will only place you in to a match that is already in progress. Additionally, Rook is a free loadout, meaning you can head down to Tau Ceti IV without the risk of sacrificing any of your loot. You get a basic weapon and a couple basic pieces of kit; you don’t get to use anything from your vault.
The Rook can temporarily disguise itself from UESC enemies (PVE enemies on the map) with their class ability. So you can easily hide amongst these or sneak past with ease.
The Rook, like other classes, features it’s own skill tree. Rook was designed to be used as a way of reupping your gear for other runs.
Is Marathon free-to-play?
No, Marathon is a paid game. It is priced at $39.99, with more expensive Deluxe Edition and a Collector’s Edition also available. Bungie confirmed the game will receive seasonal content, so the game should always have something new and fresh.