Marathon Kicks Off with Highly Positive Reviews and Thousands of Players on Steam

Launch Day Success: Marathon Smashes Steam Debut Records with 88K Concurrent Players and Positive Reviews

Bungie's new extraction shooter, Marathon, launched yesterday, March 5, 2026, and initial Steam data indicates strong early adoption. SteamDB data from the first 15 hours shows the game reached a peak of over 88,000 concurrent players. The game has also garnered nearly 6,000 player reviews on Valve's platform, with an overwhelmingly positive reception: 91% of Steam users giving the game a "thumbs up" rating. Currently, Marathon is listed as "Not Supported" on the Steam Deck because its anti-cheat software, BattlEye, isn't natively compatible with SteamOS. Some players have also reported that Marathon's user interface feels clunky. Fueled by digital preorders, Marathon has made it into Steam's top three moneymakers. Gaming publications are already comparing it to ARC Raiders, particularly its performance on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, where Marathon is reportedly outperforming its competitor. However, ARC Raiders achieved a higher peak concurrent player count at launch (264,000). While Marathon's online player count dropped from an initial 140,000, it continues to generate substantial revenue. It remains to be seen how the player base will evolve over its first weekend. (Image credit: SteamDB)

In Case You Missed It

In a whirlwind of gaming news, Slay the Spire 2 has taken Steam by storm, according to Bruno Pferd's March 7th piece "Slay the Spire 2 Reaches 430,000 Players on Steam, Overshadows Marathon's Peak". This indie card battler managed an incredible peak of over 430k simultaneous players within its first day, outpacing even AAA shooter Marathon and impressing gamers with its Early Access performance on Steam Deck and other portable PCs Slay the Spire 2 Reaches 430,000 Players on Steam, Overshadows Marathon's Peak. Meanwhile, Jonathan Dubinski's March 6th post "Year's Jab? Slay the Spire 2 Outpaces Marathon, Mocks Bungie" delves into the excitement surrounding both games' launches. Dubinski encourages fans to appreciate indie passion projects like Marathon amidst new gaming industry releases Year's Jab? Slay the Spire 2 Outpaces Marathon, Mocks Bungie. And in other news, Sophie Laurent's March 6th piece "Marathon Listed for PS4 and Xbox One" explores the possibility of Bungie expanding Marathon's console availability to older generation consoles. The ESRB classification hints at potential future plans, leaving us eager for more details Marathon Listed for PS4 and Xbox One.