Marathon will be free for a week with new PvE mode

Bungie will offer the full version of Marathon free from Dec. 8 through Dec. 15, 2026. The Open Play Week will coincide with the release of the Symbiosis update and will include all content added in the update.

Players will be able to download Marathon on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC without buying it during the event. Those who purchase the game after the free week ends will keep items and progress earned during the event, including loot, experience points and faction upgrades from Extraction.

Symbiosis will add Expeditions, a mode in which players take on computer-controlled enemies. Marathon’s main mode combines player-versus-player combat with missions against computer-controlled enemies and extraction-based objectives. Bungie has described Expeditions as the first phase of a permanent player-versus-environment offering.

The update will also add Bishop, a new playable shell, an updated version of the Perimeter map, new equipment and additional rewards.

Bungie will run a separate co-op event called Crew Up from Dec. 8 at noon Pacific time through Dec. 22 at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Players will form teams in Expeditions and complete increasingly difficult challenges to earn cosmetic rewards, including an emblem, background, weapon sticker, weapon charm, Destroyer character skin and title.

Players can join Crew Up by redeeming the code DMA-T7Y-XJL on Bungie.net. Redeeming the code will add an Events section to the in-game Codex. The challenges require at least two players. Teammates must have redeemed the code and be connected through Bungie.net or the same gaming platform.

Players will need to own Marathon to continue Crew Up during its final week after Open Play Week ends.

Marathon is a science-fiction extraction shooter set on the planet Tau Ceti IV. Bungie, the studio behind Halo and Destiny, developed the game. It launched earlier in 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC and is Bungie’s first new game since Sony acquired the studio.

Reviewed and fact-checked by Vlad Kipran on November 10.