Marathon Will Be Free-to-Play from June 2 for a Limited Time During Season 2

Bungie has revealed everything that's coming to Season 2 of their extraction shooter Marathon. Titled Nightfall, there's a series of new content coming to the game alongside its first seasonal wipe. A different version of Dire Marsh set at night is on the way, as well as a new progression system called the Cradle, a new Shell, new weapons, and more.

But one of the big reveals is that Marathon will be free to play for everyone from June 2 to June 9 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Marathon's Limited Free Play Event Starts June 2

This is Marathon's first free play session since the game launched in March, allowing those who haven't played or bought the game to experience the full thing at no cost. It's the perfect time to give it a shot, as the free play period begins alongside the launch of Season 2, which also brings the seasonal wipe, resetting all players' progress from the beginning and leveling the playing field for everyone.

Will my progress carry over if I buy the full game?

According to Bungie, yes. After June 9, you can continue where you left off during what Bungie calls the Open Play Week. Level, faction progression, and gear will all carry over if you decide to pick up the game afterward.

This marks Bungie's first big attempt at revitalizing a dwindling player base. Many in the Marathon community consider some level of drop-off to be normal, as players tend to walk away once they've done everything, but the downtrend is still an issue that needs to be addressed as this is a community that hasn’t shown that they will return when new content drops. Escape from Tarkov, the game that made the subgenre popular, used a similar wipe system. Resetting everyone's progress and inventory normalizes the item economy and puts all players on equal footing, with the start of a new season traditionally being the best time to jump in.

Whether that holds true for Marathon remains to be seen. Season 2 brings a night version of Dire Marsh (the game's second map), which looks completely different in terms of atmosphere and approach. It's so dark that Bungie added new items like flares, built-in flashlights, and other tools specifically to deal with the low-visibility conditions.

Season 2 also comes with two new weapons and a new Shell called Sentinel, a highly defensible option for teams featuring deployable traps that slow enemies and a device that shoots down projectiles and grenades tossed within its vicinity. It looks like a solid pick if you need to lock down a specific area from threats trying to push through.

Marathon's Season 2 will be closely watched by many, as it's now Bungie's only active game following the announcement of Destiny 2's end, with the looter shooter's final update also landing on June 9. Will the new season land well with existing players? More importantly, will lapsed players return and stick around, and will newcomers actually take the plunge during the Open Play Week?

We’ll find out next week.

For now, here’s my full review of the game and why I gave the game a 3.5/5. As much as I enjoy the game and continue to play it beyond my coverage of the game, the onboarding process, content being time-sensitive, and that some its UI deliver some pain points for newcomers, it’s still a hard game to recommend.

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About the Author - Carlos Hernandez

Carlos Hernandez is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Too Much Gaming, where he writes about video games, reviews, and industry news. A lifelong gamer, he would do anything to experience Final Fantasy Tactics for the first time again and has a love/hate relationship with games that require hunting for new gear to improve your character.