Marathon Server Slam Goes Live: Final Beta Start Time, Rewards and What Bungie Is Testing

The open preview weekend for marathon begins February 26 and runs through March 2, offering players a free chance to play before the full launch on March 5. The Server Slam doubles as a technical stress test and a rewards-driven preview that will feed cosmetic and loot incentives into the game at launch.

Marathon Server Slam Dates and Platforms

The Server Slam runs from February 26 at 10: 00 a. m. PT (1: 00 p. m. ET) and concludes on March 2 at 10: 00 a. m. PT (1: 00 p. m. ET). Players can join on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; the weekend is free to play and supports cross-play and cross-save. The event is also part of Steam Next Fest, giving PC users an additional showcase during the preview window.

Joe Ziegler’s 11 Tips and Tau Ceti Context

Marathon game director Joe Ziegler shared 11 tips aimed at beginners ahead of the Server Slam; those suggestions were edited for clarity by a gaming publication. Ziegler noted that players will continue to learn as they move into the Tau Ceti setting — Marathon’s maps are set on the Tau Ceti planet — and characterized his tips as a solid foundation to build on for the weekend.

Technical Stress Test: Bungie’s Monitoring and Objectives

Bungie frames the Server Slam explicitly as a technical stress test: the studio is turning its systems on worldwide, inviting large numbers of players to log in, crew up, infil, exfil, log out and repeat, then watching infrastructure performance closely. Bungie will stand by throughout the weekend to address issues, monitor performance and make adjustments; when components fail, that failure data will be used to improve the March 5 launch.

Rewards: Beta. exe Emblem and Arrival Caches

Everyone who completes the introductory mission during the Server Slam will unlock a unique Beta. exe emblem and a Complex Study player background, cosmetic items exclusive to participants. Time spent during the weekend will also bank loot for launch progression tiers: completing the first mission unlocks the Standard Arrival Cache, reaching Runner Level 10 unlocks the Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green), and reaching Runner Level 30 unlocks the Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue). Bungie says those rewards will be delivered after the game’s March 5 launch and that rollout may take some time; players who do not immediately see items in their inbox are asked to wait for the distribution to complete.

Gameplay, Maps, Runners and Season 1 Roadmap

Marathon is positioned as an extraction shooter set on Tau Ceti IV, a derelict space colony where player characters called Runners and hostile UESC security forces roam. The narrative setting is placed in the year 2893, 99 years after events of the original Marathon game and hundreds of years after the colony’s establishment. During the Server Slam players will scavenge across maps that include futuristic research facilities and lush forests, fight both human opponents (PvP) and AI defenders (PvE), and work toward extracting with loot and earning cosmetics and seasonal power.

The Server Slam will not include the full slate of maps and features coming at launch and beyond; it is a slice intended for preview and testing. At launch and with Season 1 the game will expand: additional zones, factions, contracts, gear, deeper progression systems, Ranked mode and other secrets are planned. Two maps named Outpost and Cryo Archive are highlighted for future availability, with Cryo Archive slated to arrive during Season 1 rather than in the Server Slam build. The sixth Runner Shell, Thief, will be available at launch but not during the Server Slam, and Ranked mode is scheduled to arrive in Season 1.

Streaming, Twitch Rewards and the Broader Implication

Players who tune into streamers on Twitch during the Server Slam can claim a set of cosmetic rewards for launch; full claiming instructions are provided on support pages. The timing matters because this concentrated preview both exposes the game to a broad audience and stress-tests backend systems ahead of a March 5 rollout, meaning player behavior this weekend will directly shape stability and polish at launch.

Taken together, the Server Slam functions as a public rehearsal: a weekend of open play that will supply Bungie with performance data, reward early participants with exclusive cosmetics and banked loot, and preview a substantial portion of the game before Marathon’s official launch on March 5 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.