Marathon Game Server Slam Is Almost Here — marathon game Preview Weekend Starts Feb. 26
The marathon game Server Slam opens an open preview weekend running from February 26 at 10 AM PT/1 p. m. ET through March 2 at 10 AM PT/1 p. m. ET, giving players a chance to play before the March 5 launch and to help stress-test global systems. The weekend will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with cross-play and cross-save enabled.
Marathon Game Server Slam schedule and platforms
The Server Slam runs from February 26 at 10 AM PT to March 2 at 10 AM PT, and the same windows translate to 1 p. m. ET start and end times on February 26 and March 2. You will be able to play on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S; cross-play and cross-save will be enabled, and the event is part of Steam Next Fest.
What Bungie is testing during the Server Slam
The Server Slam is described as a technical stress test: the team is turning everything on worldwide, inviting as many players as possible and watching systems closely as players log in, crew up, infil, exfil, log out and repeat. Staff will be standing by throughout the weekend to address issues, monitor performance and make adjustments as needed; when something breaks that data will be used to improve the March 5 launch.
How much of the full game you’ll see and what’s reserved for launch or Season 1
This weekend is a preview, not the full game. The Server Slam will not include all maps and content coming to the main game; it is both a marketing beta and a server stress test, though it should provide plenty for a weekend of play. When Marathon launches and Season 1 kicks off, players can expect additional zones, factions, contracts, gear, progression depth and Ranked, plus some secrets the team says players will have to experience themselves.
At launch the game will add two more maps—Outpost and Cryo Archive—with Cryo Archive arriving during Season 1. The sixth Runner Shell, Thief, will be available at launch but not during the Server Slam, and Ranked mode arrives in Season 1.
Setting, core loop and the extraction-shooter angle
Marathon takes place on Tau Ceti IV, described as a derelict space colony where Runners and hostile UESC security forces roam. The game’s timeline is set in the year 2893, 99 years after the original Marathon game and hundreds of years after the colony’s establishment. Players scavenge across various maps—futuristic research facilities and lush forests among them—battling other players in PvP and AI enemies in PvE as they seek loot and a way to extract, earning cosmetics, seasonal power and more. The surface of the planet is only the beginning; players will work their way to the Cryo Archive, the first floor of the UESC Marathon itself orbiting above.
Extraction shooters have moved toward the mainstream, with genre examples and lineage noted as tracing back to the DayZ mod for ARMA 2; the genre has seen entries like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown and a recent crescendo with ARC Raiders, which is named as a breakout example. The extraction model prioritizes meaningful persistence and loss—players must extract with loot to keep it—unlike battle royale’s last-man-standing structure, where winning a match does not affect carried loot.
Progression, exclusive rewards and streaming bonuses
Everyone who completes the introductory mission during the Server Slam will unlock a unique Beta. exe emblem and a Complex Study player background as rewards exclusive to Server Slam participants. Time spent during the Slam will bank loot rewards for launch, based on how far players progress: completing your 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).
Cosmetic and loot rewards will be delivered once Marathon launches on March 5, and it may take a bit of time for rewards to roll out to everyone’s inboxes. Throughout the Server Slam weekend, players can also tune in to anyone streaming Marathon on Twitch to snag a set of cosmetic rewards for launch; full details on how to secure and claim those rewards will be available on support pages.
Director notes and how to prepare
Marathon’s game director, Joe Ziegler, shared 11 tips for beginners ahead of the Server Slam weekend to help players get a better start in the extraction loop. The Server Slam is positioned as a slice of Marathon so players can feel how the game plays now and arrive on March 5 looking and feeling ready for the dangers of Tau Ceti.
Players can give the final beta a try for free on PC, Xbox Series X|S and PS5 during the Server Slam and then pick up additional content and modes when the full game launches on March 5.
