Marathon Game Server Slam Kicks Off This Weekend Ahead of March 5 Launch
The marathon game enters its final public test this weekend as Bungie opens the Server Slam from February 26 at 10: 00 a. m. PT through March 2 at 10: 00 a. m. PT. The preview matters because it doubles as both a free playtest for players and a global infrastructure stress test intended to shape the title’s March 5 launch.
Marathon Game Server Slam Start Times
The Server Slam begins on February 26 at 10: 00 a. m. Pacific Time (1: 00 p. m. Eastern Time) and runs through March 2, ending at the same 10: 00 a. m. PT (1: 00 p. m. ET) mark. Players on all supported platforms can drop in at those windows to test maps, mechanics and online systems before the full release on March 5.
Platforms and Cross-Play for Marathon
Bungie has made the Server Slam available on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The free preview includes cross-play and cross-save so progress and play sessions can move across PC and consoles. The event is also being showcased as part of Steam Next Fest, bringing the game to a wider PC audience during the weekend.
Rewards: Beta. exe Emblem, Arrival Caches and Streamer Drops
Participation carries tangible incentives. Everyone who completes the introductory mission during the weekend will receive a unique Beta. exe emblem and a Complex Study player background reserved for Server Slam participants. Time spent during the event will also bank loot for launch based on progress: 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).
Cosmetic and loot rewards will be delivered after the game launches on March 5. Bungie warns that rollout will take some time, and players who don’t immediately see rewards in their inbox should expect a delayed delivery. Viewers who tune in to anyone streaming Marathon on Twitch during the weekend can also snag cosmetic rewards for launch; full details on how to claim those drops will be published on support pages.
Joe Ziegler’s 11 Tips Before the Server Slam
Game director Joe Ziegler shared 11 tips for beginners ahead of the Server Slam to help new players acclimate. The guidance is positioned as a foundation for running the maps, surviving encounters and extracting successfully, and is intended to help entrants arrive on launch day ready for the challenges of Tau Ceti.
What the Server Slam Will and Won’t Include on Tau Ceti IV
The Server Slam is explicitly a slice of the full game rather than the entire experience. Marathon takes place on Tau Ceti IV, a derelict colony where Runners and hostile UESC security forces roam in the year 2893, 99 years after the events of the original Marathon game and hundreds of years after the colony’s establishment. Players scavenge across maps that include futuristic research facilities and lush forests, battling both other players (PvP) and AI enemies (PvE) as they seek loot and extract. The planet surface is only the beginning; players will ultimately work toward the Cryo Archive, the first floor of the UESC Marathon that orbits above.
The Server Slam will not include every map, mode and piece of content destined for launch. At launch the game will add maps such as Outpost and Cryo Archive (with Cryo Archive arriving during Season 1), and the sixth Runner Shell, Thief, will be available at launch though not present in the Server Slam. Ranked mode and additional content are scheduled to arrive in Season 1. Even so, organizers say the preview should provide a large chunk of the full game for a weekend of play.
Technical Stress Test, Launch Timing and Genre Context
Bungie characterizes the Server Slam as a technical stress test: turning systems on worldwide, inviting as many players as possible, and monitoring performance while staff stand by to address issues and make adjustments. Because the event is meant to surface problems, participants should expect some instability; when systems fail, that failure becomes data to improve the March 5 launch. What makes this notable is that the Server Slam serves both as a marketing beta and as the studio’s first large-scale rehearsal of live infrastructure.
The studio positions Marathon within the wider extraction shooter trend that moved into the mainstream after earlier successes in related genres. Extraction shooters emphasize meaningful persistence and the tension of trying to extract with loot, differing from battle royale formats where victory carries no persistent gain. Titles such as ARC Raiders helped polish the niche and Bungie aims to add its own option with first-person shooter gunplay and a neon sci-fi aesthetic.
Players interested in the Server Slam can join during the event windows on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, test systems and earn rewards that will unlock when the full game launches on March 5.
