Marathon Server Slam Goes Live: Open preview weekend, rewards and what Bungie is testing

The marathon server slam opens on February 26 at 1 p. m. ET and runs through March 2 at 1 p. m. ET, giving players a free preview of Marathon and a chance to help Bungie stress its global infrastructure before the game’s March 5 launch. The marathon server slam will put core systems under load while offering exclusive cosmetics and progress‑based loot that unlock for the full release.

Marathon Server Slam Schedule

The Server Slam begins on February 26 at 1 p. m. ET and concludes on March 2 at 1 p. m. ET. Bungie frames the weekend as an open preview and a technical stress test: the studio is turning on services worldwide, inviting players to log in, crew up, infil, exfil, log out, repeat, and watching systems closely as activity scales up. The event is free to play on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S and is also part of Steam Next Fest.

Joe Ziegler’s 11 Tips for beginners

Ahead of the Server Slam, Marathon game director Joe Ziegler shared 11 tips aimed at helping new players approach the extraction shooter’s systems and mechanics. The guidance is positioned as a foundation for players to feel ready for Tau Ceti’s dangers during the preview weekend and beyond.

Bungie’s infrastructure and live monitoring

Bungie will stand by throughout the weekend to monitor performance, address issues and make adjustments in real time. The studio says that when systems break under load, that failure generates data that will be used to refine and improve the March 5 launch. Because the exercise is a technical stress test rather than a full launch, players should expect a different feel than a standard launch weekend.

Tau Ceti IV, maps and gameplay content

Marathon is set on Tau Ceti IV, a derelict space colony populated by Runners and hostile UESC security forces. The game is set in the year 2893, 99 years after the 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 on the planet surface, working their way toward the Cryo Archive — described as the first floor of the UESC Marathon orbiting above. The Server Slam does not include the full slate of maps or content coming at launch.

Rewards, caches and launch deliverables

Everyone who completes the introductory mission during the weekend will unlock a Beta. exe emblem and a Complex Study player background exclusive to Server Slam participants. Time spent during the preview will also bank loot rewards for the full release: 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). Bungie cautions that cosmetic and loot rewards will be delivered after Marathon’s March 5 launch and that rollout to player inboxes may take some time.

Launch additions: Runner Shells, maps and Season 1

The build available during the Server Slam is a slice of the full game. At launch the game will include additional content such as the Outpost map 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. When Season 1 kicks off players can expect more zones, factions, contracts, gear, deeper progression and Ranked mode, along with other secrets reserved for the full release.

Platforms, cross‑play and streaming rewards

The Server Slam is playable on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S with cross‑play and cross‑save enabled. Players who watch streamers on Twitch during the weekend will be able to claim a set of cosmetic rewards for launch; full details on how to secure and claim those rewards will be provided on the game’s support pages.

What makes this notable is the timing: the Server Slam runs during the final week before Marathon’s March 5 release, giving Bungie a concentrated window to observe real‑world load, capture failure data and push fixes before players access the full title.