Marathon’s Server Slam Is Almost Here
The marathon Server Slam preview weekend opens on February 26 at 10 a. m. PT and runs through March 2 at 10 a. m. PT, giving players on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S a free playtest with cross-play and cross-save enabled ahead of the game’s March 5 launch.
Server Slam schedule and platforms
The open preview — billed as a technical stress test — begins February 26 at 10 a. m. PT (1 p. m. ET) and closes March 2 at 10 a. m. PT (1 p. m. ET). It will be available on Steam, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with cross-play and cross-save enabled, and is also included as part of Steam Next Fest.
What Bungie is testing and why
Organizers say the Server Slam is designed to spin up global infrastructure at scale for the first time: the plan is to turn everything on worldwide, invite as many players in as possible, then watch systems closely as players "log in, crew up, infil, exfil, log out, repeat. " Staff will stand by throughout the weekend to address issues, monitor performance and make adjustments; when something breaks, that data will be used to improve the March 5 launch.
What players will actually play this weekend
The weekend is described as a slice of the full game — a preview, not the full launch. The Server Slam will not include all maps and content coming to the main game, but it will let players scavenge, fight AI and other players, and practice extraction-style runs ahead of launch on March 5.
Rewards, cosmetics and the rollout to launch
Everyone who completes the introductory mission during the Server Slam will unlock a Beta. exe emblem and a Complex Study player background exclusive to Server Slam participants. Time spent during the slam will bank loot rewards for launch: completing your first mission unlocks the Standard Arrival Cache; reaching Runner Level 10 unlocks the Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green); reaching Runner Level 30 unlocks the Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue). These rewards will be delivered once Marathon launches on March 5, and the rollout may take time — if players don’t see rewards in their inbox immediately, they are asked to hold tight while distribution completes.
Streaming perks and community tips
Players can also tune in to anyone streaming the game on Twitch during the Server Slam and snag cosmetic rewards for launch; full details on how to claim those rewards will be posted on the game’s support pages. Ahead of the weekend, game director Joe Ziegler shared 11 tips for beginners to keep in mind before hopping into the Server Slam.
Setting, modes and what’s coming after launch
The game is an extraction shooter set on Tau Ceti IV, a derelict space colony where Runners and hostile UESC security forces roam. The story is set in the year 2893, 99 years after the original Marathon game and hundreds of years after the colony’s establishment. Maps include futuristic research facilities and lush forests; the planet surface is only the start, with players able to work their way toward the Cryo Archive and the UESC Marathon itself, which orbits above.
At launch, the game will include additional content beyond the Server Slam: two more maps — Outpost and Cryo Archive — plus a sixth Runner Shell called Thief that will be available at launch but not during the Server Slam. Ranked mode is scheduled to arrive in Season 1. The context also notes Cryo Archive launches during Season 1 (unclear in the provided context).
With the Server Slam now live, players can stress-test systems, earn exclusive cosmetic markers and bank arrival caches that will arrive when the full game launches on March 5.
