Marathon’s Exclusive Alpha Test Launches This April: Details on How to Join

As part of the Bungie’s reveal showcase for its next game, Marathon, the studio announced a closed alpha test and confirmed how players can sign up for access.

The Marathon closed alpha starts later this month, and players can join the Marathon Discord channel for a chance to get in. Bungie said its teams will be “actively engaging” with the Discord channel, including conducting live Q&As and generally discussing the project directly with fans.

Marathon is a team-based extraction shooter. It’s a successor of sorts to Bungie’s 1994 game of the same name. Whereas Bungie today is better known for its work on the Destiny and Halo franchises, the original Marathon was one of Bungie’s first big successes when it was released for Mac and Apple Pippin.

Marathon 2: Durandal followed in 1995, with Marathon Infinity coming in 1996. It wasn’t until 2001 that Bungie truly broke out in a major way with the debut of Halo: Combat Evolved.

Sony now owns Bungie, but the new Marathon is in the works for platforms beyond the PS5 alone, including Xbox Series X|S and PC–cross-play is supported across all platforms. Marathon will mark Bungie’s first big new release since Sony acquired the company in 2022.

Marathon launches on September 23, the same day as Borderlands 4. For lots more, be sure to read GameSpot’s new hands-on Marathon preview.