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The upcoming sci-fi extraction shooter, Bungie's much-anticipated project, has resurfaced with the news of a exclusive testing phase set to run later this month.

A Rocky Development Journey

First announced during the 2023 PlayStation Showcase, Marathon has experienced a tumultuous development cycle. In October 2024, the developer announced plans were to start Alpha tests sometime in 2025. A period of silence followed, until the game was showcased again in April with a Sept. 23 launch date. However, after some playtests resulted in mixed reactions, Bungie announced in June that it was delaying Marathon indefinitely.

Steering Clear of Controversy

Though Marathon has already seen its fair share of issues, Bungie appears determined to make certain their project doesn't suffer the same outcome as other games. Now, it appears the game's development is finally getting back on track, as Bungie just revealed that it has run "several closed playtests to gather feedback on the game" since June of this year. The studio is opening the doors a bit wider, enabling more players to get an early look of the experience via an upcoming "closed technical test."

Technical Test Details

Considering it's a closed testing phase, it's naturally more exclusive than, for example, an public test. To participate in the technical test — which runs from October 22nd to Oct. 28 at 10 a.m. PDT — participants must satisfy the listed pre-requisites:

• Apply via their platform
• Reside in supported regions
• Own a PS5, Xbox console, or compatible computer (system requirements include an Intel Core i5-6600 processor, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GPU, and 8GB RAM)
• Participate in their community platform
• Complete confidentiality agreement via the online community

How to Apply

Registration is currently available, and to be eligible for the technical test, players must complete registration by Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. PDT. PC users can also register via Steam starting on October 13th, with digital platform registrations due by October 26th. The developer will notify players who qualify and provide details of the following procedures.

"This is an important checkpoint for us as we test our improvements since the game's Alpha, including multiple locations, several character options, prox chat, adjusted gameplay rhythm, solo queue, deeper environmental storytelling, and additional features," Bungie said. "However, the current version is a development build and will only include a selection of what's planned for Marathon's final version, focused on the initial gameplay moments."

Further Details

Additional details about the private trial and the game itself can be found on the game's support section. But for players who aren't selected for the trial (or don't have time), there's still good news: The developer says a public update on the state of the game is the next thing on the schedule once the test is over.

"We'll be sharing a public update on the game's progress in the coming months after the private testing phase!" The studio announced.