Bungie has detailed the seasonal structure for its upcoming extraction shooter Marathon, promising free updates that will keep the game evolving. Seasons will last about three months and include new content like maps, gear, and events, with a full reset of player progress at the start of each one. The first season launches alongside the game on March 5.
Bungie published a blog post titled “Introducing Seasons in Marathon” on March 3, 2026, ahead of the game's release on Xbox, PlayStation 5, and PC for $39.99. The post explains that Marathon will follow a live-service model with seasons lasting approximately three months, differing from Destiny 2 by offering all new content for free without requiring DLC or expansions.
Season 1, named Death Is the First Step, begins at launch and centers on players working to reach the UESC Marathon ship above Tau Ceti IV. It introduces a new endgame zone called Cryo Archive, which features security puzzles and frozen vaults, along with an encounter with "an entity even the UESC fears." Later in the season, ranked mode will unlock, providing exclusive rewards for top players. Additional elements include new events, a weapon, quality-of-life improvements, the sixth Runner shell called Thief, and the full initial narrative through priority contracts and the sixth faction, Sekiguchi Genetics.
Season 2, titled Nightfall, will add a nighttime variant of the Dire Marsh zone with increased UESC presence, new Runner shells—including one from the 2023 teaser trailer—weapons, mods, backpacks, cores, and other gear. It also introduces the Cradle system, allowing players more control over their Runner shell's statistical strengths and weaknesses. Each season promises unique narrative gameplay, fresh ways to play existing zones, new contracts, and PVE enemies.
A key aspect of the model is the seasonal wipe, which resets equipped gear, vaulted loot, contract progression, faction progression, and player levels to ensure the game remains balanced and engaging. Bungie notes that faction introduction quests are permanent once completed, and cosmetics, achievements, and the Codex are preserved. "Seasonal resets mean that the game stays dangerous, loot feels meaningful, and there’s always a good opportunity to get back into the game or bring a friend in without feeling behind the curve," the blog states. As seasons progress, "the game and world today and a year from now should feel meaningfully different," according to Bungie, as players uncover secrets about Tau Ceti's colonists.
