Following its launch, Bungie's Marathon Server Slam beta has drawn massive interest, peaking at 143,621 concurrent players on Steam in its first 24 hours. The free cross-platform test, running until March 2 ahead of the March 5 release, continues to highlight strong gunplay amid divided aesthetic opinions.
Bungie's PvP extraction shooter Marathon, set on Tau Ceti IV, saw its Server Slam beta—launched February 26—reach a Steam peak of 143,621 concurrent players within the first day, excluding consoles. This surpasses initial reports of over 100,000 joiners and positions it competitively against genre peer Arc Raiders, whose beta peaked at 189,668.
The beta remains among Steam's top U.S. best-sellers (third place), ahead of Arc Raiders, with pre-orders available: standard edition at $40, Deluxe at $60 with cosmetics. Note it's unsupported on Steam Deck, unlike some rivals.
Early player feedback builds on launch impressions, praising Bungie's precise gunplay while opinions split on the neon-futuristic aesthetic. The event stress-tests servers and matchmaking ahead of launch, amid the studio's development hurdles.
As part of ongoing Marathon Server Slam coverage, this update underscores sustained hype for the extraction shooter trend.