Marathon’s Season 1 release date marks the start of the extraction shooter’s live service efforts, giving us a slate of fresh content and rewards between its start and end dates.
Publisher and developer Bungie envisions Marathon’s seasons as opportunities to refresh gameplay by introducing new gear, Runner shells, zones, events, and various other goodies at a regular pace. More importantly, all of these additions “will be free for all players to access or earn–no expansions or DLC required.”
Marathon Season 1 Release Date
Marathon Season 1 start date is slated to occur alongside its official launch on all platforms on March 5, 2026. Bungie intends to deliver new seasonal content every three months, which means its end date will likely occur at some point in June 2026.
- Marathon Season 1 start date: March 5, 2026
- Marathon Season 1 end date: June 2026
Marathon Season 1 Content
Marathon’s Season 1 content includes the new endgame Cryo Archive zone, ranked mode, the C.A.R.R.I. event, a new gun and implants, as well as mid-season tuning updates coming after its start date occurs.
Unlocking access to the Cryo Archive will be a community effort and, once it gets within our reach, we’ll get to “solve security puzzles, unseal frozen vaults, and come face-to-face with an entity even the UESC fears.”
Ranked mode is slated to drop in the second half of March, bringing fresh rewards for competitively-minded players.
Broadly speaking, Marathon’s seasons revolve around “[completing] contracts and [progressing] your faction upgrades, granting you access to stronger base stats and better wares in the Armory.”
As we repeatedly venture across Tau Ceti IV, recovering from a disastrous run becomes easier. Similarly, the pool of available resources grows, while we get to “take on increasingly challenging contracts, zones, and enemy Runners.”
Marathon’s Season 1 release date won’t bring a reset, since we’re just setting off on our scavenging journey, but future seasonal updates will reset “everyone’s gear, contract progression, faction progression, and player level” while allowing us to keep our achievements, paid and earned cosmetics, titles, Codex and liaison contract progression, alongside several other rewards.
Naturally, Marathon’s season 1 content adds to the extraction shooter’s launch offering, which includes the following:
- Complete faction and contract progression
- All six factions, including Sekiguchi Genetics
- All six launch Runner shells, including Thief
- Three zones, including Outpost
- Outpost will unlock the day after launch, giving the community time to gear up and unlock the zone at Runner Level 12
- 28 weapons, plus mods, implants, cores, and more to craft your perfect builds
- Earnable cosmetics, achievements, and storytelling through the Codex
That covers what we know so far about Marathon’s Season 1 release, its start and end dates alongside the rewards and content it introduces.
For more on Bungie’s latest effort, check out our article covering its server status, Twitch Drops, and whether or not it’s available on GeForce Now.
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