There’s no denying that the extraction shooter genre has significantly increased in popularity due to the massive success of ARC Raiders. The beginner-friendly approach Embark Studios took to their game proved to be the right move, as it resulted in the game hitting a steam peak of over 480,000 concurrent players, introducing many players to extraction games as a whole.
While ARC Raiders is still doing very well for itself, players are always searching for the next best thing. This is where Marathon comes in, a brand-new extraction shooter from Bungie, the creators of Destiny 2 and the Halo series. There’s something very unique about Bungie’s new title, the first game from the developer in almost 10 years, and I have a strong feeling it will be the next big thing in the online shooter space.
10 Best Games Like Helldivers 2
Sometimes we might need a break from fighting in the Galactic War. These horde shooters might scratch that itch.
You are probably wondering “why is Marathon the next big online shooter?” Well, I’m glad you asked, and I have all the reasons for this confident statement right here in this article. If you aren’t sold on the game yet, this list has a good chance of getting you on board. Read further to learn 10 reasons Marathon is the next big online shooter
10
Superb Gunplay
Weighty Combat
The most important aspect of any game, but most importantly in an online shooter, is its gameplay. If the gameplay is not good, then players will fall off quickly and the game will end up dying. Fortunately, Marathon doesn’t have to worry about this as its gameplay is clean, snappy, and incredibly addictive. The main concern is balance, however, which is something that will only be revealed (whether it’s fair or not) as players have more time with the game. Still, balancing is something that can be fixed, but gameplay itself takes way more time to adjust if there are issues.
Since Marathon’s gameplay is in a good spot and feels great to play, word of mouth does what it does best and gets everyone talking about it. This leads to more players wanting to try it out, eventually leading to an online shooter that has staying power, finding its core community, and keeping its concurrent players high. This is what happened to ARC Raiders, and it’s safe to say that the same can be said for Marathon. As players engage with this incredible gunplay, they will continue to want more as Bungie releases new content and updates.
9
Class System With Impactful Abilities
Which Runner Are You Picking?
The greatest feature of Marathon is a class system, with each class having unique abilities. There are six classes (called Runners) to choose from: Assassin, Destroyer, Recon, Rook, Thief, Triage, Vandal. Each of these Runners brings their own spin to the gameplay and allows players to choose a playstyle that works best for them. This adds personalization and accessibility to the game that has been lacking in the online space.
If you want to take a stealth approach, then go ahead and choose the Assassin Runner. Or, maybe you want to go all out in combat and take on a tank-like playstyle, you can do that with the Destroyer Runner. Even better, if you want to enter a match with zero risk and the possibility of earning rewards, then you can choose a Rook, which is Marathon’s version of the free loadout from ARC Raiders. As you can see, there is a Runner for everyone.
8
Factions Add a Personal Touch to Gameplay
Exclusive Rewards Per Faction
Another cool feature in Marathon is the faction system, which allows players to align to a faction and complete quests for them. Marathon’s faction system allows you to shape your progression, as each faction focuses on a certain playstyle and reward path. For example, each faction will reward specific upgrades, unique gear, and long-term benefits when it comes to season wipes for your character. Each faction includes its own upgrade trees too, adding to progression.
It Took ARC Raiders One Weekend To Save Extraction Shooters
Escape From Tarkov may have defined the genre, but it’s ARC Raiders that showed everyone how good extraction shooters are.
Including this feature is a smart choice by Bungie as it adds a personal touch to gameplay for players. Being able to align yourself to one faction during a season to earn its rewards, and then choosing a different faction in the second season, adds longevity to the gameplay and prevents it from becoming stale. There are a total of six factions to choose from in Marathon, each with its own views and ideology. The factions include: Arachne, CyberAcme, Mida, Nucaloric, Sekiguchi, and Traxus.
No Toxicity, Yet
The worst aspect of any game is when it has a toxic community, filled with players just looking to ruin other players’ time with the game. Marathon, fortunately, doesn’t have this issue at the moment and the community seems healthy, filled with positivity and just excited to have a new game to play with one another. Of course, there will always be a group of jerkoffs that are out to make others miserable, but if the good outweigh the bad, then that is a win and a sign of a healthy community. Marathon has a community that you won’t be ashamed to be a part of.
Similar to ARC Raiders, which has mostly non-toxic players, a healthy community leads to a more enjoyable time for casuals. Players will have a better chance of teaming up with other teams, instead of shooting on sight, leading to matches that focus on taking down enemy AI, instead of being an all-out bloodbath. I’m not saying PvP is bad, but a toxic community makes communication and partnering up less of a possibility, and Marathon is simply a better game with it included. Also, it’s real people behind the controllers and toxic communities can really do some damage to people mentally, whether you believe it or not.
6
It’s Not Strictly PvP
Let’s Focus on Some PvE
One of the biggest aspects of Marathon is that it’s a PvPvE game, just like ARC Raiders. This means that players won’t have to constantly engage in PvP, and can instead focus on killing non-human enemies. This makes the game more appealing for casual players, since online multiplayer shooters that strictly focus on fighting other players usually have a high skill ceiling. Having a PvE element included in the game makes it more of a level playing field, as all players will have to deal with AI enemies in each match. In other words, it’s not all about skill level vs skill level as it usually is in PvP games.
This is one of the main aspects of ARC Raiders that make it so popular. For example, I have been turned off by online multiplayer shooter games mainly due to the fact that other players are way better than me. There’s no question that I would get bested in most PvP encounters, but ARC Raiders allowed me to strictly focus on fighting AI enemies and still have a good time. Of course, you have to give it your all in PvP encounters, but since there is a PvE element, a lot of the time you could partner up with other teams. The same element is in Marathon, which is a sure-fire way to make it more popular.
5
Solo Queues
Want to Play Alone? No Problem
Another reason why Marathon is the next big online shooter is the fact that it has solo queues. This allows players who don’t have anyone else to play with, and don’t want to get on the mic for communication, to still play the game and have a good time. Having a matchmaking system that pairs solos with other solos keeps the game fair if you want to play alone, and removes the worry of having to go up against teams during a match. This feature of Marathon instantly opens up the game to a whole sector of the gaming community and a specific type of player, which will help in its success.
Marathon is Already One of Steam’s Best Selling Games Despite Controversy
Against all odds, Marathon is currently a top 5 selling game on Steam.
Since there are solo queues in Marathon, players can quickly complete quests or loot for specific items and extract as soon as possible, without having to wait for a team to complete their objectives. If it wasn’t this way, and you did want to extract without your team, you would be leaving other players down a man and making their match significantly harder, since they’d be going up against larger teams. This would just be an annoyance and would cause problems, so the solo queue fixes this possibility.
4
ARC Raiders Was a Success
Bungie Owes A Lot to Embark Studios
Marathon owes a lot to ARC Raiders, mainly because Embark Studios’ game was such a major success. ARC Raiders introduced a ton of players to the extraction shooter genre, creating a whole new fan base for this type of game. Those who played ARC Raiders and absolutely loved it have realized how fun the extraction shooter genre can be, meaning they will be looking for their next big fix. Where can they find that fix? It’s in Marathon.
It can be argued that if ARC Raiders didn’t do so well, then the hype surrounding Marathon wouldn’t be as large. Yes, it has Bungie behind it, but the extraction shooter genre can be intimidating since the only really well known one, Escape from Tarkov, is way too hardcore for casuals. Since ARC Raiders allowed casuals to get into the extraction shooter genre and genuinely enjoy themselves, they are now more confident to try other extraction games, such as Marathon. Personally, I wouldn’t even be thinking about touching Marathon if it wasn’t for the great times I had while playing ARC Raiders.
3
Bungie Is Behind the Project
These Devs Are Veterans
There’s no denying that Bungie being the creator of Marathon is a major reason why Marathon will be the next big online shooter. While Bungie hasn’t released any major game in almost 10 years, the past games they did release were massive hits. Halo and Destiny are known by many to be incredible FPS games, mainly due to their superb gunplay and unique worlds. When it comes to FPS gameplay, Bungie is one of the best in the business, and these developers know what they’re doing when it comes to the overall feel of guns and snappy gameplay.
In recent memory, Bungie hasn’t released a game that wasn’t successful. Destiny 2 has been going for almost 10 years, with constant updates and new content, keeping the playerbase engaged for a very long time. While it has seen a drop in its playerbase, there are still enough players logging on to play to consider it a success 10 years later. If that is anything to go on, we can rest assured that Bungie will not let the Marathon community down and the developers are locked in to make it one of the best online shooters in a very long time.
2
Bungie Is Cracking Down on Cheaters
One and Done
Since Marathon is an online multiplayer shooter, the biggest concern among the gaming community is there being cheaters trying to exploit the game in order to win easily. Luckily, Bungie has already addressed this major issue and have announced that they plan on cracking down on anyone who attempts to cheat. Unlike ARC Raiders, who are giving cheaters three warnings, Marathon is one and done. In other words, if you get caught cheating in Marathon, you are instantly banned and can’t play Marathon ever again.
That is a brutal warning to players out there who plan on using their hacking expertise to get a leg up on the competition. Knowing that this is a possibility, cheaters will think twice before attempting to exploit the game, because they know that if they are caught, they are done for good. Bungie has even gone as far as implementing a Fog of War system that aims to prevent any exploits. Fog of War “keeps the gameplay secure from exploits that reveal the location of items or the contents of containers. It also helps keep your position hidden from other players’ clients”, according to Bungie.
1
Bungie Is Already Listening to Feedback
The Developers Seem to Care
If you haven’t been following Marathon since it was announced, it’s important to know that the game got a ton of criticism from the Alpha play test. Simply put, players who got to try out Marathon did not like the game and were worried it was going to be a bust. Fortunately, Bungie actually listened to player feedback and overhauled the game so much that it looks and feels completely different. They overhauled AI enemies, the feel of environments, gameplay in general has been improved, and the overall flow of each match feels significantly better.
Since Bungie listened to community feedback before the game was even released, it’s safe to say that the developers continue to listen to player feedback after launch. There are plenty of games out there that are released and forgotten about by the developers, leaving a mediocre product on the market. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Marathon, and instead, we have developers behind the game that actually care about its community. Players can expect constant updates and improvements, meaning that Marathon will only get better, helping with its overall success in becoming the next biggest online shooter.
Bungie CEO Steps Down Amid Marathon Fiasco
Parsons has been with Bungie for more than two decades before stepping down.
- Released
-
March 5, 2026
- ESRB
-
Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
