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Image of Marathon, Courtesy of Bungie Inc.

Marathon Sprints Its Way Up The Sales Charts

Originally posted on Total Apex Entertainment
By David Gilbert | Last updated Mar 5, 2026 12:09 PM ET

The new Marathon server slam has let everyone try out a big, free chunk of Bungie’s sci-fi extraction shooter, and the game has risen to third on the top 10 best-selling games on Steam, at least at the time of writing. That represents a pretty good sign for the title’s future performance. The game had already started to climb the sales charts as its March 5 release date approached and marketing ramped up.

Marathon Races Past Competition On Steam

So the fact that it is not only holding, but also gaining ground on the top 10, suggests a lot of people enjoyed what they played. What exactly is driving this surge in interest for a genre that can be so punishing to newcomers? Currently, Marathon sits only behind Resident Evil Requiem for new games on Steam’s top 10.

The evergreen top dog is Counter-Strike 2, the monetization of which is heavily mentioned in a New York lawsuit accusing Valve of overseeing a digital gambling market. Marathon is still in the pre-order phase, and observers are only looking at data for one storefront, so these sales figures represent a soft science at best.

However, Marathon has also notably jumped at least 10 ranks on global Steam wishlists in the past few weeks, currently settling at 32. For comparison, fellow March releases Slay the Spire 2 and Crimson Desert are respectively sitting at ranks 4 and 6 on those same wishlist charts. Close behind Marathon is Everwind, a Skyrim-meets-Minecraft survival sandbox game also due this month. How does a brand new property compete with established juggernauts like that?

Server Slam Sparks Massive Pre-Order Wave

The server slam event itself provided some of the answers. The test saw 143,000 concurrent Steam players so far, which puts it not far behind Arc Raiders’ own recent server performance. This player count suggests the game has found an audience hungry for its particular blend of loot and loss. Many players left the event convinced that a multi-colored shellfish is Bungie’s next big community puzzle, throwing back to some of Destiny 2’s best moments. That kind of organic speculation keeps Marathon in the conversation long after players log off.

The developers clearly designed Marathon to foster this type of communal investigation. The competition remains fierce, however. Resident Evil Requiem reviews call it one of the best slices of survival horror in years, and it has swiftly become the starting shot for a stacked March. As a result, it presents pretty strong competition for the extraction shooter. Gamers have to make choices about where to spend their money. The success of Marathon will depend on converting those wishlists into actual purchases. Can the game maintain its momentum all the way to launch day?

A Strong Start Is Only Half The Marathon

Some critics hit a wall with the server slam UI and ultimately wanted to play more of Marathon, but the takeaway remains that the event was a net positive. That is about all a developer can ask for with a divisive genre like the extraction shooter. Despite some interface issues, the game possesses a certain magnetism, and attracting early devotees represents half the battle with any live service game.

The developers must now build on that foundation. The game’s future hinges on consistent updates and community engagement. Every new piece of content serves as another Marathon for players to run. The game itself becomes a long run of content delivery. Bungie understands that a live service game is truly a Marathon, not a sprint. Players eagerly await the starting gun.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Entertainment and was syndicated with permission.

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