- Key Update: Bungie’s Marathon quickly climbed into Steam’s Top 10 best-sellers shortly after pre-orders went live.
- Last Update: January 20, 2026
- Marathon hit Steam’s Top 10 (and briefly Top 5 in some regions) within hours of pre-orders opening, according to community tracking.
- Steam best-seller rankings are revenue-based, meaning Deluxe Editions ($59.99) and high-priced collector bundles can boost rankings vs unit sales.
- Marathon launches March 5, with Bungie confirming a public beta in February.
Marathon has already made an early splash on Steam, climbing into the Top 10 best-selling titles not long after pre-orders launched, with some community tracking suggesting it reached the spot in just a few hours.
Why Does the Steam Ranking Matter (And What’s the Catch)?
The jump looks impressive on paper, especially since Marathon briefly climbed into the Top 5 in some regions alongside major live-service staples and other multiplayer heavyweights.
Still, it’s worth noting that Steam’s best-seller rankings are revenue-based rather than unit-based, meaning deluxe editions and bundles can inflate a game’s position ahead of release.
Marathon is priced at $39.99 for the standard pre-order and $59.99 for the Deluxe Edition, and Bungie has also rolled out collector bundles that cost hundreds, which naturally drives up revenue and helps the game shoot up Steam’s best-sellers list.
Why Does the $40 Price Point Seem to Be Working?
Still, Marathon’s $40 entry fee might be doing most of the work here. It undercuts $70 releases, but it doesn’t feel “cheap,” which means players still expect strong polish, long-term updates, and monetization that isn’t purely F2P pressure.
This approach puts Marathon in the same lane as successful pay-to-play multiplayer releases like Helldivers 2 and aligns it with key genre competitors like Arc Raiders, which also uses a similar pricing strategy.
What Changed After the Delay and Playtests?
Bungie has since used that delay as part of its messaging, emphasizing that playtest feedback led to major revisions, including improvements to Marathon’s survival elements, a stronger push for lore and world-building, and better social systems for players who aren’t always running full squads.
That effort appears to be paying off, with some fans who initially wrote the game off admitting that newer tests and updates changed their opinion, and that the game’s core loop feels more addictive than expected.
The official release date is now locked in for March 5, with Bungie confirming that a public beta will happen in February, giving hesitant players a chance to test it before committing and potentially converting skepticism into confidence.
Marathon’s Steam position isn’t a guarantee of long-term success, because pre-orders can spike during slow periods and revenue rankings can be misleading.
But it does suggest the game is building momentum at the right time, with Bungie’s lower price, clearer roadmap, and post-backlash changes helping rebuild hype ahead of launch.
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