Marathon Closed Alpha start date and how you can play the latest Bungie shooter before anyone else

Bungie's latest dive into combat is on its way, and the arrival of Marathon is scored by an Alpha test that could be set to allow you to experience its bright and chaotic gameplay before anyone else.

Marathon is almost here, and it’s already making an impact. The bright, effervescent extraction shooter is set to make a huge splash when it arrives, bringing with it frenetic gameplay courtesy of who are taking the multiplayer lessons learned from its time developing to create a whole new experience. The game is looking pretty bonkers, with all things considered, and the Marathon gameplay reveal showcase offering a glimpse at the world of the Runners.

Mercenary work aside, the game is going to be a very big deal for fans of and neon lights - and luckily for them, there’s a chance to get into the title even before it has officially revealed with the Marathon Alpha welcoming fans in for testing and quality control. But how exactly can you get in? Here’s what you need to know about the Marathon Closed Alpha start date, and how to take it for a spin yourself.

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Marathon Closed Alpha start date

The Marathon Closed Alpha start date is set for Wednesday, April 23 and is primed to run until Sunday, May 4. This information was revealed by the Bungie team during the , announcing the Marathon Closed Alpha along with the game's full release date of September 23, 2025. The Alpha will be available to players on , |S and players on .

How to join Marathon Closed Alpha

The process for joining the Marathon Closed Alpha is actually pretty simple, but it unfortunately does demand that you are located in North America or Canada. If you’re not in these regions, you unfortunately won’t be able to get stuck in.

If you are though, all you have to do is join the , and type “/alpha” into its alpha_access channel. From there, it will take you to a user-specific webpage asking you for your platform of choice, before asking you to sign an NDA. There will be a few more questions to fill out depending on your platform, but once at the end, you will see a screen that announces that you will have been added to the Marathon Closed Alpha pool. You won’t be guaranteed a spot in the Closed Alpha, but you’ll at least be on the list.

The Marathon Closed Alpha might not be the final experience for the extraction shooter, but if you’ve been looking for the best concept of what the game will look like at launch, this is it. We’ll see you on the battlefield, but you won’t see us.