Bungie is reworking Marathon’s early game in Season 3

Marathon Season 3 is shaping up to be one of the most important updates for Bungie’s extraction shooter, mainly because it goes right after the part of the game that can make or break a player’s first few hours: the early-game experience.

Season 3 begins on September 22, 2026, and its biggest confirmed change is a major revamp of Perimeter. Bungie has said this update will bring major new areas, encounters, and gameplay to the zone, which makes Perimeter the clear headline of the season. For an extraction shooter, that matters a lot. The first map is where players learn how risky a run can get, how fast things can go wrong, and how good it feels to make it out with your loot instead of leaving it behind for someone else.

New routes, new pressure, same extraction panic 

The Perimeter revamp also sounds like the kind of change that can make Marathon feel fresher without simply throwing more stuff on top. New areas mean more routes to learn. New encounters mean more pressure during runs. New gameplay means players should have more reasons to rethink how they move, loot, fight, and extract. In a game built around tension, knowledge, and bad decisions made under pressure, that is exactly the kind of update that can keep the loop alive.

Season 3 will also add a new Runner shell, new weapons, and new equipment. Those are the spicy parts every player will want to test first, because new gear usually means new habits, new builds, and new ways to ruin someone else’s perfect run. Bungie has also confirmed that seasonal gameplay updates are free for all players to access or earn, so Season 3 is not locked behind an expansion or DLC.

It is easy to compare this kind of live-service push to ARC Raiders, which has used updates like the Forgotten Relics Event and the Converging Paths Project to give players fresh objectives and more reasons to jump back into dangerous runs. Marathon Season 3 seems to be aiming for that same “one more run” feeling, but with Bungie’s own sci-fi style and extraction pressure.

Before Season 3 drops, use our price comparison tool to find the best prices for Marathon and get ready for your next run.