Bungie has opened sign-ups for a new Closed Technical Test of its upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon.
If you’ve been following Bungie’s long-awaited extraction shooter Marathon, you’ll know it’s been going through a lot of changes since the rocky Closed Alpha earlier this year. Over the past few months, The Game Post has exclusively reported on major gameplay updates, like faster combat pacing, proximity voice chat, and reworked visuals across maps and environments.
Just last week, we also reported that Bungie updated the Steam alpha client with new backend activity, hinting that something new was coming. That moment is finally here. Bungie has now officially announced that it’s opening the Marathon Closed Technical Test to more players, and you can apply starting today.
Marathon Closed Technical Test: Dates, Platforms, and What’s Included
According to the official details, this Marathon tech test is an invite-only event under strict NDA, meaning players can’t stream or share content from it publicly. The goal, Bungie says, is to gather focused feedback on early gameplay systems following months of internal testing.
“The Technical Test build is a work in progress and will only include a portion of what’s planned for Marathon’s full release, focused on the early player experience,” the devs said.
Marathon Closed Technical Test: Start and End Dates
The Marathon Closed Technical Test will run from Wednesday, October 22, at 10 AM PT to Tuesday, October 28, at 10 AM PT, with applications closing on October 16 at 4 PM PT. According to Bungie, the test is only available to players in North America and Europe, so anyone outside those regions won’t be able to join.
As for the platforms, the technical test will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, or Steam. If you play on Steam, Bungie will open a separate opt-in window where you can express interest in the tech test directly through the Steam platform. This option goes live on October 13 at 10 AM PT and stays open until October 26 at 4 PM PT.
Minimum PC system requirements:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-6600
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
- RAM: 8GB RAM
“Since June, we’ve run several closed playtests to gather feedback on Marathon,” Bungie said in the blog article. “We’re now opening applications for more players to join us for a Closed Technical Test from October 22 to October 27. This is a limited, invite-only playtest for players in North America and Europe on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. As with recent closed playtests, this test is under NDA.”
Included in the Marathon Closed Technical Test:
- 3 maps
- 5 runner shells
- Solo queue option
- Proximity voice chat
- Re-tuned combat pacing
- Improved environmental storytelling
Important
The Marathon Closed Technical Test is completely under NDA. No streaming, clips, or public posts. If you’re selected, you’ll be invited into Marathon’s official Discord with access to private feedback channels and surveys. Any feedback, recordings, or bug reports must stay within that NDA space. Steam players will also get an in-game survey to submit their Bungie and Discord usernames.
How To Apply for the Marathon Closed Technical Test
Here’s how you can apply to get a spot in the upcoming test:
- Go to the Marathon Closed Technical Test application form via this link.
- Log in with your preferred platform. (PlayStation, Xbox, or Steam)
- Fill out the brief questionnaire about your experience and preferences.
- Once you’re done, you’ll see this confirmation message:
- “Application Received. Your application to the Marathon Closed Technical Test has been received. If you opted in to email communications, you’ll receive an email if you’re selected. Otherwise, bookmark this page to check the status of your application starting October 20. (Note: Participation in previous tests doesn’t guarantee acceptance into the Technical Playtest.)“
Applications are being accepted now and will close on October 16 at 4 PM PT. Bungie will send out invites in waves during the test period, so if you don’t get one right away, don’t panic.
That’s the latest on Marathon for now. Bungie says it will have a bigger public development update sometime after the test wraps. “We’ll be sharing a public update on Marathon’s development in the coming months after the Closed Technical Test,” the devs said.
What do you think about these new changes? Are you signing up for the Technical Test? Let us know your thoughts.
