Bungie's upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, has garnered significant attention, with a confirmed release date of March 5 and a star-studded voice cast already announced. Now, the revelation of its system requirements indicates a positive trend for PC gamers: the game is designed to be highly accessible, running smoothly even on older hardware. This move is particularly welcome given the current challenges in PC hardware pricing, promising a broad audience will be able to dive into the sci-fi world Bungie has crafted.
The minimum specifications for Marathon are remarkably modest, requiring a 64-bit processor and operating system, Windows 10 64-bit, an Intel Core i5-6600 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600 processor, 8 GB of RAM, and a graphics card such as an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB), AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB), or Intel Arc A580 (8 GB with ReBAR on). These requirements are notably similar to, and in some aspects, even less demanding than, those of other recently released titles like Arc Raiders. The specified CPU, for instance, is a decade-old quad-core chip, and the recommended GPU is a budget-friendly option from the same era. This demonstrates a clear commitment to optimizing performance for a wider player base.
Even the recommended system requirements are far from prohibitive, suggesting a mid-range PC setup will comfortably handle the game. These include an Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3500 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 (6 GB), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB), or Intel Arc A770 (16 GB with ReBAR on) graphics card. Our hardware specialists categorize the GTX 2060 as a mid-range option, and the i5-10400 processor is already six years old. This approach is particularly strategic given the findings of December 2025's Steam hardware survey, which highlighted a significant portion of PC gamers still utilizing older systems. In an era where PC gaming faces pricing issues and memory crises, designing a game with such low barriers to entry is a forward-thinking decision.
While there were initial concerns following last year's gameplay reveal and a subsequent delay, the current sentiment around Marathon is increasingly optimistic. The game’s development team appears to have learned from the success of other extraction shooters, such as Arc Raiders, by carefully studying their design choices and, importantly, their accessibility. Bungie’s reputation for delivering visually stunning and smoothly running games further fuels this positive outlook. With its March 5 release approaching, Marathon is poised to capitalize on its player-friendly system requirements and a renewed sense of anticipation.
