Mixed emotions
Today marks the launch of the Marathon Closed Alpha on Xbox and other devices, commencing for fortunate individuals who received invitations through the Marathon Discord server – and participants are already sharing their early impressions.
From the feedback we have encountered thus far, it appears there are divergent viewpoints on what Marathon is delivering, with some players relishing the gameplay experience while others feel it requires additional development time before its official release.
Here are a few of the preliminary insights we’ve noticed within the official Marathon Reddit community:
When juxtaposed with the critic reviews that emerged last week, those reviewers seemed to adopt a more favorable stance overall, with several suggesting that it has the potential to become a significant success.
Will that prediction hold true? Only time will tell. What we do know is that Marathon is performing exceptionally well on Twitch during the initial hours of the Closed Alpha, currently ranked as the third most popular title on the platform, trailing behind Oblivion Remastered and GTA 5. Time will reveal whether it can sustain this success beyond the initial excitement.
Marathon officially launches for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S on September 23rd, 2025.
Excited for Marathon on Xbox? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Fraser is the News Editor at Pure Xbox, dedicating his time to covering the most impactful news in the realm of Xbox and beyond.
