Back from the dead: Marathon rockets into Steam’s Top 3 as ARC Raiders crashes
A year ago, most had written Marathon off—between Bungie’s leadership exodus and plagiarism scandals, the game looked doomed. But this weekend, it shot past ARC Raiders on Steam’s best-seller charts—before even launching.
With 143,621 concurrent players on day one of its server slam and a #3 spot on the US Steam Top Sellers, Marathon is making serious waves ahead of its March 5 release. Meanwhile, ARC Raiders—once hailed as the business model to follow—just hit its lowest Twitch audience ever. The extraction shooter battle just entered a whole new phase.
Image credit: Bungie & Embark Studios
Marathon climbs into Steam’s Top 3, leaving ARC Raiders behind
The numbers speak for themselves. As soon as its server slam went live, Marathon soared to #3 on the US Steam Top Sellers and #6 in the UK. Bungie’s title leapfrogged not just ARC Raiders—now down to fifth across the pond—but also multiplayer juggernauts like Helldivers 2, Marvel Rivals, and Apex Legends. Only Resident Evil Requiem and Counter-Strike 2 are ahead. For a game that hasn’t even launched, that’s a crystal-clear signal.
Things look grim for ARC Raiders. Embark Studios’ shooter, released late October 2025, just saw its Twitch viewership nosedive to around 22,000—the lowest since launch. The drop keeps accelerating: -33% in December vs. November, -23% in February vs. January, for a total collapse of about 94% since its launch peak. And that’s despite Embark’s efforts to keep things fresh with new expeditions and recent controversies over game conditions that only made things worse. When Marathon opened its doors, Bungie was pulling in over ten times the Twitch viewers of its direct rival.
From controversy to comeback: how Bungie flipped the script
The road here was anything but smooth. Bungie weathered a storm: top execs leaving, plagiarism accusations… Community trust took a massive hit. Loads of players bailed, convinced the project was doomed. But the studio listened, adapted, and—crucially—showed, instead of just promising.
The turning point? April 2025, when the gameplay reveal drew a Twitch peak of 523,301 viewers—a number ARC Raiders never even sniffed. That showcase flipped the script, turning skeptics into the curious, and the curious into players ready to drop $40 on a game that wasn’t even out yet.
This weekend’s server slam just sealed the deal. With 143,621 concurrent players on day one, Marathon proved the hype isn’t just a Twitch mirage. The gap in active players with ARC Raiders was only about 30,000 in Embark’s favor—a gap that could close as soon as this weekend, once players are free from weekday obligations and swarm the servers.
Server slam: the ultimate stress test before March 5 launch
This server slam, running until March 2, isn’t just a marketing stunt. It’s a full-scale stress test—the last one before the official launch three days later. For players, it’s a chance to dive into Bungie’s extraction shooter, no strings attached. For the studio, it’s the final check to make sure the servers can handle D-Day.
The comparison with ARC Raiders is telling. Embark’s October server slam peaked at 189,668 concurrent players—a higher number, sure, but not that far off from Marathon, which still has several days left to catch up. Both tests were free and open to all, both games priced at $40: the comparison is obvious. Here’s what the numbers say so far:
- Peak concurrent players (server slam): 143,621 for Marathon vs. 189,668 for ARC Raiders
- Peak Twitch viewers: 523,301 for Marathon vs. about 22,000 currently for ARC Raiders
- Steam Top Sellers US: #3 for Marathon, #5 for ARC Raiders
- Same price: $40 for both titles
The big question: will these pre-launch numbers turn into lasting success? Recent extraction shooter history says early hype means nothing. ARC Raiders is living proof, with a spectacular audience drop just months after launch. And as the extraction shooter market keeps expanding with new contenders, the window to lock in a lasting hit is shrinking fast.
The real verdict comes after March 5. Pre-launch sales and server slam turnout point to a strong start for Marathon, but Bungie knows better than anyone: in a cutthroat genre, one-month and three-month retention is what separates flashes in the pan from true hits. The next few weeks will be make-or-break.
ARC Raiders, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
