Marathon marked Bungie’s return, launching in March 2026 as a PvPvE extraction shooter set on the derelict colony world of Tau Ceti IV. You drop in as a Runner, scavenge for loot, survive rival crews and UESC security, and race to extract before another squad or the Anomaly ends your run. Bungie’s signature gunplay and build-crafting give it a distinct feel in a crowded genre. If you want more games that deliver that infil-loot-exfil tension, this list is for you.
These 15 picks each capture part of what makes Marathon tick: high-stakes extraction loops, tight PvPvE firefights, or deep sci-fi shooter progression. No filler, no loose “shooter” tag-alongs.
Quick Comparison: Top 5 Picks
| # | Game | Type | Price | Platforms |
| 1 | Escape from Tarkov | Extraction PvPvE | $44.99 | PC |
| 2 | ARC Raiders | Extraction PvPvE | $39.99 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 3 | Destiny 2 | Looter Shooter | Free | PC, PS, Xbox |
| 4 | Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Extraction PvPvE | $39.99 | PC, PS, Xbox |
| 5 | Off The Grid | Extraction PvPvE | Free | PC, PS5, Xbox |
1. Escape from Tarkov
Why it’s similar
The genre’s hardcore benchmark, a brutal extraction shooter where every raid risks everything you carried in.
What makes it unique
Punishing realism, detailed ballistics, a limb-based health system, and an insured-gear economy make each firefight nerve-wracking.
Key features
- Realistic ballistics
- Limb-based health
- Flea Market economy
- Persistent raids
Price: $44.99 (Standard Edition) Platforms: PC
Where to Buy
Available on the official Escape from Tarkov website.
2. ARC Raiders
Why it’s similar
Modern sci-fi PvPvE extraction with squad play and scavenging, the closest tonal cousin to Marathon on this list.
What makes it unique
Hostile ARC machines add a constant PvE threat on top of rival squads, and topside runs feel cinematic and tense.
Key features
- PvPvE extraction
- Machine enemy threats
- Squad-based runs
- Cosmetic-only monetization
Price: $39.99 Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
3. Hunt: Showdown 1896
Why it’s similar
Extraction gameplay wrapped in tense PvPvE bounty hunts, where sound discipline and patience matter as much as aim.
What makes it unique
A 19th-century Louisiana bayou setting and permadeath bounty targets create slow, dread-filled standoffs.
Key features
- PvPvE bounty hunts
- Permadeath hunters
- Sound-driven tension
- Cross-play support
Price: $39.99 Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
4. Destiny 2
Why it’s similar
Same developer, Bungie, so the gunplay feel, ability design, and sci-fi polish are the closest DNA match on this list.
What makes it unique
A decade of raids, seasons, and loot depth makes it the benchmark for looter-shooter progression.
Key features
- Bungie gunplay
- Raids and dungeons
- Deep loot system
- Free-to-play base game
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PS, Xbox
Where to Buy
Free to play on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
5. The Finals
Why it’s similar
Built by Embark, ex-Battlefield developers, with fast team-focused FPS action and a distinctive feel Marathon fans appreciate.
What makes it unique
Fully destructible arenas let you reshape the map, and a game-show framing keeps every match frantic.
Key features
- Destructible environments
- Team-based modes
- Fast time-to-kill gunplay
- Free-to-play
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Free to play on Steam.
6. Helldivers 2
Why it’s similar
Squad-based cooperative missions and intense firefights scratch the same teamwork itch, even without extraction stakes.
What makes it unique
A live “galactic war” meta ties every match to a shifting community front, and friendly fire keeps squads honest.
Key features
- Co-op PvE missions
- Galactic war meta
- Stratagem call-ins
- Friendly fire on
Price: $39.99 Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
7. Delta Force
Why it’s similar
Large-scale tactical combat and squad play with modern military gunplay, including a dedicated extraction mode.
What makes it unique
It blends big-team warfare with an extraction loop, offering two very different playstyles in one free package.
Key features
- Large-scale battles
- Extraction mode
- Modern military gunplay
- Free-to-play
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Free to play on Steam.
8. Warframe
Why it’s similar
Fast sci-fi movement, cooperative missions, and deep loot progression give it the same “one more run” pull.
What makes it unique
Fluid parkour movement and hundreds of Warframes and weapons make it one of the most content-rich shooters around.
Key features
- Parkour movement
- Hundreds of Warframes
- Co-op missions
- Free-to-play
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PS, Xbox, Switch
Where to Buy
Free to play on Steam.
9. DMZ (Call of Duty: Warzone)
Why it’s similar
Extraction-style objectives and PvPvE encounters with the tactical looting loop Marathon fans will recognize.
What makes it unique
It layers extraction over Call of Duty’s polished gunplay and huge maps, all inside the free Warzone client.
Key features
- Extraction objectives
- Call of Duty gunplay
- Squad looting
- Free via Warzone
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PS, Xbox
Where to Buy
Free to play via Call of Duty: Warzone.
10. Gray Zone Warfare
Why it’s similar
An open-world tactical extraction shooter with realistic combat and survival systems for the milsim-leaning crowd.
What makes it unique
A large seamless map, AI factions, and grounded ballistics push realism further than most extraction shooters.
Key features
- Open-world map
- AI faction warfare
- Realistic ballistics
- Task-based progression
Price: $34.99 (Early Access) Platforms: PC
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
11. Exoborne
Why it’s similar
PvPvE extraction in a dynamic environment, with weather hazards and vertical traversal that echo Marathon’s tension.
What makes it unique
An Exo-Rig gear system and dynamic weather, including tornadoes, reshape each run’s risk on the fly.
Key features
- Exo-Rig gear system
- Dynamic weather
- Grappling traversal
- PvPvE extraction
Price: To be confirmed Platforms: PC
Where to Buy
Available on Steam.
12. Deep Rock Galactic
Why it’s similar
Cooperative, objective-based missions built on team coordination and resource extraction, the PvE co-op side of the genre.
What makes it unique
Fully destructible caves, four distinct dwarf classes, and procedural mining missions make teamwork essential.
Key features
- Destructible caves
- Four dwarf classes
- Procedural missions
- Co-op PvE
Price: $29.99 Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
13. Risk of Rain 2
Why it’s similar
Cooperative, progression-based runs with high replayability and build variety deliver the same escalating-run tension.
What makes it unique
Difficulty scales with time, so every run becomes a race against an ever-growing enemy threat.
Key features
- Time-based difficulty
- Deep item stacking
- Co-op runs
- High replayability
Price: $24.99 Platforms: PC, PS, Xbox, Switch
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
14. Off The Grid
Why it’s similar
A futuristic extraction shooter with cyberpunk styling and PvPvE gameplay built around a large sandbox island.
What makes it unique
A cyberpunk narrative from Neill Blomkamp’s team and a battle-royale-sized island set it apart visually.
Key features
- Cyberpunk setting
- Large sandbox island
- PvPvE extraction
- Free-to-play
Price: Free to play Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Free to play on the Epic Games Store.
15. SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada
Why it’s similar
Mech-based PvPvE extraction with resource collection and survival, a distinct sci-fi take on the same loop.
What makes it unique
You pilot a CRADLECOFFIN mech alongside an AI partner called a Magus, blending extraction with anime-styled sci-fi.
Key features
- Mech-based combat
- AI Magus partner
- PvPvE extraction
- Resource harvesting
Price: $49.99 Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Where to Buy
Available on Green Man Gaming and Steam.
Full Comparison Table
| # | Game | Type | Price | Platforms |
| 1 | Escape from Tarkov | Extraction PvPvE | $44.99 | PC |
| 2 | ARC Raiders | Extraction PvPvE | $39.99 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 3 | Destiny 2 | Looter Shooter | Free | PC, PS, Xbox |
| 4 | Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Extraction PvPvE | $39.99 | PC, PS, Xbox |
| 5 | Off The Grid | Extraction PvPvE | Free | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 6 | The Finals | Team FPS | Free | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 7 | Delta Force | Tactical FPS | Free | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 8 | Gray Zone Warfare | Extraction PvPvE | $34.99 | PC |
| 9 | Exoborne | Extraction PvPvE | TBC | PC |
| 10 | SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada | Extraction PvPvE | $49.99 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 11 | DMZ (Warzone) | Extraction PvPvE | Free | PC, PS, Xbox |
| 12 | Warframe | Co-op Looter | Free | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch |
| 13 | Helldivers 2 | Co-op PvE | $39.99 | PC, PS5, Xbox |
| 14 | Deep Rock Galactic | Co-op PvE | $29.99 | PC, PS, Xbox |
| 15 | Risk of Rain 2 | Co-op Roguelike | $24.99 | PC, PS, Xbox, Switch |
Conclusion
Marathon fans have plenty of directions depending on what hooked them. Want the hardest, highest-stakes extraction? Escape from Tarkov and Gray Zone Warfare punish every mistake. Craving modern sci-fi extraction closest to Marathon’s vibe? ARC Raiders, Off The Grid, and SYNDUALITY Echo of Ada are the natural next stops.
Chasing that Bungie or Embark gunplay feel? Destiny 2 and The Finals deliver polished, free-to-play firefights. And if you would rather drop the PvP and just run with a squad, Helldivers 2, Deep Rock Galactic, and Risk of Rain 2 turn cooperation into the whole point. Every game here earned its spot through real extraction, shooter, or co-op craft, not just a shared sci-fi coat of paint.















