Free Open Play Week From December 8, PvE Expedition Mode, and Loot Code: How Bungie Aims to Revive Marathon With Symbiosis
After a softer commercial launch than Sony and its development teams originally hoped for, Bungie is playing its biggest card of the year to turn the tide on Marathon. Alongside the launch of its major Symbiosis update on December 8, 2026, the studio has officially announced a full free-to-play trial period dubbed the Open Play Week, arriving hand in hand with the game's first permanent cooperative PvE mode and a community event packed with six cosmetic rewards.
A Free Open Play Week From December 8 to 15 With Full Progression Carryover
To remove the entry barrier and win over players who hesitated to jump into a punishing extraction shooter, Bungie is opening the gates of Tau Ceti IV to everyone for free from December 8 through December 15, 2026 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Throughout this Open Play Week, newcomers can download and experience the entire game with zero restrictions, including every single feature introduced in the Symbiosis update.
This outreach push directly follows the studio's structural pivot earlier this fall, when Bungie delayed its major update to December and ditched strict seasonal schedules to focus on core gameplay foundations. Any progression earned and any gear or cosmetics unlocked during the free week will automatically carry over if trial players decide to purchase the full game afterward.
PvE Expedition Mode, the Bishop Runner Shell, and a Reworked Perimeter Map
The centerpiece of the December 8 update is the debut of Expedition, Phase 1 of Marathon's permanent PvE-exclusive mode. Born out of the positive reception to the temporary Vault Breaker PvE tests that began in July 2026 and were extended by popular demand, this mode lets players explore Tau Ceti IV solo or with a crew in a collaborative environment completely free from hostile PvP ambushes.
Structured around a three-run series with escalating environmental hazards and combat encounters, Expedition blends Bungie's gunplay with roguelite mechanics through randomized in-run upgrades known as Flash Boosts. Alongside this cooperative pillar, the Symbiosis update overhauls several core systems:
- New "Bishop" Runner Shell: A high-mobility, stealth-oriented robotic frame built around precision blade-wielding close-quarters combat.
- Expanded Perimeter Zone: The map grows downward with alien- and fungal-infested subterranean areas including the underground Burrows, the submerged Reservoir, and a massive new arachnid boss threat, the Tick Queen.
- New "Limbo" Social Hub: A dedicated gathering space where Runners can socialize, test loadouts at a firing range, and square off in a friendly dueling pit.
- 3v3 Deathmatch (Beta) and New Arsenal: An experimental PvP arena mode where crews battle for points without risking permanent extraction gear, alongside two new weapons: the V17 Flamethrower and the Maverick revolver.
Crew Up Event and Code DMA-T7Y-XJL: All 6 Exclusive Rewards to Unlock
To encourage veteran Runners to team up with friends jumping in during the free trial, Bungie is running the Crew Up community event from December 8 (12:00 PM PT) through December 22, 2026 (10:00 AM PT). Once the Symbiosis update goes live, anyone who has completed the introductory tutorial (including Open Play Week participants) can redeem the universal code DMA-T7Y-XJL on Bungie's official code redemption portal to unlock a new Events tab inside their in-game Codex.
There is one important catch: Crew Up challenges cannot be completed solo. You must drop into the PvE Expedition mode in a crew with at least one other player who has also redeemed the event code. Furthermore, once the free trial week ends on December 15, non-owners will need to buy the game if they want to keep grinding the event through December 22. Completing consecutive challenges unlocks six exclusive cosmetics:
- Emblem: Queen's Nest
- Profile Background: Queen's Dominion
- Weapon Sticker: Queen's Maw
- Weapon Charm: Cluster Bunch
- Destroyer Skin: Arata Vectus
- Player Title: Exterminator
This wide-ranging overhaul underscores the studio's commitment to growing its extraction shooter for the long haul while executing Bungie's broader studio roadmap through 2028.
My Field Notes
Tracking Marathon's trajectory since summer, I view this pairing of an Open Play Week with the permanent Expedition PvE mode as the smartest course correction Bungie has made since launch. Pure PvPvE extraction shooters always hit a brutal retention wall: once the gear gap widens, latecomers become easy prey for veteran squads and quickly bounce off the game.
By opening the doors for free on the exact day a three-run roguelite PvE mode, the Limbo social hub, and a co-op squad event go live, Bungie is finally leaning into the cooperative DNA that made Destiny a staple for over a decade. If taking down the Tick Queen and experimenting with Flash Boosts feel rewarding on December 8, this free trial week has every ingredient needed to turn curious visitors into long-term Runners on Tau Ceti IV.
Marathon
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Originally from Lyon, France, gaming journalist Bastien "Orion" relocated nearly a decade ago to Quebec City's Saint-Roch district, right in the heart of eastern Canada's development studio hub. Before crossing the Atlantic, he honed his versatile reporting style across classic French gaming web portals and specialist television outlets in the 2000s and 2010s, notably with JeuxVideo.fr and JeuxNews. Equally passionate about AAA blockbusters, North American studio culture, retro preservation, and community modding projects, he anchors Pro-Gamer's transatlantic desk and real-time coverage of US and Japanese industry announcements.
