Server Slam Peaks
Both games ran free, open server slams before their premium launches. Here's how they stacked up on Steam alone.
Server Slam: Day-by-Day Breakdown
How did each slam actually play out hour by hour? Arc's slam started on a Friday and held strong through the weekend. Marathon's started mid-week — and the numbers tell a different story.
Steam Peak Concurrent Players Per Day
Arc: Fri / Mar: Wed
Arc: Sat / Mar: Thu
Arc: Sun / Mar: Sat*
*Marathon slam continues through Mar 2. Day 2–3 figures are 24-hour peak estimates from SteamDB/press reports. Arc Day 2–3 estimates based on sustained engagement reports.
Timeline of Events
The road from stress test to full launch for both extraction shooters.
Full Stat Comparison
Everything side by side — slam stats, launch performance, retention, and what's projected for Marathon.
| Metric | Arc Raiders | Marathon |
|---|---|---|
| Slam Dates | Oct 17–19, 2025 (3 days) | Feb 26 – Mar 2, 2026 (5 days) |
| Slam Steam Peak | 189,668 | 143,621 |
| Slam Platforms | PC (Steam/Epic), PS5, Xbox | PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox — Full cross-play |
| Days Between Slam → Launch | 13 days | 3 days |
| Launch Date | Oct 30, 2025 | Mar 5, 2026 |
| Price Model | $39.99 / $59.99 | $39.99 / $59.99 |
| Launch Steam Peak | 481,966 | ~250K–450K (projected) |
| All-Platform Peak | 960,000 (Jan 2026) | ~800K+ (projected) |
| Copies Sold (Week 1) | 4 million | TBD |
| Total Sales | 12.4 million (by mid-Jan) | TBD |
| Steam Rating | Very Positive (87%) | TBD |
| Slam-to-Launch Multiplier | ~2.5× | ~2.5× = ~360K |
Arc Raiders Retention: The Benchmark
The real question isn't just peak numbers — it's whether players stick around. Arc Raiders set an exceptional benchmark for player retention post-launch. You can track the current player count live on Arc Raiders server status.
Arc Raiders hasn't just held players — it's grown them. The November-to-January numbers barely dipped, which is nearly unheard of in the extraction shooter genre. A big part of that is the constant rotation of world events keeping the game fresh. If you want to see what's currently active, check the Arc Raiders map to track the massive number of events they're rotating through across all regions.
For Marathon, this will be the key metric to watch post-launch. A strong Server Slam is great, but Bungie needs to replicate this kind of retention to prove Marathon has legs. See the live Marathon player count for real-time data.
Marathon Launch Projections
Based on Arc Raiders' slam-to-launch multiplier and market conditions, here are three scenarios for Marathon's Steam launch peak.
What Does This All Mean?
Marathon's Day 1 was solid — but the drop-off is concerning. A 143K peak isn't far behind Arc's 189K, but what happened next matters more. Marathon lost over half its players within 24 hours, falling to ~69K on Day 2 and sitting around 60K on Day 3 — a Saturday, which should be prime time. Arc's slam, which started on a Friday, carried strong engagement through its full weekend window.
The mid-week start hurt Marathon, but doesn't explain everything. Launching on a Wednesday means the Day 1 spike included a lot of "quick look" players who couldn't stay. But even accounting for that, the expected weekend bounce hasn't delivered the numbers most analysts predicted.
Player feedback is driving the dip. Multiple reports cite frustrations with Marathon's UI design, a confusing inventory system, and PvP encounters feeling too sparse in the game's large maps. See our Marathon reviews page for critic and streamer reactions.
Arc Raiders set an impossibly high bar for retention. You can check the Arc Raiders server status to see just how steady Arc's numbers remain — still averaging 200K+ daily, four months post-launch.
The real test is still March 5. Server slams are free. Launch day costs $40. Bungie's brand, the patches they ship between now and then, and early review sentiment will ultimately determine whether Marathon's paying audience looks more like the Day 1 hype crowd or the Day 3 leftovers. Check Marathon beta dates and launch info for full details.
Sources & Methodology
Steam concurrent player data sourced from SteamDB and SteamCharts. Cross-platform figures from official Nexon/Embark and Bungie communications. Sales milestones from publisher press releases. The 2.5× slam-to-launch multiplier is derived from Arc Raiders' documented trajectory and applied as a baseline model for Marathon projections. All estimates are explicitly marked as projections and should not be taken as confirmed figures.