Between Marathon and ARC Raiders, It’s Clear Which One Took The Bigger Risk

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Extraction shooters have become incredibly popular – some might say too popular – and now define many live-service shooting games. While several games lead the way in this genre, ARC Raiders has quickly become a major player since launching in October 2025, even overcoming some initial criticism to build a large and devoted community. Similar to games like Escape from Tarkov, The Division, and The Hunt: Showdown, ARC Raiders is becoming a standard that future extraction shooters will be judged by.

The new game Marathon is already being compared to ARC Raiders, and the comparisons aren’t going well for Marathon. Even before it launched, people weren’t very excited about it, noting it lacked a compelling reason to keep players engaged. While some players really enjoy Marathon, it hasn’t achieved the same level of success as ARC Raiders. There are many reasons for this, but a key difference is that ARC Raiders took more risks, which seems to have resonated with players more.

ARC Raiders Is a True Breath of Fresh Air in the Extraction Shooter Scene

Whether you enjoy ARC Raiders or not, it definitely stands out. Compared to other games where you collect loot and fight (or multiplayer games in general), it has a really interesting and detailed sci-fi setting, exciting enemies to fight in the PvE mode, and well-designed features that connect players together – all of which are enough to grab your attention.

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ARC Raiders shares the exciting, risky gameplay of other extraction shooters, but its focus on cooperation truly sets it apart. The game gently pushes players to work together instead of fighting each other, creating unpredictable and engaging moments. Working with others is incredibly satisfying, especially with the excellent in-game voice chat, and this focus on teamwork is a bold move for a genre usually centered around competition. By successfully prioritizing cooperation, ARC Raiders might just change what extraction shooters can offer.

Marathon Has a Lot Going for It, but It’s Not Groundbreaking

I really don’t think it’s fair to call Marathon boring or unoriginal. It’s true that it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s packed with clever details. For example, the art style is amazing and really adds to the solid FPS gameplay, but it doesn’t feel totally new like ARC Raiders does with its complex social systems. And honestly, the shooting is fantastic – it is a Bungie game, after all! – making combat a blast, but it’s similar to the fun, intense tactical fights in Halo and Destiny. Looking at the Steam numbers at the time I’m writing this really shows where each game stands.

  • ARC Raiders current players: 128,346
  • Marathon current players: 39,092
  • ARC Raiders 24-hour peak concurrent players: 147,231
  • Marathon 24-hour peak concurrent players: 53,569
  • ARC Raiders all-time peak concurrent players: 481,966
  • Marathon all-time peak concurrent players: 88,337

Let’s be clear: I’m not saying ARC Raiders is definitively better than Marathon. I just think it takes more risks, and those risks pay off. Marathon is a really well-made game that sticks to a familiar formula, and you can feel the developers’ enthusiasm and imagination in its details. However, it might not have that special something – that ‘X-factor’ – that ARC Raiders possesses, and that could hold it back over time.

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2026-03-23 02:08