The date is set, and the clock is ticking. Bungie's Marathon is releasing on March 5, 2026, following a delay and creative reworks behind the scenes. Ahead of the game's launch, we now have a full picture of the Marathon system requirements Bungie requires from your rig. And despite no word on handheld PC performance yet, things are looking promising, for the most part.
While Bungie has commented on a potential Marathon Nintendo Switch 2 port, the studio's attitude toward portable gaming consoles is noticeably quiet. However, after digging into Marathon's PC specs, ROG Ally owners are going to be happy. But before I get into how you can expect Asus's device or the Steam Deck to handle Marathon, here's a rundown of the game's PC specs.
Minimum specifications
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS - Windows 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)
- Processor - Intel Core i5-6600 / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
- Memory - 8 GB RAM
- Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (4 GB) / Intel Arc A580 (8 GB, with ReBAR on)
- DirectX - Version 12
- Network - Broadband Internet connection
Recommended specifications
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS - Windows 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack)
- Processor - Intel Core i5-10400 / AMD Ryzen 5 3500
- Memory - 16 GB RAM
- Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 2060 (6 GB) / AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT (8 GB) / Intel Arc A770 (16 GB, with ReBAR on)
- DirectX - Version 12
- Network - Broadband Internet connection
Marathon is obviously intended for modern PC hardware, but handheld PCs like the ROG Ally Z1e and the Steam Deck could still run it by scaling visuals and resolution. While neither device matches the FPS game's recommended desktop specs on paper, both sit close enough to the minimum requirements to offer a playable experience, if you prepare for some compromises.
In terms of performance, the ROG Ally Z1e is easily the winner. While its RDNA 3 GPU still falls short of desktop graphics cards, I often find it handles most triple-A games with reduced settings and resolution scaling. Based on last year's Marathon closed alpha, there is support for AMD FSR. Because of this, you can expect consistent frame rates and a clear image, even if the game's raw fidelity isn't as pretty as you may prefer.
Thanks to 'Deck Wizard', we already know that Marathon can sit in the 40-60fps mark at 720p, at medium to low settings. That's in 15W performance, too, making it friendly on your battery life. At 30W with no upscaling, the increase in operating power keeps it above 50fps.
It's a promising sign for the full game, but there is a big caveat to consider: the closed alpha is an older build. Much of Marathon's marketing materials highlight a bump in fidelity, showcasing significant graphical improvements. Because of this, there's a strong possibility that it could impact those initially decent framerates. On the other hand, the Steam Deck is going to struggle.
The Steam Deck's older CPU and GPU sit closer to the lower edge of the minimum requirements, and its graphical performance is more limited. Marathon will need low settings and a lower internal resolution, relying heavily on upscaling. Frame rates should remain stable enough for play, ideally within the 30fps to 40fps range, but the visual quality and responsiveness will not match those of the ROG Ally Z1e.
The Steam Deck can handle the game in theory, but it leaves little room for higher settings without sacrificing smoothness. Because the Steam Deck is Linux-based, Marathon's usage of BattlEye anti-cheat poses a serious problem.
Anti-cheat is a notorious barrier for multiplayer games on the console. That's why you can't play battle royale games like Fortnite unless you're using Windows as the device's operating system. For Windows handhelds, you'll be just fine.
Need someone to squad up with when Marathon arrives? Find a teammate over in the Pocket Tactics Discord server.