Battlefield 6 vs Marathon
Massive 64-player chaos versus high-stakes extraction — choose your kind of tension.
Updated 11d ago
The 64-player infantry flow is the closest thing to BF3 since BF3 — but you die behind cover often enough that it's only worth it on sale.
Bungie's gunfeel is the best thing in the extraction genre — but cheating, disconnects and a thinning playerbase mean it's worth playing only with a squad you trust.
By the numbers
Prices checked Aug 7; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Aug 7.
| Measure | Battlefield 6 | Marathon |
|---|---|---|
| Value Marathon wins on value | ||
| Price now | $34.99 −50% · EA Store | $33.95 −15% · GameBillet |
| All-time low | $34.99 | $23.50 |
| Cost / hour | $5.80/hr $34.99 · 6 h main story | $2.67/hr $33.95 · 13 h main story |
| Off its low | At its low low was Jun 2026 | +44% low was Jun 2026 |
| Main story | 6 h | 13 h |
| Health Marathon wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 65% 358k reviews | 77% 63k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 51% 7k votes · vs 65% lifetime · souring | 69% 1k votes · vs 77% lifetime · souring |
| Peak players | 84,038 Jul 2026 · ↑ 30% MoM | 14,699 Jul 2026 · ↓ 64% MoM |
| Launch peak | 13% of Oct 2025 launch peak · as of Jul 2026 | 19% of Mar 2026 launch peak · as of Jul 2026 |
| All-time peak | 656,067 Oct 2025 | 77,358 Mar 2026 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 5 days ago | 4 days ago |
| Patch cadence | 4+ in last 90 days, at minimum | 12+ in last 90 days, at minimum |
| Steam Deck | Borked | Borked |
Shared scale — same months across the bottom, same player-count axis up the side, so the two lines are directly comparable. A shorter line means a younger game.
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Battlefield 6
The 64-player infantry flow still hooks — long-time fans keep coming back for the closest thing to BF3 since BF3, but the bloom and grind sour it.
Desync and dying around corners is the wall 500-hour veterans hit — every update seems to break netcode worse, making the gunfights feel like roulette.
from our August 2026 verdict
Marathon
Gunplay and sound design keep long-haul fans locked in, with the Runner Shell system and map design repeatedly praised as the best in the genre.
Cheating and lobby disconnects have plagued high-hour players, while skill/equipment disparity plus a shrinking playerbase squeeze casuals out.
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Battlefield 6 if
- You love 64-player vehicle warfare with destructible environments.
- You want a shooter where dying is a quick respawn, not a setback.
- You have fond memories of Battlefield 3 or 4 and want a modern revival.
Pick Marathon if
- You enjoy high-stakes extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov.
- You have 10+ hours a week to grind and don't mind losing progress.
- You prefer tight, methodical gunplay over large-scale chaos.
Bottom line
Pick Battlefield 6 for accessible large-scale chaos; choose Marathon only if you have time for its punishing extraction grind.