13 January 2026

After Falling in Love with ARC Raiders, This 2026 Game Has Jumped to the Top of My Most Anticipated List

By newsgame

Before 2025, I had never really found the concept of extraction shooters all that interesting. Historically, my preference has been for team-based hero shooters like Team Fortress 2 and Overwatch, with the occasional foray into Call of Duty when the mood struck me. That’s why when ARC Raiders was first revealed, I didn’t give it much of a passing thought. However, leading up to release, I got caught up in the ARC Raiders hype, and I’m so glad I did because it ended up being one of my favorite games of 2025 while also giving me a hunger for more extraction shooters.

Although I’ve taken an interest in other extraction shooters like Hunt: Showdown 1896 and Escape from Tarkov, part of me wants to hold off on diving too deep into these games just yet. I’m still enjoying everything ARC Raiders has to offer, even though I opted not to send my character out on ARC Raiders‘ first expedition. What mainly keeps me from jumping into other extraction shooters at the moment is the imminent release of Bungie’s Marathon, which is shaping up to be another ARC Raiders situation and has quickly jumped to one of my most anticipated games of 2026.

ARC Raiders Cheaters Are Finally Being Banned, But Not Everyone Is Happy About It

ARC Raiders developer Embark Studios finally begins to ban cheaters in the extraction shooter, but not everyone appears to be happy about it.

How I Fell in Love with ARC Raiders in 2025

My love of ARC Raiders really bloomed out of feeling burnt out on the shooter formula I was used to. I’m not a huge battle royale player, and the team-based hero shooter formula of Overwatch and Marvel Rivals was getting old. So when I saw the hype for ARC Raiders as an up-and-coming extraction shooter with a beginner-friendly gameplay loop and a unique world design and aesthetic, my excitement grew the more I saw previews of the game.

ARC Raiders Group is Committed to Protecting Friendly Players

Fast-forward to ARC Raiders‘ launch, and I knew I was hooked after my first trip topside; the rush of not knowing where other players were and if they were friendly combined with scavenging for materials and gear scratched the itch in my loot goblin brain that engaged me on the same level as my beloved Diablo 4. With ARC Raiders having the tension of a horror game combined with the reward of looting gear like Borderlands 4 or Diablo 4, it’s clear that elements from many of my favorite types of games were rolled into the extraction shooter package, and I ended up wondering why I hadn’t experienced the genre sooner.

ARC Raiders Has Me More Excited for Bungie’s Marathon than Ever Before

Like when ARC Raiders was first announced, I never really paid much attention to Bungie’s new Marathon game since I figured it wouldn’t be for me. I’m not super familiar with Bungie as a studio; I haven’t played much of the classic Halo series and could never get into Destiny 2. But after experiencing ARC Raiders in the final months of 2025 and early months of 2026, suddenly, Marathon is back on my radar.

Marathon is currently targeting a March 2026 release window, but no specific release date has been announced.

Marathon Keeps Looking Better and Better

It’s no secret that Marathon wasn’t received very well by audiences when it was first unveiled. The game had some interesting features, but the environments looked generic, and the gameplay looked like standard fare for Bungie. After the shooter burnout players have been experiencing in recent years, as evident from the whole situation surrounding Concord, many players, including myself, chalked Marathon up as another case of a multiplayer title in an oversaturated market that will be dead a few weeks after launch.

Marathon also had a controversy surrounding the use of plagiarized art assets, further turning potential players off from the game. After a closed Alpha test that yielded less-than-stellar feedback, Bungie delayed Marathon out of its original Fall 2025 release window in order to incorporate that feedback and polish the game. This delay may end up being the game’s saving grace, as it allowed ARC Raiders to launch unopposed in that release window, bringing new extraction shooter fans like myself into the fold while promising an exciting new experience just a few months down the line.

From what gameplay has been shown of Marathon recently, the game is looking far better than it did when it was initially shown, even compared to the Alpha test footage. The game’s visual style is much more vibrant, and environments look lush and interesting, which will likely go a long way towards achieving the same world-building success that ARC Raiders is praised for. Gameplay from the recent December closed test also looks a lot more unique and impactful, with features that ARC Raiders does have, like the ability to self-revive from the downed state and contracts given out by the game’s different factions that Runners need to fulfill.

Marathon Art Director Leaves Bungie Just 3 Months Before the Extraction Shooter’s Official Launch

Marathon is now right around the corner, but the extraction shooter’s art director has stepped down ahead of the game’s launch.

$40 Price
Launching with minimal competition
Open preview weekend before launch

Marathon is likely going to benefit from the success of ARC Raiders, and already looks like it’s following in its competitor’s footsteps. Marathon launching at a reasonable $40 price like ARC Raiders is a much lower barrier to entry for new players curious about the game than other full-priced AAA games, which means it will be a day-one buy for me. With ARC Raiders already months old at this point, Marathon has the luxury of launching with few other competitors in the space, and ARC Raiders players may be looking for a new experience by that point. ARC Raiders was also able to sell a lot of players on its gameplay during the free open beta that was held in the weeks before its launch, and Marathon is also planning a similar preview weekend.

My love for ARC Raiders has bloomed into a fascination with the extraction shooter genre, so I’m eager to experience a unique new take on the formula. While the jury’s still out on whether Marathon can achieve the same level of success as ARC Raiders, I know that I will be dropping into the world of Tau Ceti IV as soon as possible with how Marathon is shaping up from the latest game previews.