Key Takeaways
1. Surprising Platform News: Marathon’s ESRB rating page suggests it may be available on PS4 and Xbox One, despite no official confirmation from Bungie or Sony.
2. Release Date Access: At launch on March 5th, only PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC players will have access to Marathon, with older consoles potentially receiving support later due to cross-platform initiatives.
3. Past Console Port Trends: There have been examples of previous-gen console ports after initial game launches, but such practices are becoming less common, especially with upcoming consoles like the PS6.
4. ESRB Listing Error Possibility: The ESRB listing for Marathon could be an error, as past instances show incorrect platform listings that were later corrected.
5. Performance Concerns: There are doubts about whether Marathon would run well on PS4 or Xbox One, as the focus seems to be on resolution rather than high refresh rates, even for the PS5 Pro.
PlayStation enthusiasts who haven’t upgraded to the PS5 have gotten some unexpected news. The ESRB rating page for Marathon is now live, showing some surprising platforms for the extraction shooter. Although neither Bungie nor Sony have made any official announcements regarding the platforms, it appears the game might also be available on the PS4 and Xbox One.
Release Date Uncertainty
Currently, there are no signs that a version of Marathon for PS4 or Xbox One will be available at its release on March 5th. It seems that only players on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC will have access to the game from day one. Nevertheless, Sony’s initiative to support cross-platform play suggests that they may look to introduce live-service games on various systems in the future. So, it’s possible that the older consoles could get support later on.
Past Console Ports
As a report from Clawsomegamer points out, there have been instances of previous-generation console ports after a game’s initial launch. For example, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor released in April 2023, but the PS4 version didn’t come out until September 2024. However, seeing this kind of practice has become less common. In the past year, Sony Interactive Entertainment hasn’t released any significant first-party titles for the PS4.
With the PS6 on the horizon, other game developers are also moving away from supporting the PlayStation 4. In a first for the wrestling franchise, 2K Games will not provide versions for the PS4 and Xbox One for WWE 2K26. Additionally, HoYoverse has announced it will stop supporting Genshin Impact on older consoles, even though Call of Duty games are still an exception—though rumors suggest that might change soon.
Possible ESRB Listing Error
The Marathon listing on the ESRB site could potentially be a mistake. A Reddit user named Bloodgecko reminded the community that the site previously listed PS4 for the 2020 remake of Demon’s Souls before correcting it. Since Bungie started working on the extraction shooter back in 2021, they might have abandoned the idea of developing for older consoles.
Another point of concern is whether the performance of Marathon would be satisfactory on PS4 or Xbox One. During the server slam, it seemed to perform well on lower-end PCs. However, even on the PS5 Pro, there’s no confirmation of a 120Hz mode, as the studio seems to be focusing more on resolution instead of high refresh rates.








