You Can Play Two Upcoming PlayStation First-Party Games Early This Weekend

You might think holding playtests or server slams or betas or whatever technical term you want to call "a chance to play a game before it's officially out" for multiple games in the same weekend is a strange idea... I agree, but that's exactly what PlayStation is doing this weekend with two of its upcoming first-party games. Specifically, Bungie is launching a server slam this weekend for Marathon, starting at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday, February 26, and ending on Monday, March 2, at 10 a.m. PT, while Guerrilla Games is holding a closed playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering starting Friday, February 27, and running through Sunday, March 1. 

Of course, the third-person action co-op gameplay of Horizon Hunter is quite a bit different from the first-person extraction co-op gameplay of Marathon, but at the end of the day, these are two first-party multiplayer games and it seems a bit odd to pit them against each other in the same weekend like this. 

Considering Marathon launches March 5, it makes sense to have a server slam the final weekend before its release – it gives Bungie the chance to test its servers and players the opportunity to see if the Destiny studio's vivid and mysterious take on the extraction shooter genre is for them. With Horizon Hunters Gathering having only just been announced earlier this month, with no release date in sight, it's strange to land on the same weekend for a playtest as Bungie's server slam. Alas, that's what's happening, so you, the player, have the opportunity to try out two first-party games for free this weekend. 

Bungie's Marathon Server Slam Details

As for what to expect in this weekend's Marathon server slam, it will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (via Steam) with crossplay and cross-save enabled. This server slam is what Bungie is calling an open preview, which means anyone can try it out, unlike Guerrilla Games' closed playtest for Horizon Hunters Gathering (more on that in a bit). 

If you play Marathon this weekend, you have the chance to earn the following in-game rewards, and each reward earned will transfer into the full game if you pick it up: 

Complete the first mission to unlock the Standard Arrival Cache, which includes the following: 

• Standard implants (6x)
• Standard Runner shell cores (4x)
• Standard weapon chip mods (4x)
• Weapons: Overrun and Hardline

Reach Runner Level 10 to unlock the Enhanced Arrival Cache (Green), which includes the following: 

• Enhanced implants (6x)
• Enhanced Runner shell cores (2x for each shell, 12x total)
• Enhanced weapon chip mods (4x)
• Weapons: Enhanced Magnum and Enhanced Hardline

Reach Runner Level 30 to unlock the Deluxe Arrival Cache (Blue), which includes the following: 

• Deluxe and Enhanced implants (3x each, 6x total)
• Deluxe and Enhanced Runner shell cores (1x for each shell, 12x total)
• Deluxe and Enhanced weapon chip mods (2x each, 4x total)
• Weapons: Deluxe Magnum and Enhanced Volley Rifle
• Backpack: Enhanced Base Backpack

Bungie says the emblem, player banner, and loot rewards will be waiting for you when Marathon launches. As for what you'll actually be doing, you can "infil" into two zones – Perimeter and Dire Marsh – as well as take on contracts for five factions in the Marathon universe. You can also try out five of the six Runner shells that will be available at launch.

When the game launches (and when Season 1 goes live), two more zones to infil into – Outpost and Cryo Archive – will be available, along with the sixth Runner shell. Plus, full progression for all six of the game's factions will go live, as will Ranked Mode and "other secrets and surprises." 

The Marathon server slam begins on Thursday, February 26, at 10 a.m. PT, and ends on Monday, March 2, at 10 a.m. PT.

Guerrilla Games' Horizon Hunters Gathering Closed Playtest

Unlike Bungie's Marathon server slam, the Horizon Hunters Gathering closed playtest will not be open to everyone – you must sign up for PlayStation's beta test program here and hope you are selected to participate. 

While the Horizon Hunters Gathering playtest begins on Friday, February 27, it will only be playable for North American players from 4 p.m. PT to 7 p.m. PT, and from 7 p.m. CET to 10 p.m. CET for EU players on that day, as well as Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1. It will be available for selected players on both PlayStation 5 and PC (via Steam), and will only support the English language. 

In this closed playtest, three playable hunters – Axle, Rem, and Sun – will be available to try out within two game modes: Machine Incursion (Normal and Hard) and Cauldron Descent (Normal). The playtest will be set within one explorable environment, which is Colorado Springs, and will feature access to The Gathering, which Guerrilla Games calls a shared social space with campsite customization. 

Unlike the Marathon server slam, there won't be any rewards to earn from this playtest, which makes sense considering we have no idea when Horizon Hunters Gathering is launching. 

Nonetheless, that's everything you need to know about upcoming opportunities to play Marathon and Horizon Hunters Gathering this weekend. 

In the meantime, check out the Horizon Hunters Gathering reveal trailer, and then check out the Marathon release date trailer after that. 

Are you hoping to hop into either of these games this weekend? Let us know in the comments below!