Marathon fans, we have news for you!
After the recent test of the Marathon game servers, the developers at Bungie confirmed that they are exploring the possibility of introducing dedicated duo lobbies.
Currently, in the game you can play solo, as a duo, or in a full trio, but there is no option that would allow duos to compete only against each other.
If you want to know how this could affect Marathon matchmaking update, Marathon queue options, and the upcoming release, read our guide.
TL;DR — Marathon Duo Lobby News
- Bungie is considering dedicated duo lobbies for Marathon.
- Currently, duos can queue but may face full three-player squads.
- The feature is being evaluated after Server Slam feedback.
- Adding duo-only queues could improve fairness but might affect matchmaking times.
- No confirmation yet that the feature will appear at launch.
Table of Contents
How Do Current Queues Work in Marathon?
At the moment, the Marathon solo trio matchmaking system offers three options:
- Solo – playing alone in a solo lobby
- Marathon Duo Lobbies – a queue for two players, but without a guarantee of facing only other duos
- Trio – full three-person teams
The problem that players report is simple: duos often end up against full trios, which creates Marathon extraction shooter balance issues and reduces the enjoyment of gameplay.
Marathon
Release Date: March 05, 2026
Genres: Shooter
Bungie Server Slam Feedback
Since the server test revealed these problems, Bungie logged feedback feature confirmed that feedback regarding the duo lobbies was passed on to the team.
However, this does not mean that the feature will appear immediately as the decision requires further analysis and testing.
The developers want to balance player satisfaction with the stability of the matchmaking system, focusing on extraction shooter team size balance and maintaining server slam player retention.
How Do Other Games Do It And What Can Be Learned?
Server test results allow comparing Marathon to other titles, including Escape from Tarkov, highlighting key aspects in Escape from Tarkov comparison.
In extraction shooter games like Escape from Tarkov, team sizes are unpredictable, and in the same lobby, you can encounter solo players or five-person squads.
By contrast, battle royale games use more rigid queue divisions to increase predictability and balance, which can affect matchmaking pool fragmentation risk and raise PvP cadence concerns Marathon.
Therefore, adding a duo lobby in Marathon could improve fairness of matches, but it could also affect wait times, while also addressing UI complexity complaints Bungie, heat generation movement issues, and economy tuning adjustments.
What Does This Mean For The Launch?
The Marathon launch is just around the corner, and observations from the server test suggest that a dedicated lobby for duos may appear after the launch.
This decision will take into account all Marathon queue options as well as the implementation of Marathon duo lobbies to ensure fair and balanced matchmaking for all players.
Bungie is showing in this way that it listens to the community and strives to find a balance between the accessibility of the game and its distinctive gameplay style.
Conclusion
This is everything you need to know about the possible introduction of a lobby for duos in Marathon.
Get ready for the release and take every opportunity to enjoy fair clashes to the fullest from the very first moments of the game!