Bungie has outlined Marathon’s anticheat systems, and there will be “no second chances” for anyone caught playing outside of the rules. Permanent bans will swiftly be issued to those caught cheating.
We’re fast approaching the March 5 launch of Marathon, and the earlier Server Slam set to kick off on February 26. Before the floodgates open, however, Bungie has pulled back the curtain on how it intends to maintain a safe and rewarding online experience.
The likes of dedicated servers will keep every action fair and balanced, in theory, while custom Fog of War systems will limit what cheaters can actually see and do, even with wall-hacks enabled, for instance.
However, devs aren’t playing around with anyone caught abusing the rules. If you’re detected, your account will be permanently banned. There’s no three strikes and you’re gone system. One slip-up, and you’re blocked forever.
Marathon set to permanently ban anyone caught cheating
Players are able to report suspicious activity either in-game or through an online form, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Bungie laid out in a February 23, 2026 blog post.
Marathon’s dedicated servers will be “constantly collecting data” on every action you take. All of this data is then fed through Bungie’s analysis tools to spot any “unusual gameplay patterns or anomalies.”
So, say for example, a player suddenly has four extra copies of the rarest gun in the game, that will be flagged with a bright red flag for Bungie. If you’re caught abusing a duplication cheat, say goodbye to your account.
Similarly, if you’re found to be aim-botting, wall-hacking, or anything in-between, your account will be erased entirely without warning.
“We are taking a strong stance against cheating,” Bungie said. “Anyone found to be cheating or developing cheats will be permanently banned from playing Marathon forever. No second chances.”
If you do get your account banned and you feel it’s unjust, there will be an appeals system to go through and try to get your profile restored. But across the board, Bungie will be firm with its actions against clear cheaters.
