Pre-ordering Marathon on Steam briefly caused the free base version of Destiny 2 to automatically download and install likely tied to cross game pre-order bonuses prompting laughs and confusion among players.
The Marathon development team made a post on X outlining the issue has been resolved.
We've resolved an issue where Destiny 2 would begin installing after pre-ordering Marathon on Steam. We have also resolved an issue where Collector's Edition owners would receive an error when attempting to activate their game code on Steam.
— Marathon Development Team (@MarathonDevTeam) January 20, 2026
Bungie’s Swift Response
In a January 20 X post, Bungie confirmed: “We’ve resolved an issue where Destiny 2 would begin installing after pre-ordering Marathon on Steam.”
We have resolved an issue where the Destiny 2: Marathon Pack (bundled with pre-order of Marathon) was not appearing in the Special Deliveries Kiosk as expected.
— Destiny 2 Team (@Destiny2Team) January 19, 2026
Players who have pre-ordered can now collect the UESC Echo-type Shell Exotic Ghost, UESC Rover Exotic Ship, and UESC… pic.twitter.com/Zs330S2mvv
They decoupled the titles and fixed a separate glitch blocking Destiny 2 owners from claiming their Marathon themed cosmetic bundle (Exotic Ghost Shell, Ship, Sparrow) now redeemable at the Tower’s Special Deliveries Kiosk.
Marathon Momentum
Despite early backlash (lukewarm playtests, art plagiarism row resolved via artist deal), a late 2025 re-reveal boosted hype. Pre-orders surged to #5 on Steam’s top sellers (topping Warframe), ahead of its March 5, 2026 launch at $40.
