When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
In what I assume is a surprise, at least it was to me, Marathon has topped playtime on Xbox in the U.S.
Thanks to reporting from Circana via Mat Piscatella , we’ve got a look at player engagement for the week ending April 18, 2026.
Now, this isn’t a list of the most popular games. Instead, it tracks average hours played per user, and that’s where things get interesting, according to the report.
On Xbox, Marathon ranks number one for hours played per player.Kingdom Come: Deliverance II follows in second, with Crimson Desert in third.
Over on PlayStation, Marathon is nowhere to be seen in the top three.
Instead, Starfield comes in at number three, following its recent launch on the platform after a period of timed exclusivity on Xbox.
Perhaps just as interesting, despite Steam being Marathon’s biggest platform by sales ( via Forbes ), it doesn’t appear in the top three there either.
That suggests Xbox players are spending more time in Marathon than players on any other platform, reinforcing the idea that Xbox continues to be a strong home for FPS engagement.
It is also worth noting that Marathon does not appear in the top 10 most played games on Xbox by player count in the U.S.
Which does highlight the difference between reach and engagement. Fewer players may be jumping in, but those who are playing seem to be spending a significant amount of time with the game.
At least on Xbox, Marathon might not be a mass market hit, but more like a highly engaged niche, which isn’t a bad thing.
I’ll be the first to admit, as I said, at the start, this is a surprise to me. I’ll also admit that I didn’t really expect this from Marathon, but I also didn't really enjoy the game.
Before you jump down my neck, I wasn’t one of the people who wanted to see it fail, quite the opposite, actually.
I think it’s great that Bungie tried something different, and hopefully the game can continue to grow, regardless of platform.
That said, what do you think? Are you as surprised as I am, or did you expect this kind of outcome?
Let me know in the comments, and be sure to take part in our poll!
Join us on Reddit at r/WindowsCentral to share your insights and discuss our latest news, reviews, and more.
