Halloween: The Game vs Marathon
One game asks you to tolerate a broken balance and bugs for 1978 slasher fidelity; the other asks you to bring a trusted squad into a thinning extraction shooter.
Updated 5d ago
Skip unless you're a Halloween diehard — Michael vs. civilian balance flips every patch, and 27% of critics recommend.
Bungie's gunfeel is the best thing in the extraction genre — but cheating, disconnects and a thinning playerbase mean it's worth playing only with a squad you trust.
By the numbers
Prices checked Oct 9; they move faster than we refresh, so confirm on the store page.
Recent-review figures are Steam's own last-30-days window, read Oct 9.
| Measure | Halloween: The Game | Marathon |
|---|---|---|
| Value Marathon wins on value | ||
| Price now | $33.99 −15% · Fanatical | $21.59 −46% · GamersGate |
| All-time low | $31.99 | $19.39 |
| Cost / hour | — | $1.70/hr $21.59 · 13 h main story |
| Off its low | +6% low was Sep 2026 | +11% low was Oct 2026 |
| Main story | — | 13 h |
| Health Marathon wins on player health | ||
| Steam reviews | 66% 16k reviews | 77% 65k reviews |
| Recent reviews | 63% 5k votes · vs 66% lifetime | 66% 442 votes · vs 77% lifetime · souring |
| Peak players | — Not yet charted | 3,475 Sep 2026 · ↓ 45% MoM |
| Launch peak | — | 4% of Mar 2026 launch peak · as of Sep 2026 |
| All-time peak | — | 77,358 Mar 2026 |
| Support | ||
| Last patch | 3 days ago | 2 days ago |
| Patch cadence | 6 in last 90 days | 11 in last 90 days |
| Steam Deck | Platinum | Borked |
What players say
Patterns from long-haul reviewers, taken from each game's verdict. Not live sentiment — each side is dated below.
Halloween: The Game
Recreating the 1978 film's civilians and kills earns the franchise-faithful praise from 100-hour fans.
Michael's slashing meta and civilian nerfs are the balance wall even 95-hour veterans flag.
from our October 2026 verdict
Marathon
Gunplay and sound design keep long-haul fans locked in, with the Runner Shell system and map design repeatedly praised as the best in the genre.
Cheating and lobby disconnects have plagued high-hour players, while skill/equipment disparity plus a shrinking playerbase squeeze casuals out.
from our August 2026 verdict
Key differences
Which one is for you?
Pick Halloween: The Game if
- You're a Halloween diehard who'll forgive bugs if the 1978 film is recreated right.
- You already played Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw and want more uneven asymmetric horror.
- You want a short story mode that teaches Michael's toolkit, not 50 hours of survivor grind.
Pick Marathon if
- You've got 200 hours in Hunt Showdown and want a fresher arena.
- You love Bungie's gunfeel and sound design from Destiny.
- You accept runback loss and want chess-like, teamwork-first PvP.
Bottom line
Play Halloween only if you're a diehard who can stomach its 66% Steam review score and four patches in 90 days; otherwise pick Marathon with a trusted squad and accept that its current monthly peak is just 4% of launch.