Marathon Ranked Mode Details Revealed With Ranks, Holotags, and Rewards

Marathon is built around high-risk runs, valuable loot, and the constant pressure of trying to make it out alive. That mix of survival, combat, and decision-making is already a big part of what gives the game its identity, especially when every run can swing hard based on what you bring in and what you manage to extract with.

Now, Bungie has shared a full breakdown of Marathon’s Ranked mode, and there is a lot more going on here than just a standard competitive playlist. Ranked adds weekend-only matchmaking, score targets tied to Holotags, separate Low Stakes and High Stakes queues, and seasonal rewards based on the highest rank you reach.

Here’s everything you need to know about Marathon’s Ranked mode.

Marathon Ranked Mode Release Date and Time

Marathon’s Ranked mode will first be playable from Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 10 AM PT until Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 10 AM PT.

Bungie says Ranked is launching in beta for Season 1, with the team watching feedback closely as players jump in for the first time.

Marathon Ranked Mode Schedule

Ranked is not always active. The mode will be available on weekends, and each weekend will feature a different planet-side zone. The Ranked zone rotation includes:

• Perimeter
• Dire Marsh
• Outpost

For the first Ranked weekend, players will be fighting on Perimeter.

Bungie also confirmed that all crew sizes will be matched together in Ranked, so solo players and grouped crews can end up in the same matchmaking pool.

Marathon Ranked Mode Requirements

You need to hit Runner Level 25 before you can queue for Ranked. From there, Ranked is split into two separate matchmaking pools:

Low Stakes Queue

To enter the Low Stakes queue, you need:

• A minimum gear ante of 3,000
• At least a Bronze Holotag

High Stakes Queue

To enter the High Stakes queue, you need:

• A minimum gear ante of 10,000
• At least a Platinum Holotag

There is one important catch for launch. Bungie says the first weekend of Ranked will only have the Low Stakes queue available, giving players time to climb and prepare before High Stakes opens up.

What Is Gear Ante in Marathon Ranked?

Gear ante is the minimum credit value of the gear you have equipped when entering a Ranked match.

Bungie says the 3,000 gear ante is roughly equal to a set of Enhanced green gear with a few Deluxe blue pieces, while the 10,000 requirement is closer to a set of Deluxe gear with a few Superior purple pieces.

The point of this system is simple. Bungie wants everyone in Ranked to have a minimum amount of value on the line, instead of players loading in with almost nothing.

How Holotags Work in Marathon Ranked

Holotags are one of the most important parts of Ranked. You need to bring one Holotag in your backpack to queue, on top of meeting the gear ante requirement.

You can get Holotags in two ways:

• Buy them with credits in the Armory
• Loot an enemy Runner’s Holotag and extract with it for future use

There are six Holotag tiers in total:

Low Stakes Holotags:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold

High Stakes Holotags:

• Platinum
• Diamond
• Pinnacle

Bungie also says you can only purchase Holotags up to your current rank tier in the Armory. So if you are Gold, you can buy Gold, Silver, and Bronze Holotags. If you are Platinum, you can buy Platinum and the tiers below it.

How Marathon Ranked Mode Scoring Works

Ranked scoring is built around loot value and extraction, not just kills. Your team’s combined Holotag value sets two things for the run:

• Your score target
• Your loss penalty

To earn Ranked Points (RP), your crew needs to loot enough valuable items to reach the score target, then successfully extract.

Here is how Bungie says it works:

• Exfil at or above your score target and you earn RP
• Exfil below your score target and your rank does not change
• Fail to exfil and you lose RP based on your team’s combined loss penalty

There are a few other details worth noting like your starting loadout does not count toward your score target, certain items, such as ammo and consumables, do not count toward your score, and once you hit your base score target, extra loot does not count unless you increase your overperformance capacity.

What Is Overperformance Capacity?

Overperformance capacity is basically how much extra loot value above your base score target can still count for bonus progress.

It starts at zero every run, but you can raise it by looting:

• Enemy Runner Holotags
• Tag Chips
• Polished Tag Chips

These can drop from enemy players, high-value UESC enemies, and other in-run activities or map events.

Tag Chips also count as valuable loot themselves, and Bungie says they auto-sell on exfil.

Marathon Ranked Holotag Values

Here is the full Holotag breakdown Bungie shared:

Bronze Holotag

• Cost: 500
• Score Target: 3,000
• Loss Penalty: 600
• Overperformance Capacity: 600

Silver Holotag

• Cost: 750
• Score Target: 5,000
• Loss Penalty: 2,000
• Overperformance Capacity: 1,000

Gold Holotag

• Cost: 1,000
• Score Target: 7,000
• Loss Penalty: 4,200
• Overperformance Capacity: 1,500

Platinum Holotag

• Cost: 1,500
• Score Target: 10,000
• Loss Penalty: 8,000
• Overperformance Capacity: 2,250

Diamond Holotag

• Cost: 2,000
• Score Target: 15,000
• Loss Penalty: 15,000
• Overperformance Capacity: 3,250

Pinnacle Holotag

• Cost: 3,500
• Score Target: 20,000
• Loss Penalty: 20,000
• Overperformance Capacity: 5,000

Marathon Ranked Tag Chip Values

Bungie also shared the values for Tag Chips:

Tag Chip

• Value: 250
• Overperformance Capacity: 400
• Max Stack Size: 5

Polished Tag Chip

• Value: 700
• Overperformance Capacity: 1,000
• Max Stack Size: 3

Marathon Ranked Mode Ranks

Ranked progression is split into six main ranks:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Pinnacle

Each rank has three tiers, so the ladder is broken up into steps like Bronze 3, Bronze 2, Bronze 1, and so on.

Marathon Ranked Rewards

Bungie says Ranked rewards are based on the highest rank you reached during the season, not your final rank at the end. That means you do not have to worry about dropping late and losing access to your best reward tier.

Every season will have its own set of Ranked rewards, and Bungie says Season 1 will include:

• A Ranked emblem based on your highest rank reached
• Pinnacle: Gun Style and Title
• Diamond: Gun Style
• Platinum: Gun Style
• Gold: Runner Shell Style (Destroyer) and Title
• Silver: Player Background

On top of that, Bungie says every time you reach a new rank during the season, you will also get a loot package containing gear and room keys for randomly selected zones.

In other Marathon news, the highly anticipated Cryo Archive map is also expected to go live very soon, likely sometime this week as well.

What are your thoughts on Marathon's take on the Ranked mode? Let us know in the comments below!