Marathon features Solos and Trios, but what about Duos? Since launch, you might have been asking Bungie nicely for the inclusion of Duos, especially when you often play as a pair. Thankfully, Bungie has heard your cries and released Duos as an experimental mode.

Duos in Marathon is only available on one map at a time, which resets every 1 hour and 30 minutes. Below, you'll find how to look for which map is currently queuing Duos, and how you can avoid seeing that pesky lock icon on maps you want to visit as a pair.

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How to Play Duos in Marathon (& Why It's Sometimes Locked)

  • You can play duos by looking for the map on the "Prepare" screen that has the blue icon next to it.
  • Duos will only be active in one zone at a time, so if you try to click Duos on a map without the blue icon, it will appear locked.

Every 1 hour and 30 minutes, there is a chance that the zone currently on Duos will rotate to another map, and these maps can consist of Perimeter, Dire Marsh, or Outpost.

If you're interested in playing Duos on a map that currently doesn't have Duos on the rotation, then you can always select Trios and then refuse to Crew Fill. However, this is far more dangerous, as you're still going to have to fight Trios!

The option of Duos is great for those in a pair, but just make sure you're coming equipped with the best team meta, as you'll still want to work together and make sure the best Runner shields are combined so you can win the fight.

Looking to optimize your loot and win rate? Check out our other Marathon guides:

Marathon Tag Page Cover Art
9/10

Marathon
Extraction Shooter
FPS
Multiplayer
Systems
PC-1 Playstation Logo Xbox-1
Top Critic Avg: 81/100 Critics Rec: 72%
Released
March 5, 2026
ESRB
Teen / Animated Blood, Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Bungie
Publisher(s)
Bungie
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL

Genre(s)
Extraction Shooter, FPS, Multiplayer