Choose Marathon
Choose Marathon if you want the Adjustable Text Size, Subtitle Options, and Keyboard Only Option side of the pairing. On Steam, it carries the stronger Steam consensus at 87.7% positive across 29,474 reviews.
Marathon vs Escape from Tarkov
Marathon and Escape from Tarkov both land in Action on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both are Action games on Steam. Escape from Tarkov (2025) is 1 year older than Marathon (2026). Marathon scores higher on Steam reviews (87.7% positive) than Escape from Tarkov (60.2% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Escape from Tarkov
Choose Escape from Tarkov if you want a Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, and RPG game with MMO, Online Co-op, and Co-op. On Steam, it has co-op, so you can bring a friend. 10,183 Steam reviews back the pick.
Both Marathon and Escape from Tarkov sit in Action on Steam and both list Multi-player, Online PvP, and PvP, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Use the side-by-side table for the feature view, or follow the "Games like" links below to see ranked alternatives for either title.
Side-by-side comparison
 Marathon |  Escape from Tarkov | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2026 | 2025 |
| Genres | Action | Action, Simulation, Massively Multiplayer, RPG |
| Platforms | Windows | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Unsupported | Deck Unsupported |
| Price | 39.99 USD | 49.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 87.7% positive (29,474 reviews) | 60.2% positive (10,183 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Cross-Platform Multiplayer | Multi-player, Online Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Bungie | Battlestate Games |
Side by side
- Both are Action games on Steam.
- Escape from Tarkov (2025) is 1 year older than Marathon (2026).
- Marathon scores higher on Steam reviews (87.7% positive) than Escape from Tarkov (60.2% positive).
- Marathon is currently ~20% cheaper on Steam than Escape from Tarkov (39.99 USD vs. 49.99 USD).
- Escape from Tarkov has co-op; Marathon does not.
- Both are Deck Unsupported.
Marathon vs Escape from Tarkov — FAQ
- Which is better, Marathon or Escape from Tarkov?
- On Steam reviews Marathon scores higher (87.7% positive) than Escape from Tarkov (60.2% positive). Both have enough reviews to trust the signal, so for players using reviews alone, Marathon is the safer pick. Genre fit still matters — check the side-by-side table for the categories each game lands in.
- Should I play Marathon or Escape from Tarkov first?
- If you want chronology, Escape from Tarkov (2025) came out before Marathon (2026). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Marathon and Escape from Tarkov similar?
- They overlap on Action on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.