Bungie's new extraction shooter Marathon was released two weeks ago now on March 5, 2026, but the complete Marathon experience wasn't live in that full release. It was missing a final piece of the puzzle, an endgame raid called Cryo Archive that players knew about, but would have to unlock by solving a series of ARG (alternate reality game) puzzles.
Today, the community was finally able to collectively solve the last piece of the puzzle, and Bungie revealed the launch trailer for Cryo Archive which will officially be available as of tomorrow, March 20, 2026, at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BT.
A post shared on the game's official X (formerly Twitter) account read, "Access granted. You have found your way to the Marathon. The ice around Cryo Archive cracks and groans. It seems nothing can stop you from getting in. It will be interesting to see if you can get out."
There's been a lot of talk about requirements for Cryo Archive, and just two days ago when Bungie released the latest patch for the game, the studio also made players aware of a previously unknown third requirement for accessing the fourth raid. On top of needing to be Season Level 25 and have all factions unlocked, players will also need to go in with a loadout valued at 5K credits.
Today, in a blog post providing even more details on Cryo Archive, the studio also revealed a few more elements regarding how players will be able to access the raid. Specifically that Cryo Archive will only be available to play on weekends. It's similar to how the game's Ranked mode will work, which is also only going to be available on weekends. You'll also need a team of three, confirming that there will not be a solo queue option for Cryo Archive.
It's an approach that not every player seems to appreciate, but considering how it's possible for players to lose all of their gear that makes them eligible for playing Ranked and Cyro Archive in one day, it's not the worst thing to know that you have the week to build your Vault and loadouts back up so you can be ready to try again the following weekend.
As for what's waiting for players in Cryo Archive, Bungie has described this wing of the UESC Marathon ship as a "labyrinth of cryopods, medical bays, and storage wings" with "six interconnected wings with a central hub." You'll move through its narrow hallways that lead into wide open spaces to discover seven Vaults that house "some of the most lucrative loot in the game, some of which you can't find anywhere else."
Each Vault requires a specific Vault key, and accessing them will also require completing their specific challenges and puzzles. Vault keys can be found in the other three zones, Perimeter, Dire Marsh, and Outpost, and as well as on the UESC Marathon in Cryo Archive.
"Once you're inside a Vault, you'll work through tense puzzle interactions and race against other crews who know exactly how valuable these rooms are," the blog post reads. But once you've successfully made it through all of Cryo Archive's challenges, the last hurdle will be getting off the ship, and it won't be as simple as it is when you exfil from one of Tau Ceti IV's planet-side zones.
"Exfils on Cryo Archive are less reliable and follow different rules than the planet-side zones," Bungie writes. "You'll need to learn how exfils work to secure your way off the ship." That's all the help Bungie provides, which means your first trip to Cryo Archive will likely be a learning experience that could very easily result in you losing all of the high-value gear you enter with and the high-tier loot you try to extract with.
Thankfully, everyone who meets the requirements for entering Cryo Archive will also get one free trip into the raid. "This is a bundle of blue-tier gear specifically tuned to get you through an early Cryo Archive run without having to risk your favourite items on attempt number one," Bungie writes.
So at least we'll all get one free chance. And if you're able to exfil with that free kit, all the better.
For more on Marathon, check out our hub page for all of our coverage of Bungie's new shooter. You can also check out my in-progress review, which will be updated with a score once I've had the chance to jump into Cryo Archive myself and experience the full breadth of Bungie's new extraction shooter.
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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