Technologies

How to Join Bungie’s Marathon Alpha Test Ahead of Its September Launch

Discover the fortune and secrets of Tau Ceti IV in new gameplay footage.

Marathon, the long-dormant sci-fi shooter from Bungie, makes its return in September. For players who want to try out the new game before it comes out, there will be a closed alpha test starting later this month.

A trilogy of games released on the Mac back in the ’90s, Marathon put Bungie on the map before it released Halo on the original Xbox. This latest iteration of Marathon is a complete overhaul of the original formula, going from an old-school 3D first-person shooter like Doom to a team-based extraction shooter. Players take the role of runners who drop onto the planet of Tau Ceti IV to search for loot, fortune and secrets.

//RUN 🏃
Infilling on September 23, 2025.#MarathonReveal pic.twitter.com/2SXpzPxkA0

— Marathon (@MarathonTheGame) April 12, 2025

Here’s what you need to know about Marathon.

When does Marathon come out?

Marathon will be released on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series consoles on Sept. 23.

How much will Marathon cost?

Bungie hasn’t yet provided a price as of the game’s reveal on Saturday. The developer did say on its Marathon X account that the game will not be a «full-priced title,» which should refer to the standard $70 price tag on new games. There is speculation that Marathon could be priced from $40 to $50, although at that price, there will likely be a wealth of microtransactions.

When does the Marathon closed alpha test start?

The closed alpha test begins on April 23 and runs through May 4.

How can I join the Marathon closed alpha test?

Those interested in joining the closed alpha test can sign up at the Marathon Discord channel. Once you’re in the channel, follow these steps:

Go to the «alpha_access» channel (a link to that channel can be found in the «marathon-news» channel)
Once in «alpha_access,» type in «/alpha»
You’ll receive a private message with instructions and a unique link to sign up for the test
If you’re picked, you will receive an email from marathonthegame@info.bungie.net sometime before the alpha test starts

What is this new Marathon?

Marathon has players explore the lost human colony on Tau Ceti IV, either as a team or solo. They’ll have to explore zones occupied by rival players, computer-controlled forces and other threats on the planet. Players choose from different runner classes, such as the stealth Void, which can use active camo.

The game is an extraction shooter, the latest craze in gaming genres. Extraction shooters differ from looter shooters such as Borderlands and The Division, because you need to escape the area (hence extraction) in order to keep all the loot you’ve gathered. Die and all those goodies are up for grabs for other players. The more loot you return with, the better the chances of survival next time.

How does the new Marathon game connect to the older games?

In the original Marathon games, Tau Ceti IV was the home to a human colony of 30,000 people. It was ultimately destroyed by an alien race called the Pfhor that was working with an AI called Durandal.

At the end of the gameplay reveal on Saturday, Bungie released a cinematic video providing some insight about the Runners exploring Tau Ceti IV. There are some questions about what really happened to the colony, and the details about this will ultimately be revealed as players explore the world.

Technologies

Tinder Users Must Start Logging In With Their Faces, Starting Nationwide

The social app now has new US requirements including face identification to help quell longstanding problems with catfishing and more.

US Tinder users will find a new feature when they open up the dating app starting Wednesday: A mandatory Face Check on their phones will be required before they can log into their profiles.

The Face Check step will begin with a new request to record a video of your face, a more casual version of setting up Apple’s Face ID login. Tinder will then run checks comparing your face data to your current profile pics and automatically create a small face badge for your profile. We already know how it works, because Tinder has already launched the feature in Canada and California before the full US rollout.

The technology, powered by FaceTec, will keep biometric data of the user’s face in encrypted form but discard the scanning video for privacy. Tinder will be able to use the face data to detect duplicate accounts, in an effort to cut down on fake profiles and identity theft.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Tinder’s facial recognition rollout is also made to prevent catfishing, or people pretending to be someone else on Tinder to scam or blackmail them. But that also points to a deeper problem on the rise in dating apps — a growing number of bots, many controlled by AI, are designed to glean personal information or fool users into scammy subscriptions, among other problems.

Tinder’s working against these bots on several fronts, including this Face Check push as well as ID Check, which requires a government-issued ID and other types of photo verification.

The dating app also recently released a feature in June to enable double-dating with your friends, which Tinder reports is especially popular with Gen Z users. If you’re worried about the latest hazards on Tinder, we have guide to safety practices.

A representative for Tinder did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, Oct. 23

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Oct. 23.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Like some weather, memories and I.P.A.s
Answer: HAZY

5A clue: Statement that’s self-evidently true
Answer: AXIOM

7A clue: Civic automaker
Answer: HONDA

8A clue: What fear leads to, as Yoda told a young Anakin
Answer: ANGER

9A clue: Foxlike
Answer: SLY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Verbal «lol»
Answer: HAHA

2D clue: Brain signal transmitter
Answer: AXON

3D clue: Hits with a witty comeback
Answer: ZINGS

4D clue: Sing at the top of a mountain, maybe
Answer: YODEL

6D clue: Name of the famous «Queen of Scots»
Answer: MARY

Technologies

Today’s NYT Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

Looking for the most recent Strands answer? Click here for our daily Strands hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers: