Madden 24 Beta: Top 5 new features uncovered so far ahead of August release

As with every NFL season, Madden 24 Beta is here, and it promises a lot of new and exciting features.

While it will be released on Aug. 18 this year, news is filtering through about some of the best new conceps in the game. Here are five that have caught our attention.

#1 Madden 24 Beta introduces cross-play

Madden 24 is finally coming out with cross-play. This features is available in Play Now, H2H Ranked, Superstar: The League, Superstar: Showdown, and Madden Ultimate Team. Cross-play is automatically enabled for PlayStation and PC users, but for X-box users, they need to visit general systems to disable or enable it.

It means players on Xbox Series X|S PS5, and PC can face opponents on other platforms. The thing is that it's not available on franchise mode, which EA expects to have ready as early as Madden 25. However, there are other changes in the franchise mode that we discuss below.

#2 More slots and details per trade

Madden 24 beta is showing us that this game is going to be bigger and better than ever before.

Since 2008, there has been a limitation of three slots per trade. That does not mirror the NFL, where big names can command more than three players or picks in return. See the Aaron Rodgers trade, for example, between the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets.

Madden 24 ensures to bring parity between real life and the game. Now, there will be up to six slots present. However, the logic behind the trade still remains unclear, which should be set right with time.

Nevertheless, there are some limitations: six slots do not mean one can trade six players. The cap for that is still three at maximum but can be supplemented with three draft picks. There's no cap on picks, so one could go and make a trade that includes five picks and one player but not vice-versa.

Another good news is that those draft picks can come from the next three years, which is a change from the previous two years. So, in Madden 24, the 2024, 2025 and 2026 NFL Draft picks are all tradeable.

#3 Reordering and restructuring galore

Sticking with the franchise mode, as that does not get the love it deserves, we have one of the most useful tools available in a long time.

Players have often faced a situation that has driven them crazy. They take all the time to get their roster right and get the depth chart correct. That means ensuring that the right people get on the field at any given time.

All that goes for a toss in current Madden configuration, though, as you sign a new position player that auto reorders the depth chart. That creates havoc for the Madden player, as they are caught unawares. Thankfully, in Madden 24, a toggle button allows one to turn that function off.

Another good news related to the roster comes in the form of contract restructuring. That has been a consistent demand, and EA has finally delivers on that. Granted, there's only one type possible where you spread money around the contract duration, but it's still a start.

#4 Commissioners, drafts and free agency

Commissioners have many extra tools at their disposal. They can customize player progression and regression.

They also have the ability to turn off or on Momentum (M) factors. Another tool allows them to customize play cool down periods between offense and defense. As the commissioner, one can also now limit the amount of free agent bids placed by any team.

On the rookie draft side, there's more variety in the auto-generated classes, but the system remains the same. Snake draft functionality is a new addition that could be a boon in a large group of user-controlled teams.

#5 Training camp, weekly practice and mini games

In the franchise mode, in between seasons, one can now make use of training camps. It, sure, sounds exciting, but the full details of how it will work is a bit sketchy.

Among many automatic changes, one thing that has been removed is player progression through weekly practice. In past versions, that was automated, but Madden 24 stipulates that one must actually do this for their players to progress.

Mini games are also expected to be part of the franchise mode.

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Overall, there are some exciting changes coming from EA with relation to Madden 24.

The beta testing is currently ongoing, and it's limited to a select group. They're strongly guarding any information that could come out, but we got the aforementioned snippets that point to one of the most exciting versions ever. August cannot roll in soon enough.