The NFL season starts tonight, and Madden 24 is celebrating in a couple of ways. To begin with, Xbox and PlayStation players who haven't bought the football game can check it out for free now through September 10.

It's a Free Play Weekend for Madden 24, according to Electronic Arts. Though PC owners are left out in the cold, as the global trial is only open to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S players.

In addition, EA announced that Madden 24 broke a digital sales record for a single week. Not only that, but the company stated that the sports game also saw more players during the first week versus Madden 23. All of those people apparently preferred playing as the Baltimore Ravens. EA noted they were the "most used team."

Working at EA for over 10 years, NFL veteran Clint Oldenburg helped lead development on Madden 24. He admitted--perhaps half-jokingly--that mentally the feedback to the sports game is harder than playing in a road game.

Madden 24 launched August 18, and the launch trailer had cover star Josh Allen and Justin Jefferson showing out. Jefferson, the standout Minnesota Vikings receiver, is part of the exclusive 99 overall club as one of Madden 24's best players. There are only four other players on that list: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Zack Martin, and Aaron Donald.

For more, check out GameSpot's Madden 24 review.