How To Pick a Good Online Slot

Welcome to the circus that is the modern online slot world. Once a quaint corner of the internet, it’s now a heaving metropolis of flashing reels, bonus gimmicks, and more Egyptian-themed games than a discount museum gift shop. There are more slots than ever before, which means you have more choice… and more chances to regret your decisions.

On the plus side, nearly every game now doubles as a perfectly functioning mobile slot. This way, you can spiral into regret from your phone, your tablet, or your smart fridge. Whatever suits. The key takeaway? There’s a slot game out there for everyone. And if you’re not careful, there are about forty-seven games that’ll eat your wallet just the same.

Before you start throwing your paycheck into the digital abyss, take a moment to figure out what kind of games tickle your fancy. If you’re new to all this, just start with a theme you actually enjoy. Ancient civilizations, alien invasions, or that weird obsession you have with fruit. Don’t worry, we’ll hold your hand.

Slot Themes

Explore Themes

Slot Features

Explore Features

Slot Types

Explore Types

Slot Series

Explore Series

Deciding Your Favourite Slot Theme

Picking a theme might sound like choosing which pair of socks to wear before a court date. But in the slot world, it’s a good place to start. Themes are the eye-candy of the casino world. They don’t tell you much about the slot’s soul, but at least you won’t hate looking at it.

And oh boy, are there slot themes. Ancient Egypt? You’ve got Tutankhamun, Mummy Gold, Queen of Riches, Treasure of the Pyramids, Crown of Egypt, Egyptian Rise, and about thirty others with Cleopatra just vibing in the background. Did I mention The Book of Dead? The most iconic of them all. Like the pyramids themselves, this theme refuses to die.

But don’t let that fool you into thinking all slots with the same theme play the same. They don’t. In fact, many are so different under the hood you’d think the only thing linking them is a shared hieroglyphic. That’s because different developers build their own Frankenstein versions of each theme. Some are masterpieces; others should be buried in the Valley of the Kings.

Branded slots (you know, the ones based on TV shows, movies, comic books, and game shows) are usually a safer bet. Why? Because they’re expensive to make, and nobody wants their big-budget fantasy epic slot looking like it was animated in PowerPoint. These bad boys often come with references, voice lines, original soundtracks, and if you're lucky, some half-decent gameplay.

Feeling spoiled for choice? Here's a small sample of slot themes that dominate the reels:

• Ancient Egypt slots (surprise!)
• Vikings slots (because axes are cool)
• Horror slots (prepare to be mildly startled)
• Oriental (a.k.a. Asian slots, dragons and koi fish galore)
• Branded Slots (TV, movies, comics, game shows)
• Music (slots for your inner rock god)
• Adventure slots (read: Tomb Raider knockoffs)
• Aliens & Space slots (the truth is on reel 3)
• Fruit slots (because it’s not a slot unless there’s a cherry)
• Irish slots (featuring at least one intoxicated leprechaun)
• Classics (you know, for purists and time travellers)
• Wild west slots (where you get to play Sheriff)

Ah, jackpots. The digital equivalent of finding a suitcase full of cash in a parking lot. Only instead of bending down to pick it up, you throw coins into a hole until someone else finds it. Jackpot slots are the most popular games in any online casino, and for good reason: they promise big money from tiny stakes. What’s not to love?

Well, a few things, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

There are two kinds of jackpots:

1. Standard Jackpots

These are your classic, fixed-sum prizes. They’re usually funded by the casino or developer and get slapped onto otherwise regular slots. To win? Just land a very specific combination that almost certainly won’t appear until your next reincarnation. But hey, it’s possible.

Don’t confuse “max win” with “jackpot.” A max win is the highest payout possible, usually shown as a multiplier of your stake. Think 5,000x or 10,000x. A jackpot is a prize that can hit regardless of whether you're betting $1 or $1,000. In theory, anyway.

2. Progressive Jackpots

Now here’s the crack cocaine of slot jackpots. Progressive jackpots grow every time someone spins the reels. A slice of every bet (say, 10%) feeds into the prize pool like a digital Ponzi scheme except someone does eventually win.

Let’s say you’re spinning at $10 a pop. $1 might be heading straight into the progressive pot. Multiply that by thousands of players across multiple casinos and suddenly, you’re looking at seven-figure jackpots. Yes, some of these monsters have paid out eight-figure sums, enough to ruin your relationships and your taxes. 

That’s because progressive jackpots are usually networked across dozens of casinos. It’s not just you feeding the beast, it’s every other hopeful sap out there, too. (If you're curious to know which jackpot slot fits in this monster category, I've dropped one below.)

Now here comes the bitter pill: jackpot slots are often the worst value games. Low RTP, high volatility, and underwhelming base gameplay. They're casino bait, pure spectacle. Great for a thrill, terrible for bankroll longevity.

If you’re in it for the adrenaline and the chance to retire in Aruba, go nuts. If you care about RTP, features, or not hating every second between bonus rounds, maybe stick to the good stuff.

Volatility and RTP – What’s Important When Choosing a Good Online Slot?

Look, if you’re going to throw money at flashing lights and spinning reels, the least you can do is understand how the damn things work. No, really. Knowing your way around RTP and volatility is the bare minimum. Before you even pick a theme, or get seduced by some Cleopatra clone, head straight for the how to read the slots paytable. Read it like it’s your ex’s diary. There are clues everywhere.

Let’s break down the basics:

RTP – Return to Your Player Tears

RTP stands for “Return to Player,” which is the game’s way of saying, “Here’s how much of your money might come back if you spin for a decade.” It’s shown as a percentage. A slot with 95% RTP means, theoretically, the players who play that game get $0.95 back for every $1 gambled… over the course of several hundred thousand spins. Not exactly a pension plan. Still, your wisest bet should go on the best RTP slots. You know, just in case.

And no, that doesn’t mean you’ll get $0.95 back every spin. That would be far too kind. It’s an average, over time, like how your gym membership is technically useful but rarely used. 

Now, if that sounds grim, just wait. We’ve got volatility to spice it up.

Volatility – AKA: The Emotional Rollercoaster Meter

Volatility is the slot’s payout pattern. Basically, how often you get kicked in the teeth versus handed a surprise bouquet of cash. It’s usually rated as low, medium, or high, and the difference can feel like comparing a polite slap to a flying brick.

Low volatility slots are for players who want frequent little wins. Think of them as the slots equivalent of drip-feed serotonin. Not life-changing, but at least you don’t go broke in ten spins. These are ideal for smaller bankrolls or anyone who prefers entertainment over heartbreak.

High volatility slots are the opposite: they can go a hundred spins without a whiff of a win then suddenly hit you with a payout that makes you question your life decisions in a good way. They’re moody, unpredictable, and wildly exciting… kind of like dating in your 30s. Big wins? Possible. Frequent wins? LOL.

Medium volatility slots sit somewhere in the middle, like a slot machine that still texts you “Happy Birthday” but ghosted you the week before.

Both RTP and volatility are coded into every game, and while they don’t guarantee anything short-term (this is still gambling, folks), knowing how to read them helps you avoid getting fleeced like a first-year uni student buying crypto.

So What Should You Look For?

In a perfect world? High RTP and low volatility. A slot that showers you with love and asks for little in return. In reality? Most jackpot games have terrible RTPs and high volatility but tempt you with seven-figure payouts like a toxic ex promising they’ve changed.

If you’re on a tight budget and like spinning without your heart rate spiking, stick with low volatility slots. They’ll keep your balance alive longer than your last situationship.

If you’ve got the bankroll, the nerve, and a fondness for emotional chaos, go for high volatility slots. Just don’t come crying to us if you hit nothing but dead spins for 30 minutes straight.

Still confused? It’s kind of like choosing casino games with a low house edge. You’re just picking your flavour of risk. Will it be mild regret or full-on financial trauma? The choice is yours.

Slots aren’t just “spin and pray” anymore. They’re Frankenstein machines stitched together with mechanics designed to tease, tempt, and occasionally pay. Here’s the no-nonsense tour of the most prestigious (and notorious) features you’ll meet in the wild.

Bonus Buy (Feature Buy)

Why wait for free spins when you can buy disappointment instantly? Bonus buy slots let you pay a fixed multiple of your bet (commonly 60x–200x, but it can be higher) to trigger the bonus round on demand. It’s brilliant for testing bonus potential; it’s terrible if you buy five in a row and get air.

Examples: Extra Chilli Megaways (Big Time Gaming), Money Train 4 (Relax Gaming), Sugar Rush 1000 (Pragmatic Play).

FYI: Not available in some regions; check your casino’s version.

ReelPlay’s Infinity Reels adds new reels when you land right-edge wins: keep going, keep adding, keep sweating. Other games expand reels in bonuses to boost ways/rows.

Examples: El Dorado Infinity Reels (ReelPlay), Giza Infinity Reels; expansion cousins appear all over Megaways bonuses.

PowerNudge

Pragmatic’s toy: instead of full cascades, reels nudge down one step to reveal new results, often compounding multipliers or scatters.

Examples: Rise of Giza PowerNudge, Goblin Heist PowerNudge (Pragmatic Play).

Walking/Sticky/Expanding Wilds

Wilds that walk across reels with respins, stick for multiple spins, or expand to fill reels. Classic, effective, occasionally glorious.

Examples: Walking: Jack and the Beanstalk (NetEnt), Wild Toro (ELK). Sticky: Dead or Alive 2 (NetEnt). Expanding: every other slot since 2012.

Big Time Gaming’s golden goose. Reels change height every spin, creating up to 117,649 ways to win (sometimes more with modifiers). Chaos, but in a good way (when it wants to be).

Examples: Bonanza Megaways (BTG), Great Rhino Megaways (Pragmatic Play), Gonzo’s Quest Megaways (Red Tiger/NetEnt), Buffalo Rising Megaways (Blueprint).

From modest x2 wilds to progressive multipliers that soar during cascades or bonuses. These can turn a drizzle into a flood.

Examples: Gonzo’s Quest (avalanche multiplier), Razor Shark (Push; multiplying reveals), Dog House Megaways (Pragmatic; sticky multiplier wilds).

Twin/Linked Reels & Synced Mayhem

Reels that sync to show identical symbols in the same positions; sometimes expand to triplets or more for silly win potential.

Examples: Twin Spin (NetEnt), many ELK/Blueprint titles with synchronized stacks.

Ways to Win (243/1024/All Ways)

Because counting lines is for archaeologists. 243+ ways pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels from left to right, no fixed lines needed. It’s the peanut butter of slot systems: everywhere, reliable, occasionally crunchy.

Mystery Symbols & Symbol Upgrades

“Mystery” positions transform into the same symbol; upgrades replace low pays with mediums/high pays for a spin or an entire bonus.

Examples: Eastern Emeralds Megaways (Quickspin; mystery), Dead Canary (Nolimit; upgrades and chaos), countless Pragmatic “mystery symbol” specials.

Forget paylines: wins in Cluster Pays slots form by landing clusters of matching symbols. Often paired with cascades/avalanches/tumbles where winning symbols vanish and new ones drop in, chaining hits and building multipliers.

Examples: Aloha! Cluster Pays (NetEnt), Reactoonz (Play’n GO), Jammin’ Jars (Push Gaming), Sweet Bonanza (Pragmatic Play).

Yggdrasil’s mechanic zoo:

• Gigablox: Giant symbols (2×2 up to 6×6) drop in to create chunky wins. Lucky Neko Gigablox.
• Splitz: Mystery stacks split into multiple symbols, juicing ways. Temple Stacks Splitz.
• MultiMax: Multipliers build on each reel/line and can stack. Raptor DoubleMax.
• GigaRise: Reels expand vertically during features. Hades GigaRise.

Welcome to the pain factory.

• xNudge: Wilds nudge to full height; each nudge cranks a multiplier. High drama, higher volatility.
  Examples: Tombstone and Deadwood (Nolimit City).
• xWays: Mystery symbols expand to reveal stacks of the same symbol, boosting ways.
  Examples: San Quentin xWays, Punk Rocker.
• xSplit/xBomb: Split symbols for extra positions; xBombs blow up adjacent symbols and raise multipliers.

Examples: xWays Hoarder xSplit, Fire in the Hole xBomb.

The “fill the board” mini-game: land coins (or cash symbols) to trigger a respin feature with sticky values. Hit new coins to reset spins; fill enough positions to unlock jackpots or multipliers. It’s candy for the brain.

Examples: Money Train 2/3 (Relax), Hyper Gold Link & Win (Games Global), Hold & Win series (Playson), Cash Collect series (Playtech).

Variant: 'Collect on reel 6' style (Money + Collect symbol together), seen in Pragmatic Play’s phoenix/firebird clones and beyond.

Extra-spicy bonus variants with better starting positions, more multipliers, or guaranteed features. Some games let you gamble your free spins for a juiced-up version. Because what’s gambling without more gambling?

Examples: San Quentin (Super Bonus potential), Extra Chilli Megaways (gamble for more spins), ELK’s X-iter modes (pay for tailored bonus flavors).

Ante Bet / Double Chance

Pay ~25% more per spin to increase the chance of landing the bonus (or more scatters). You’re literally buying hope. Sometimes it works.

Examples: Gates of Olympus “Double Chance” (Pragmatic), many Megaways titles with ante toggles.

Jackpots Inside Features

Fixed minis/majors or progressive wheels stuffed into respins and free spins. If you see a wheel, someone wants you excited.

Examples: Divine Fortune (NetEnt; Mini/Major/Mega during respins), countless “jackpot wheel” clones across Games Global/Playtech/Blueprint.

Now, if you’re signing up to a new casino and not taking the welcome bonus, what are you doing? These bonuses are basically bribes dressed up as gifts, and you should absolutely take them.

The most common variety is the deposit bonus, where the casino matches what you put in and gives you extra bonus money to blow on real-money games. This bonus cash lives alongside your real cash like a sneaky roommate who doesn’t pay rent but still eats your cereal.

In addition to bonus funds, you’re also likely to be handed a bunch of free spins.. These are usually tied to one specific slot and act like a sampler platter. Ideal for seeing whether the game is a gourmet delight or deep-fried trash.

Sometimes free-spins winnings are paid as straight cash, no strings attached. Other times they’re trapped behind wagering requirements and fine print, a.k.a. “you can have it after 35 Houdini-level escape tricks.”

Finding Your Favourite Slot Game Developers

The online slots industry is flooded with more game developers than there are reality TV shows about rich people doing nothing. Some are household names. Others sound like IKEA furniture lines. But each brings its own twisted flavor to the buffet, whether that’s quirky themes, brutal volatility, or features that don’t make you want to uninstall the casino app.

Now, don’t be fooled by size. Sure, big names pump out hundreds of games like slot-factory overlords, but some of the weird little indie devs? They’re the ones dropping cult classics like bombs in a pigeon sanctuary. The moral? Just because a developer has 500 slots doesn’t mean any of them are actually fun.

Below are some of the more infamous, iconic, and occasionally excellent developers currently doing laps around the online casino arena:

• Pragmatic Play – Arguably the most popular provider on the planet. A relentless release machine: loud features, bonus buys, and volatility that either kisses your bankroll or sets it on fire.
• Games Global – The post-Microgaming mothership. Dozens of partner studios under one roof (think Triple Edge, Stormcraft, Gameburger et al.), a firehose of weekly releases, and the Mega Moolah / WowPot progressive networks humming in the background.
• NetEnt – Once the crown jewel, now prone to remakes nobody asked for. Divine Fortune Black, anyone?
• Yggdrasil – Fancy visuals, odd names, and the occasional game that slaps harder than your credit card bill.
• Play’n GO – Makers of Book of Dead, Rise of Olympus, and 700 other Book-based cash vacuums.
• Nolimit City – The slot world’s tattooed bad boy. If you’re into high-risk, brutally chaotic games, welcome home.
• ELK Studios – Slick art, clever math, and X-iter modes for tailored chaos. The Toro series headbutts with style.
• Hacksaw Gaming – Volatility with a death wish. Scratch-card roots, meme-tier hits, and max wins that arrive like a surprise audit.

Try a few from each before you settle. You never know which developer will understand your very specific kink for space‑fruit‑vampire slots with 243 paylines and a jazz flute soundtrack.

If the Oscars handed out trophies for flashing reels and questionable bonus rounds, this would be it. Welcome to the Slots Hall of Fame, our annual awards show where we crown the best, the worst, and the “what on earth were they thinking?” of the slot world.

We’re talking categories that actually matter, like:

• 🎖 Best Studio of the Year – For developers who still know how to code without crying.
• 💩 Worst Slot of the Year – A polite way of saying, “please never make this again.”
• 🍭 Sweetest Slot of the Year – For games that rot your teeth while lightening your wallet.
• 🎧 Bleeding Ears Award – Because some soundtracks should come with earplugs.
• 🚫 Most Politically Incorrect Slot of the Year – You know the ones.
• 👑 Best Slot Character – For the reel heroes who actually make spinning tolerable.
• 🍼 Best New Slot – The freshest face in the casino kindergarten.
• 💰 Best Jackpot Slots (Land-Based) – For when digital just isn’t dramatic enough.
• 🥱 Beige Award: Blandest Studio of the Year – The game-makers who put us to sleep faster than Fat Fish Festival.
• 🎰 Best Land-Based Slots – Proof the old-school cabinets still have some fight left.

Whether it’s celebrating a masterpiece or mocking a disaster, our Hall of Fame (and Shame) separates the legends from the landfill. Curious who won? Check out the full list of awards on our Slots Hall of Fame page. It’s more fun than half the slots on the market.

Not every slot is a diamond in the rough. Some are just rough. In fact, there are games so catastrophically bad they should come with a health warning. What makes a slot truly awful? A lethal cocktail of low RTP, uninspired themes, and gameplay that feels like watching beige paint dry. Toss in bonus rounds that never trigger and graphics that could’ve been whipped up on MS Paint, and congratulations. You’ve found a slot not even your nan would play for free.

We’ve seen it all: Jelly Candy pretending to be sweet but offering the payout value of a vending machine refund, Resurrecting Riches dragging Pragmatic Play’s reputation further into the grave, and Fat Fish Festival, a fishing slot so bland you’d rather watch a puddle evaporate. These disasters share one thing in common: they look like fun, but they’ll drain your bankroll quicker than you can say “where’s my bonus round?”

Want the full gallery of shame? Check out our guide to the worst online slots to waste your money on, a list that proves not all reels deserve to be spun.

Slot Game Demos – Try Before You Buy

Here’s a radical idea: try the slot before you punt your rent money on it. Welcome to the beautiful world of demo play, where you get all the flashing lights, scatter symbols, and bonus round hype without having to sell your soul or swipe your card.

Demo slots let you spin for play money, which is basically Monopoly cash for adults with impulse control issues. You get a fake balance to test everything: payouts, volatility, and whether or not the game’s soundtrack makes you want to gouge your eardrums out. It’s identical to the real-money version, except your tears of financial loss are simulated.

So if the slot you’ve got your eye on offers demo mode? For the love of logic, use it. Learn the difference between scatters and wilds, figure out what actually triggers free spins, and get a grip on how the bonus round works before you hand over real cash like a hopeful toddler at a claw machine.

Conclusion

So, what have we learned? That online slots are everywhere, that some are shiny jackpots wrapped in lies, and that others are so bad they should be banished to a landfill alongside VHS copies of Cats. With hundreds of titles at every casino, picking the right one isn’t about luck, it’s about doing a little homework and not falling for every flashing neon promise.

Read the reviews at Casinos.com (you know, the ones that actually tell you if a slot’s worth your time). Use demo play whenever you can, because testing a slot for free before committing real money is the closest thing to common sense you’ll get in this industry. And if demo mode isn’t available? Start small. Baby steps into the abyss, my friend. If the slot feels good, ramp up. If it feels like Jelly Candy, run.

Slots can be thrilling, frustrating, rewarding, or downright criminal. The trick is learning which is which before your bankroll vanishes faster than a leprechaun in an Irish-themed slot.