Best Online Slots

What It Takes To Be The Best Online Slot

We have compiled several factors that will help you decide if an online slot is good enough for you to spend your real money on it. You can find them detailed below.

Random Numbers Generator (RNG)

RNG engines are the key technology that makes slot outcomes fair, ensuring that you always have a good chance of beating the casino. RNG technology completely randomises the outcome of your spin. Regardless of how often you have won or lost or how much the casino has lost during one of your gambling sessions, the outcome will remain completely independent.

Licensing

To play a slot legally in your country, you will need to make sure that it is available in casinos that are licensed by your local regulator. For example, if you are a UK player, you need to make sure that the United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC) regulates the slot.

When a slot receives approval from a top regulator, you should be reassured about a number of factors. Firstly, it ensures the slot is fair and the outcomes are completely random. Secondly, it guarantees that a minimum quality of gameplay has been achieved. This will stop your experience from being interrupted by bugs. Finally, most regulators publish when an operator or developer has been fined or caught breaking the rules. This level of transparency can help you decide whether you should trust a slot.

Third Party Testing

All good slots will have been tested by a third party. This guarantees that the randomness of the game’s outcome has been properly verified in the lab. Moreover, you can learn more about the quality of a slot and the best strategies for playing on it by looking at the reviews created by the third party. Here, you can learn more about the themes and gameplay and understand if the slot will appeal to you.

Popularity

There are thousands of slots that players now have access to. While some of the best games garner millions of plays each game, others barely manage to reach a dozen players. There is an undeniable extent to which the number of players correlates to the quality of the gaming experience. This is because players choose to return frequently to their favourite slots, but if they don’t like one, then they won’t go back.

However, when assessing the popularity of a slot, please note that the online casino industry is not kind to grassroots developers. Often, the most popular new slots are created by leading developers who have partnerships with the biggest online casinos in the world. Meanwhile, even if they create a brilliant slot game, new developers might struggle to break into all but the smallest of casinos.

Potential, Payouts, and Fairness

The ultimate aim of playing any slot is winning money from the online casino. There are a range of metrics to determine if the risk of taking a spin is worth it for the potential rewards, and each of these factors has elements of personal preference.

Firstly, RTP (Return To Player) is the most important metric. It refers to the proportion of a player’s wager that they receive back over the course of a playing session. Most great online slots have an RTP of around 95%.

A factor more steeped in personal preference is variance/volatility. In this factor, high volatility slots have infrequent large wins, while low volatility slots have frequent small wins. As such, the maximum win on a high volatility slot is usually much greater. It is up to individual players to decide the balance of volatility that is right for their gambling style and risk tolerance.

Features

Slot developers constantly have to balance the number of features that they include in their games. Too few features and the players will get bored. Meanwhile, if there are too many features, players might get confused. Some users might even suspect that the slot is intentionally trying to confuse them.

You also need to decide about the kinds of features and their complexity that you enjoy playing on. If you want to play slots in the background for a long playing session, you might want to choose a slot that has few features so that you don’t have to concentrate on the gameplay. Meanwhile, if you prefer a short gaming session where you are fully engaged, then you should choose slots that have complex features.

Level of Entertainment

The ultimate factor that should determine whether you spend a lot of time playing a slot is how entertaining it will be. The best slots in the world are able to combine all of the features which have been mentioned above to create a game that can keep you entertained for a long time.

Best Online Slots from different providers

In this section, we introduce you to the best online slots on the market from a range of leading providers and developers. At Casino Grounds, you can access all of these games in the demo version.

Push Gaming

CasinoGrounds has an exclusive partnership with the fantastic provider Push Gaming. This developer focuses on creating best-in-class mobile gaming experiences. Every one of its games comes in portrait mode, which makes it perfect for playing on the go so that you never get bored during the day.

Push Gaming continues to build new slots in this category, and its leading games are certainly Goat Getter, Razor Returns, and Rat King.

Microgaming

With this addition to the list, we move from a hot new provider to one of the original iGaming developers. Microgaming was founded in 1994 but has always managed to stay on top of the technological arms race in the slots world. For example, it is currently working on new virtual reality games in partnership with Oculus Rift.

It has also consistently managed to award its loyal players with huge payouts and has been recognised by Guinness World Records as a result. It broke its own record in 2015 to post the biggest payout ever for an online slot of £13,209,300.

As one of the oldest online slot providers, Microgaming has a huge portfolio of games to choose from. Titles like Mega Moolah, Book of Atem Wowpot Slot, and Immortal Romance are loved by most slot players. Meanwhile, the company continues to innovate with new games like Dungeons and Diamonds.

NetEnt

NetEnt is another giant of the slots world, having been on the scene since 1996. It has gathered over 700 employees, most of whom work from its base in Stockholm. The company swelled to new heights in 2019 after acquiring Red Tiger, another big player in the slots world.

Many players love NetEnt because all of its games show a commitment to responsible gambling. Its games are connected with the NetEnt CasinoModule, which gives players access to self-exclusion, play limits, and adjustments to the speed of gameplay. The module also uses a visible clock so that you will never get too lost in a gambling session.

Across NetEnt’s portfolio of 350 games, of which 240 are slots, you can access the world’s most popular games, including the iconic Starburst slot.

The Best Slots Throughout History

Online slots have a long and storied history approaching almost thirty years since slots first came to the internet. Read this section to learn about the different slots that have left their mark on the industry throughout the last few decades.

The Best Video Slots

Cutting down the thousands of slots out there into the best few will always be a challenge. However, our list begins with the iconic Starburst slot, which has a cosmic theme, making use of jewels and cosmic symbols. This slot has five reels and ten paylines, and the wilds bonus feature which triggers free re-spins. Playing Starburst, you can expect an RTP of 96% and a low to medium volatility.

Another essential best slot is Book of Dead by Play’n GO, which transports players into an Egyptian adventure with the archaeologist Rich Wild. This slot also has five reels and ten paylines. However, a unique feature is that when you win, you can choose to keep your winnings or gamble them based on a random card flip. The RTP for Book of Dead is also 96%, but this slot has a high volatility.

Next up, we have Pragmatic Play’s showpiece, Sweet Bonanza. In this candy-themed slot, you need to match sweets and fruits across a unique grid system. This game also has an RTP of 96%, and the multipliers on the grid allow for huge wins.

The Best Classic Slots

All players like to return to the classics to experience the nostalgia of when they first fell in love with slot machines, and classic slots make you feel like you are playing old fruit machines.

Jackpot 6000 by NetEnt is an archetype of the genre. Based on a fruit machine with a retro design, you can experience three reels and five paylines. A great feature is the Supermeter mode, which can make your playing experience more exciting. This slot also has one of the highest RTPs at 98.9% and has a medium volatility with frequent wins and strong jackpots.

Fire Joker is Play’n GO’s version of a classic slot. In this game, you have to match fire symbols across three reels and five paylines. One key feature is the Fire Joker symbol, which triggers a free respin. This fast-paced game has an RTP of 96% and has medium volatility.

Enjoying the success of Fire Joker, Play’n GO has launched a follow-up traditional fruit machine slot called Mystery Joker. This game differs from Fire Joker by adding the Jester’s Hat symbol, which scatters the fruit machine and triggers multiple free spins. The game also has a strong RTP, very close to 97%.

The Best Jackpots

Jackpot slots come with a high volatility but give you the chance to win a life-changing amount of money. Many of these games have progressive jackpots, which increase the longer it takes someone to win.

Microgaming’s jackpot slot is called Mega Moolah. This is a progressive jackpot safari-themed slot. It has five reels, 25 paylines, and a wheel of fortune feature which can help you to win the jackpot. As with lots of jackpot slots, this game has a lower RTP at 88.12%.

With Joker Millions, Yggdrasil has created a classic fruit machine with progressive jackpot features. The jackpot feature works through a freeze and respin feature, which aims to fill jackpot reels. Joker Millions has a good RTP for a jackpot slot at 94.3%

NetEnt’s main jackpot slot is Hall of Gods, which uses a Norse mythology theme to make a truly immersive experience. In this game, you have to match gods, creatures, and artefacts from legends across five reels and 20 pay lines. The bonus feature Thor’s Hammer gets you access to possibly winning one of three progressive jackpots. This slot has a decent RTP of 95.7%.

The final jackpot slot on our list is Divine Fortune by NetEnt, which transports players to ancient Greece. You can access the bonus game to win the mega jackpot by matching wilds while spinning the five reels and 20 paylines. The average RTP of this slot is 96.59%.

The Best Holiday-Themed Slots

Playing holiday-themed slots can get you into the Christmas spirit and give you a fun activity to do while you have time off work.

Push Gaming has launched the whimsical Christmas slot Fat Santa, which features Father Christmas and his hungry Reindeer. This slot has a standard five reels but a huge 50 paylines. A great feature is the Free Spins, where expanding Santa symbols can give you access to great wins. This slot has a decent average RTP of 96.5%.

For its festive slot, Pragmatic Play has adjusted its iconic Big Bass Bonanza to create Christmas Big Bass Bonanza, which follows Santa on fishing adventures. This slot also has free spins, which gives you additional multipliers. In this medium volatility slot, you can expect an RTP of 96.7%.

Fruit Shop Christmas Edition is NetEnt’s Christmas slot, which adds festive decoration to a traditional fruit machine. Landing certain fruit symbols across the five reels and 15 paylines will give you access to a bonus round, while wins earned during free spins will be doubled. This low to medium volatility slot has an average RTP of 96.7%.

The Best Bonus Buy Slots

Many players get bored waiting for bonus features to be triggered. These can be purchased on bonus buy slots. Be aware that these games are not permitted by certain regulators, including the UKGC.

Firstly, Book of Power is another ancient Egyptian-themed slot with pyramids, pharaohs, and more. The main feature that players will want to buy is the Book symbol, which is a wild and scatter. This feature triggers free spins with an expanding bonus symbol. The RTP of Book of Power is 96.11%, and the volatility will vary depending on the bonuses that you buy.

Meanwhile, Net Gains is Relax Gaming’s primary bonus buy slot, which combines a classic aesthetic with modern gameplay. There is a great diversity of bonuses to purchase, and you can expect an RTP of 96.1%.

Money Train (Relax Gaming) has a decent RTP of 96.4%. It is a Wild West-themed slot with 40 paylines. Many players will enjoy the Money Cart Bonus, which allows you to collect multipliers.

Dead or Alive 2 is a higher volatility bonus buy slot with an RTP of 96.8%. In this Wild West slot, many players will want to use the high-stake Free Spins feature, which comes with extra wilds and multipliers.

The Best MEGAWAYS Slots

MEGAWAYS are iconic slots that offer players a great variety of different ways to win. Our favourites are listed below.

Bonanza MEGAWAYS is a mining slot where you must search for treasures in the mountain. The main bonus to look for is the “Reactions” feature. Winning symbols explode and are replaced by others, meaning your win can trigger a chain reaction. This slot has an RTP of 96%.

Extra Chilli MEGAWAYS is Big Time Gaming’s best bonus buy slot, set in a Mexican marketplace. The main bonuses can be purchased within the Feature Drop option, giving players access to free spins, increasing multipliers, and more. It has an RTP of 96%

Gonzo’s Quest MEGAWAYS follows the tale of the conquistador Gonzo on a quest for El Dorado. The best feature is Avalanche, which works in a similar way to Bonanza MEGAWAYS “Reaction” feature, offering cascading wins and increasing multipliers. This slot has a decent RTP of 95.77%.