Updates on the Best New Slots
The most prominent developers launch several new slots every month. At the same time, smaller creators stick to a slower and more reasonable schedule. Combined, there are a couple of dozen slots released every month, and these find their way into thousands of online casinos all over the world.
We’ve made it our mission to cover as many new iGaming creations as we can. Pointing you toward the latest must-play offerings and showing you which games are most deserving of your time. Now we will explain important features that the newest slot games are equipped with.
New Slot Features
Slot machines, like video slot games, require a lot of time, effort, and money to develop. Many development studios work around the clock to create these games and ensure they meet the needs of their growing fanbases and their demanding casino clients.
The development process differs, but generally, they will consider all of the following:
Demand: The first step is to establish what the players want. Studios research the latest trends to see which slots would likely attract the most attention.
This is why it’s common to see multiple slots of similar themes all launched at the same time by different providers. It’s why, for instance, this industry has seen numerous slots relating to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Wild West, all of which are seemingly launched in similar periods.
Licensing: TV and film licenses have become very common and almost always draw a crowd.
The developer will contact license holders and sign deals that allow them to launch slots using the names, imagery, and music from popular licenses. In recent years, we’ve seen an increased demand for classic licenses like Top Cat, The Goonies, and Ghostbusters, because the people who grew up watching these shows and films are now in the most active demographic for gamblers.
Aesthetics: Once the theme is established and the license acquired, it’s time to create the aesthetics. Modern players are very demanding. So, eye-catching graphics, fluid animations, and original artwork is something most studios are happy to provide.
Mechanics: In creating the actual gameplay, developers will often use old slots and just “re-skin” them, which means they use the same features but just change the graphics. However, smaller studios tend to focus on 100% original titles built from the ground up. They include unique game mechanics like Rolling Reels/Avalanche, Progressive Jackpots, and Megaways to create an unforgettable experience.
Features: The features include bonuses, scatters, wilds, and more. These are small parts of the slots, but they are also some of the most important as they are the features that all players strive to unlock.
Payouts: The payouts dictate how generous or otherwise a slot machine will be. The payout rate is set by the developer and audited at the point of creation, after which it cannot be tweaked by the casino, therefore ensuring complete fairness for the player.
The Best Software Developers for New Content
Online slots are created by specialist development companies that focus almost entirely on creating games for the casino industry. The games they create are audited, checked for fairness, and then made available on B2B aggregate software.
From there, they are integrated into online casinos, where slots can be enjoyed by players all over the world. This system ensures that the developers can focus on doing what they do best, while the casinos that eventually host their games don’t have any direct control over the payouts. The biggest developers feeding into this system include:
Latest Slots by Microgaming
Online casinos would look decidedly different if not for Microgaming and its tireless efforts to grow this industry during the early 2000s. Microgaming created one of the very first online casinos in the 1990s, before shifting its focus to creating games and then licensing them to operators.
Not only did it get there before many of its competitors, but it never stopped innovating. In the decades since its launch, Microgaming has helped to transform the industry it created, launching mechanics such as Rolling Reels and creating the very first progressive jackpot slot!
Popular Microgaming Slots:
- Mega Moolah
- Jurassic Park
- Avalon II
- Thunderstruck II
- Football Star
- Halloween Slot
New Titles from Playtech
While Microgaming got there first, Playtech has since become the bigger brand. It has its fingers in many pies, including sports betting, bingo, and even binary options. Still, it is slots that most players know Playtech for. Playtech launched the Age of the Gods series, which was initially known as the Marvel Comics series (before an expired license forced a change of tact). It also launched Kingdoms Rise, which is one of the unique slot series to be launched in recent years.
Popular Playtech Slots :
NetEnt Fresh Releases
NetEnt is a player favourite due to its creative approach and its crisp graphics. With mechanics like Avalanche and games like Gonzo’s Quest, this brand has captured the public’s imagination and, as a result, can be found on some of the internet’s best online casinos.
Popular NetEnt Slots:
- The Invisible Man
- Twin Spin
- Gonzo’s Quest
- Starburst
- South Park
- Tiki Wonders
Newest Slot Games from Yggdrasil Gaming
Founded in 2013, Yggdrasil Gaming began as a relatively small development studio but has since become one of the largest in the world. Famed for its extraordinary graphics and unique mechanics, Yggdrasil never fails to disappoint. It has created several award-winning titles over the years!
Popular Yggdrasil Slots:
- Vikings go to Hell
- Vikings go Berserk
- Jackpot Riders
- Champions of Rome
- Beauty and the Beast
- Hades Gigablox
Betsoft Gaming
Few players will argue with the fact that Betsoft has the best-looking slots around. Utilising its proprietary SLOTS3 software, Betsoft’s games wouldn’t look out of place on a next-generation console and help to provide a detailed and beautifully rendered gambling experience. Betsoft has also been one of the industry’s biggest trend-setters, as seen by the launch of slots like Max Quest: Wrath of Ra.
BetSoft Slots:
- A Night in Paris
- It Came from Venus
- The Slotfather
- Max Quest
- The Tipsy Tourist
- Under the Bed
Big Time Gaming
Known simply as “BTG”, Big Time Gaming was the creator of the hugely popular Megaways mechanic, which is often licensed to other slot creators. Megaways can add over 100,000 paylines to an existing slot machine. These paylines are created at the beginning of every spin and are different each time.
BTG Popular Slots:
- Bonanza
- Vegas Dreams
- Gold
- Viking Quest
Other Top Developers
The iGaming developers listed above are just a handful of companies creating quality slots for the casino industry. There are dozens more, and we have highlighted several other top brands below:
- Quickspin: Now owned by Playtech, Quickspin has created several popular slots over the years, the highlight of which is Big Bad Wolf, which tells the story of the Three Little Pigs and the hungry wolf that hunts them down.
- Elk Studios: A Swedish-based developer that launched in 2012 and is responsible for modern classics like Wild Seas and Taco Brothers.
- Blueprint Gaming: A British-based development company that created the Jackpot Kings progressive jackpot system, one that has featured on beautifully rendered slots like Top Cat and The Goonies.
- Pragmatic Play: Although it launched as recently as 2015, Pragmatic Play has quickly grown into one of the industry’s biggest names, winning several awards for its mobile-first approach to gaming.
- Thunderkick: Founded by a team of NetEnt developers, Thunderkick is a small studio focused on fun mobile games. It launched in 2012 and has been growing steadily since then.
- Scientific Games: “SG”, as it is better known, has been going strong for decades and creates slots for the online and offline casino industries. Not only does SG create many new and inventive casino slots, but it also owns the Barcrest and WMS brands, responsible for Rainbow Riches and Ruby Slippers.
- IGT: The architects of the classic Cleopatra slot, which helped to popularise the ancient Egyptian theme and has since inspired countless other classic creations.
New vs Old Slots
There are thousands of different online slots out there, with dozens of new titles released every week for many years. Players have seen all there is to see and play all there is to play. If developers want to impress and create something that stands out from the crowd, they need to be original, with pioneering features, and themes that have never been seen before.
As a result, new casino slots are considerably more innovative and unique. From ground-breaking 3D graphics and features launched by Yggdrasil and NetEnt to unbelievable mechanics used by the likes of BetSoft, there is always something new to explore.
Developers are always seeking to outdo one another and to be the next big creator. In addition to this game-changing innovation, new slots also have all of the following benefits: Better Graphics: As fun as they can be, old-school slot machines are pretty limited in graphics.
The technology wasn’t as great, players weren’t as demanding, and the result was that games were somewhat basic as far as the aesthetics were concerned.
New slots, however, go all-out to look as good as they can. They are all little masterpieces vying for the next big gaming award and mesmerizing players all over the world. Bigger Jackpots: Mega Moolah triggers multiple 8-figure jackpots wins every single year, but it wasn’t always like that.
Launched in 2006, Mega Moolah’s first prizes were much smaller by comparison, and it took nearly a decade for this slot to start smashing records. There are more players today, and as progressive jackpots grow with every spin, those increased numbers effectively guarantee bigger jackpots.
It also encourages developers to create more jackpot slots and to seed those slots with increasingly more enormous sums. New Features: When all current features have been exhausted, and players are hungry for something new, it’s time to get creative, and that’s exactly what developers have been doing.
From unique reel-slot features like Chain Reaction and Megaways to complete transformations like the reel-less Max Quest: Wrath of Ra, slot features are continually evolving. Topical Themes: While many slot creators are obsessed with cult classic films and TV shows, they also dip their toes into thematic waters every now and then, with titles themed around popular drama shows, comedies, game shows, board games, and even video games.
Summary: The Best New Slot Types and Trends – What is Next?
In the last few years, we’ve seen iGaming developers focus more on progressive jackpots. All are trying to emulate the success of slot series like Age of the Gods and games like Mega Moolah. However, we’ve also seen a race for innovation, as developers try to create the next big thing.
The mobile Age is over, the jackpot age is reaching its peak, and now creators are looking to create slots that don’t look or play like anything we’re used to. Max Quest: Wrath of Ra, created by Betsoft, was a great example of this.
Launched towards the tail end of 2018, this slot won countless awards in 2019. It was praised for its unique approach, one that wholly ignored traditional reels and swapped them for completely interactive elements. We haven’t seen many developers follow Betsoft just yet, but that will likely change in the next few years as developers seek to emulate Betsoft’s success.
Once slots start venturing away from traditional reel-and-grid setups, the possibilities are limitless, and the iGaming landscape of 2025 could look completely different from the one we see in 2023.
