New Online Slots

Trend-Setters in Online Slot Industry

There are plenty of prestigious awards that recognize the best online slot releases of the year and, of course, the most innovative creators of these slot machines in the UK, USA, Canada and other countries. IGT (International Game Technology), for instance, scooped two esteemed industry awards that were held alongside the ICE 2020 trade show earlier in February. IGT’s Fortune Coin slot machine was declared the ‘Best Slot Game’ at the British Casino Awards, while the company itself was named the ‘Best Slot Provider of the Year’ at the International Gaming Awards.

Apart from IGT, numerous other top software providers such as Microgaming, NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Nolimit City, Playtech, Play’n GO, Quickspin and Big Time Gaming have scooped accolades for creating slots with some of the most innovative features and mechanics. What is more, these developers launch new slots regularly. In 2020, for instance, Pragmatic Play committed to rolling out at least four new slots every month to enrich its portfolio of online slot machine content, and so far, it hasn’t disappointed.

New Casino Slots: Innovative Slot Features & Mechanics

Over recent years, online gaming has realized a fresh surge of innovation connected with online casino games. Other than on your desktop computer, you can now sign up with an online casino site from a smartphone and tablet and play new slot games to relish some exceptionally cool features.

Every top online casino is now competing for the next big thing. Software providers and game developers, such as Microgaming, NetEnt, Playtech, Quickspin and IGT, have stepped up their efforts to craft some leading-edge offerings in terms of design, graphics as well as gameplay.

Whether it’s the introduction of progressive jackpot slots, 3D cinematic technology or new interesting features and in-game mechanics, online slot machines have constantly found new life through innovation over the course of the years. Some of the most incredible features and mechanics in new online slots today that slotheads can enjoy are highlighted in the table below:

Game Developer	Innovative Features
Nolimit City	xPays, xWays and xNudge gameplay mechanics
Quickspin	Buy Feature
NetEntertainment	Avalanche Feature, Expanding Wilds
Play’n Go	Re-spins Feature
Big Time Gaming	Megaways, Triple Reaction, Megaquads
IGT	Tumbling Reels
Evoplay	Random Events
Microgaming	Gamble Feature

Let’s take a closer look at each of these ground-breaking slot machine features:

xPays Feature

The xPays mechanic was introduced by Nolimit City to complement its highly successful ‘x’ series of new casino slot games that came with the distinguished xWays and xNudge game technology.

The new xPays slots mechanic is a fascinating feature that enables you to collect connected in-game icons, on condition that the symbol or every other related symbol continues showing up on the reels. Rack up a full line of icons across the reels, and they will be automatically locked in the given row. When this happens, xPays will then boost the different icons in the locked rows to the next higher paying symbol in the paytable. Therefore, the bigger the number of closed rows you can connect, the bigger the potentials you’ll trigger.

The first slot to feature the new mechanic is the Monkey’s Gold xPays game. It comes with a 6×6 grid layout, pays from left to right and has a maximum win potential of up to 12,683x the bet.

xWays and xNudge

​The xNudge slot mechanic allows wild symbols to nudge up or down, filling up the reels and awarding a progressive multiplier. On the other hand, the xWays mechanic boosts the number of ways to win by splitting up single symbols. You can have a taste of the xWays mechanic in the Punk Rocker video slot, while the xNudge experience is accessible in Nolimit City hitters such as the Harlequin Carnival and Deadwood slots.

Buy Feature

As the name suggests, a Buy feature is an option through which you can choose to pay a predetermined amount for a spin, and when you do, the spin will trigger any of the more rewarding bonus rounds that come with the game. In short, a Buy Feature allows you to buy your entry to a bonus feature. Given that the feature can be so much more rewarding compared to a typical base game spin, you’ll have to spend more than your normal wager amount to activate it.

In general, the variety of features that can be purchased in an online slot are free spins bonus rounds. Nevertheless, players are also presented with options to wager on another game mode or play with high paying icons in particular features within the game. Some of the new free casino slots games that offer the Buy Feature include Wolf Howl and Wheel of Wishes slots by Microgaming, 4 Horsemen slot by Spinomenal, and Hammers of Vulcan created by Quickpin.

Megaways™

In case you’ve been playing new online slots recently, most likely you’ve come across the term ‘Megaways™’, a new incredible online slot mechanic that has transformed how we experience online slot machine games. The Megaways™ slot machine mechanic is a signature feature invented by Australian-based software provider Big Time Gaming (BTG).

The first time the esteemed Megaways™ slot mechanic came into being was when BTG launched Dragon Born back in 2015, the first online slot machine to pioneer this novel way of spinning the reels. One year later, BTG unveiled the Bonanza Megaways™ slot machine, which turned out to be an instant hit. From that time, the outstanding modifier mechanic became popular, winning the hearts of many slot fans.

Generally, most of the Megaways™ slot machines will have up to an enormous 117,649 ways to win from a layout having 6 reels. Every reel comes with an arbitrary number of symbols on each spin, usually 2 to 7. The adjoining symbols will then be multiplied across every single reel to get the highest possible reward. Afterward, the number of ways to win will be displayed on the screen.

However, you ought to keep in mind that not all Megaways™ slots will feature a similar number of ways to win. While games such as Monopoly, Queen of Riches, Royal Mint, Who Wants to be a Millionaire offer 117,649 ways to win, new Vegas slots like Holy Diver Megaways™ come with a whopping 586,971 ways to win. There are also other Megaways™ titles like White Rabbit and Kingmaker, which will offer comparatively lower winning ways at 16,807.

Megaclusters™

Also created by Australian developer Big Time Gaming, Megaclusters is a new slot machine games mechanic where winning combinations are formed by hitting a cluster of five or more similar symbols on the reels both horizontally and vertically. Even though, on the face of it, you might think it’s the Cluster Pays mechanic, the developer has taken it one step further with the Megaclsuters game mechanic.

The main difference comes in the winning symbols, where the Megaclusters mechanism’s icons are split up into 4 smaller-sized icons. So, where usually you’ll find one symbol, Megaclusters slot games will have four. The first Megaclusters online slot from BTG is known as Star Clusters, which is equipped with a 4×4 grid layout together with 16 symbol positions. Therefore, obtaining a symbol cluster consisting of 16 symbols will bring about 64 (16×4) symbols in total.

Triple Reaction™

Triple Reaction mechanic in new online slots allows spins as well as reactions in 3 different directions together with 2 reverse directional reels and 6 reels that spin down the center of the game grid. You can experience this unique style of action in BTG’s Opal Fruits.

MEGAQUADS™

Another innovative mechanic from the creative masterminds at BTG is the Megaquads slot mechanic. The slots that come with this feature are considerably different from typical games since they are played on four independent sets of reels- concurrently.

The first game in BTG’s assortment of Megaquads slot machines was Slot Vegas, which has four sets of 4×4 reels, and each set of reels offers 256 ways to win. As a result, you have a total of 1,024 winning ways in every round. In the free spins bonus round, you’ll get to spin on two 4×8 grids, each offering 4,096 win ways. Just in case the random Rainbow Wild bonus feature comes into play, you’ll see the set of reels combine to form an 8×8 game grid with a monstrous 16,777,216 winning ways!

Random Events

To ensure adventure stays at its peak in its new free casino slot games, Evoplay introduced some random exclusive events that come with a few great animations. Some of its slots that have these random events include Indiana’s Quest and Elven Princesses.

Avalanche aka Cascading/ Swooping/Tumbling Reels

The Avalanche slot feature is one exceptional new slot machine games feature that was first utilized by NetEnt in its Gonzo’s Quest title. The Avalanche trade name is owned by NetEnt, and other game studios will refer to is as cascading reels, tumbling reels or swooping reels.

You don’t require special symbols to trigger the Avalanche feature. It’s triggered with every time you land a winning combination. After lining up identical symbols, the winning symbols will disappear, and the empty area is left behind to be filled with new symbols cascading or falling down. This provides you with better chances to land more significant wins in the new casino slots.

WMS’ Cascading Reels

The Crystal Forest slot created by WMS also features falling symbols, what the developer refers to as Cascading reels. Apart from Crystal Forest, numerous other WMS slots utilize the same feature, and they are such as Mojo Rising and Invaders from the Planet Moolah. Also, if you still enjoy playing in brick and mortar casinos, then you can enjoy WMS’s cascading reels on land-based variants such as the Cascade Mountain and Pyramid of the Kings slots.

IGT’s Tumbling Reels Feature

Another online slot machine that features falling icons is Pixies of the Forest slot from IGT. However, unlike in NetEnt’s Gonzo’s Quest or Quickspin’s Big Bad Wolf, the symbols here aren’t shaped like blocks.

Quickspin’s Swooping Reels Feature

Top online casino software provider Quickspin also designed a Gonzo’s Quest-style slot machine called Big Bad Wolf with a mechanic dubbed Swooping Reels. Just like Gonzo’s Quest, Big Bad Wolf features falling blocks rather than reels, and its ‘Swooping Reels’ feature is much like the NetEnt’s Avalanche. Every symbol that forms a winning combination in Big Bad Wolf will die out, and the void space formed will be filled with different symbols falling from the top. The Swooping Reels feature carries on up until the winning combinations stop forming.

Expanding Wilds

Expanding wild symbols in new free slot machine games are exactly what they sound like. These are basically bonus symbols that can expand up or down the reel, turning all the reel symbols into wilds. This can potentially help you land numerous winning combinations over several paylines.

Usually, the expanding icons emerge on the reels at random, introducing wonderful surprises throughout your gameplay. Some of the best new no deposit slot games with expanding wilds that you can play include Starburst, Jack and the Beanstalk, Hall of Gods, Ariana, among others.

Gamble Feature (Double or Nothing)

A lot of new slot games come with a mini-game called ‘Gamble feature’ where you can attempt to double up your earnings by choosing a suit or color. Most gamble features are triggered once you hit a winning combination, just before you collect your payout.

After you choose to gamble, you’ll be presented with a screen with a face-down playing card, and what you’re required to do is simple: you choose whether the card drawn will be black or red. If your prediction turns right, your winnings will be doubled, and if you’re wrong, you’ll lose all your earnings. Some of the coolest online slots that have the Gamble feature include the likes of Thunderstruck and 50 Dragons.

Re-spins

Re-spins in slots give you a second chance to spin the reels without asking you to pay the cost. Re-spins in new casino slots come in different shapes and sizes – they could be triggered by a win, entirely at random, or be triggered by a given symbol or combination. Some of the most exciting titles with re-spins features include Play’n Go’s Agent Destiny, Annihilator and Ring of Odin.

Stacked Wilds

Stacked wilds in games such as Microgaming’s Jurassic Park act just like wild symbols by standing in for every other symbol in the game to form winning combinations. Normally, they come in stacks of 2, 3, 4 or even 5 symbols, which will cover a section or the whole reel and come with huge potentials of producing massive wins.

Sticky Wilds

Whether provided during a bonus round or in the main game, sticky wilds will stay in place to boost your chances of landing some thrilling winning combinations. Thus, with one sticky wild, you can easily form several winning combinations. You can find sticky wilds in new Vegas slots like Starburst, Vikings Go Berzerk and Dead or Alive 2.

Shifting Wilds

Like sticky wild symbols, shifting wilds will remain on the reels for successive spins as soon as they land. The difference between the two is that shifting wilds will shift around the reels with every spin, unlike the sticky ones. Each time new symbols hit the reels, the wild will mix with them to form winning lines. This will carry on for some time up until the wild icon shifts off the reels completely. Examples of new slot games that come with shifting wilds include Divine Forest, Keystone Kops, Zombie Circus and Egyptians Emeralds.

Transferring Wilds

Also known as nudging wilds, transferring wilds essentially work like every other wild. It will secure a place on the reels and replace all other symbols in the game, thus helping you land winning combos. The difference in transferring wilds comes in how they spread through the reels. In a slot having transferring wilds, the first reel set will emerge bigger on the left part of the screen, while the other three reels will share the right-hand side of the grid. In case wild symbols emerge on the first reel set, they will relocate on the other three reels, providing you with wilds on each game you play. Slots with transferring wild include Spartacus, KISS and Bruce Lee Dragon’s Tale.

Where to Play New Slots

There’s never been a better period to explore the world of new online slots. The most advanced game developers within the online casino industry are always in an endless race to create the best slots.

At SlotoZilla, you can find all the latest updates about new casino slots games releases in an exclusive news section. On top of that, we have an entire collection of new free slot machine games powered by the best software providers in the world to offer you a first-hand trial experience. Mind you, these free online slots are available for instant play, with no download or account registration required, and it doesn’t matter whether you reside in the USA, the UK, New Zealand or elsewhere in the world.

Don’t hesitate to take advantage of playing the new no deposit slots in our lobby, and if you want to spend real money, we’ll also point you to the most reliable online casinos. Thus, if you are a slots enthusiast, stay at SlotoZilla, where you’ll be spoilt for choice with a vast selection of top-notch games.