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Slot Reviews Updated Weekly

Every week, our dedicated team of slot experts spend hours reviewing the latest online slots. We do this for a few different reasons, but first and foremost; because we're slot enthusiasts.

We love playing the slot games as much as the players who read our reviews, and we feel fortunate to be in the position to get to review these games.

We already provide readers with the best slot sites to play the latest games. Reviewing slot games, particularly with early access demos, allows us to also bring you the best slot games.

Our reviews will always be objective, detailed and informative, so you're going to come away feeling like you know everything about the game, without feeling we tried to convince you to love or hate it.

Ten Best Slot Games for UK Players

If you want to know everything there is to know about slot games, you've come to the right place.

After reviewing hundreds of the latest slots, we know a thing or two about what makes a good one.

One of the most common questions we get asked is ‘which is the best slot game to play?'

There isn't a simple answer to this, because every game offers something different for every player.

Whilst some players prioritise having plenty of win lines, others like a unique theme, and others still will want a soundtrack that pulls them in.

Still, there are a few games that we see reappearing time and time again in conversations with players, which means we feel pretty well equipped to tell you the 10 best slots – particularly for UK players.

Each of the games listed below are favourites of our Hideous Slots community, and are some of the most hotly requested in our live YouTube streams.

Our Highest Rated Slot Games

We've given you the top 10 slot games for UK players, but how about our 1o highest rated slot games?

We don't always judge this in the same way players do. More often than not, players judge a game based on how they fare when they play it – are the bonuses frequent enough, and is there something to keep them interested in the base game?

As professional slot game reviewers, we look at something different. We consider how unique the theme is, how well the features work together and how balanced we feel the maths model is.

Because we review slot games on demo mode, we are never swayed by whether or not we win when playing. This helps us to have a different view from players.

The Best High RTP Slot Games

As a player, one of the most important things to consider when picking a slot game is the RTP that it offers.

RTP – which stands for Return to Player – is the amount of wagered money that will be paid back out to players over time.

The higher the RTP of a slot game, the more money is paid out to players.

Remember, though, that RTP is just an indicator – on a 96.0% RTP slot for example, you could expect to receive back £96 on every £100 wagered. In reality, volatility dictates most of this, so you might win £150 back or you might win £80 back.

However, you should still aim to play the highest RTP slots possible so you can give yourself the best chance.

Facts about RTP

• RTP is calculated over every player that plays a game.
• RTP is calculated over billions of spins.
• The volatility of a game will impact how much or how often you win, and this will not always be equal to the RTP expectation.

Slot Game Volatility

Although it's a given that players should always look out for the highest RTP slot games they can find, the volatility of the games you choose is personal preference.

Whilst RTP can give you less of a winning chance, volatility simply determines how you will usually see those wins.

A highly volatile slot game is one in which you won't win very often, but when you do you have a chance that it will be a huge win.

Conversely, a low volatility slot is one that offers frequent wins of lower value. A medium volatility slot is one that falls somewhere in the middle.

Slot games evolve in line with industry trends, which means that we are seeing more highly volatile releases than ever before.

High Volatility Slots

• San Quentin – Nolimit City
• Nitropolis – ELK Studios
• Chaos Crew – Hacksaw Gaming

Medium Volatility Slots

• Buildin' Bucks – Play'n GO
• Deadly 5 – Push Gaming
• Happily Ever After – Light & Wonder

Low Volatility Slots

• Day of the Dinero – GameBurger Studios
• 5 Doggy Millionaires Dream Drop – 4ThePlayer
• Golden Fire Link Dragon Song – Light & Wonder

Types of Online Slot Games

There are a host of different slot games for players to play online.

These range in everything from theme to winning potential, but one of the most distinctive wells to tell a game apart from its competitor is by the layout of the reel area.

Long gone are the days where all slots took place on 3 or 5 reels. Now we still have these options, but they accompany a variety of other formats, including huge grids or 6 and 7 reel areas.

Below we explain a little about the most popular formats you'll see when searching for a new slot game to play, and give you some examples of games that fit the format.

3 and 4 Reel Slot Games

3 reel slots are less common than most, which is surprising when you consider that these used to be the majority.

Nowadays, 3 reel slot games will offer some of the most simple features.

This can include easily understood win multipliers or mystery symbols, all aided by a simple layout and bold symbols.

Similarly to 3 reel slots, 4 reel slots are distinctly less common than many other slot games on the market.

4 reel slot games will often offer features slightly more advanced than their 3 reel counterpart, and may even offer additional reels to hold multipliers or feature symbols.

Any winning action, however, will take place over 4 reels.

5 Reel Slot Games

When you reach 5 reel slots, a world of opportunities open up to you.

There are so many more 5 reel slot games than those with 3 or 4 reels, and they often have features that are so much more exciting too.

These slot games usually offer more win lines than a 3 or 4 reel slot. You could find a 5 reel slot with 10, 20 or even 50 or more fixed win lines.

In fact, a lot of 5 reel slots offer a ‘ways to win' mechanic, which means you don't need to form wins along fixed win lines and instead have thousands of potential ways to win.

6 Reel Slot Games

6 reel slots will often offer more win lines or ways to win than games with less reels, and they also frequently have the most exciting features.

For example, the majority of Megaways games take place across 6 reels, offering 117,649 total ways to win.

6 reel slot games cover a variety of themes and mechanics, and will often be the slot games described by players as the most complex.

These games have entire storylines and character arcs, so if you like to really feel immersed in the games you play, 6 reel slots are the perfect option.

Grid Slot Games

Finally, grid slot games are becoming more and more common as the years pass.

Grid slots are those that feature the same number of reels and rows, making them square – or close to.

These slot games tend to either use a cluster pays mechanic, where you have to land matching symbols in clusters to form wins, or scatter pays, where you just have to land a minimum number of symbols anywhere in view.

Grid slots often feature some kind of progression, making them exciting for players, especially when anticipation is building.

If you're a fan of 5 or 6 reel slot games, the transition to grid slots is a seamless one.

Best Slot Game Features and Mechanics

As a player, you'll come across a variety of slot games online, each with their own distinct features and mechanics.

Some studios cover a wide array of mechanics throughout their portfolio, whilst others stick to the same features time and time again.

The good news is, there is more choice than ever for players to sink their teeth into.

When we review the latest slot games, we pay close attention to the mechanics on offer – questioning if they are exciting enough for players, and if they are unique compared to what is already out there.

Thankfully, the majority of the time they are, which is great news for you!

Increasing Ways

We've already touched on this a little when discussing the number of reels a slot game will offer a player, and we'll explain even more below where we explain how to win on slot games, but one of the most common mechanics relates to the number of ways to win.

Many slot games will feature increasing ways to win, which means that as you land more winning combinations, the reels grow and you have a higher chance of landing further combinations.

To make this mechanic more exciting, you will often find that in the bonus these increasing ways do not reset – fully or at all – between spins.

Some slot games even offer a potential 1 million ways to win!

Expanding Symbols

Expanding symbols are a staple in online slot games.

This is one of the earliest mechanics that began to be introduced to what we now regard as the modern day slot industry.

The premise is simple; a special symbol is chosen to expand and cover all positions on every reel it has landed upon.

When symbols expand, they pay across all win lines or ways to win – rather than needing to land winning combinations on adjacent reels, they pay anywhere.

This mechanic is most synonymous with titles like ‘Book of' since the earliest iterations of this were Egyptian games which used books as Scatters.

Wild Reels

Wild Reels are an extension of the classic wild symbols that you will find in most online slot games.

Much like expanding symbols, wild reels are expanded wilds that cover all positions on a reel, substituting in winning combinations across all symbol positions.

Wild reels can come with or without multipliers. In a ways to win game with different ways to win every spin, you may find that they only count for a certain number of symbols – equal to the number they display.

Alternatively, they may always count for the maximum number of symbols possible in the game.

Wild reels can also be grouped together with expanding wild symbols – in which they may not always cover the entire reel, but they will expand to cover multiple positions.

Mystery Symbols

One of the most exciting mechanics you can find in a slot game are mystery symbols; which are symbols that that land in view and reveal a regular paying symbol.

All mystery symbols in view will usually reveal the same paying symbol, and they can also contain multipliers, although this is rarer.

They can also take on different formats, like xWays in Nolimit City or chocolate boxes in Big Time Gaming's Chocolates.

Regardless of how they look, any symbol that lands to reveal another symbol falls into the mystery symbol category.

Look out for mystery symbols that can reveal other symbols too – like wild symbols, multipliers or instant prizes!

Win Multipliers

If you're searching for a mechanic that increases your wins on every spin, look no further than the win multiplier.

Win multipliers are one of the simplest mechanics to understand; any win will have the current multiplier value applied to it.

Where a win multiplier is different to a wild or mystery symbol with a multiplier is that its value will be applied to every single win when it is active.

Additionally, win multipliers will often not reset in bonus rounds and will instead grow progressively bigger.

Win multipliers can increase in single increments, can double each spin – like in Yggdrasil Gaming's DoubleMax releases – or can increase depending on values landing on the reels.

Instant Prizes

Instant prizes are one of the newer mechanics you will see in an online slot game, but they are one of the most exciting.

These are symbols – usually coins – that land in view with a value attached to them, or land in view and later reveal a value.

Depending on the game in question, you may have to land these along a win line or have enough in view to activate them. Alternatively, they may be activated as soon as they land.

Once activated, an instant prize will award its value as a times bet multiplier; for example, if you are playing on a £1 bet and you land a 10x instant coin, you win £10.

Instant prizes can hold any value – even up to 500, 1000 or 2500 times bet. Some games even have a ‘max win' coin which immediately awards the maximum win!

Cash Collection

Much like expanding symbols, cash collection has become a staple of the slot game industry. There are scores of these releases available, with studios dedicated just to this mechanic.

With the cash collection mechanic, players land symbols with value attached – not unlike an instant prize symbol – and then collect it by landing a collection symbol.

The collection symbol is usually a wild symbol, and usually a fisherman since the cash collection mechanic is closely associated with fishing games.

During the bonus round, the collection symbol may gain higher multipliers, meaning the values collected are worth more.

Hold & Win

Hold & Win mechanics are growing in popularity in the UK, although this is primarily a bonus game mechanic.

With this mechanic, players are awarded re-spins which reset back to their maximum – usually 3 – each time a new symbol  or special symbol lands in view.

Usually Hold & Win slot games work alongside instant prizes to reveal cash values or modifiers.

This feature is most closely associated with releases like the Relax Gaming Money Train series, although it has been adapted by a number of additionally studios over the years.

Common Slot Game Symbols

Thanks to the growth in interesting and unique themes within the industry, there are so many different symbols that players can see when playing slots.

However, each of these symbols – no matter how interesting – can be broken down into one of 5 categories.

Understanding these categories will help you to know what to look out for when you play slot games.

• Low Paying Symbols – often suits or royals, these are the symbols that pay the lowest values.
• High Paying Symbols – often characters or animals, these symbols pay higher values.
• Bonus and Scatter Symbols – these symbols will land in view to trigger bonus rounds.
• Wild Symbols – these symbols will substitute for other symbols to form wins.
• Special Symbols – these will be symbols that can trigger features or mechanics, like cash collection or mystery symbols.

How to Win on Slot Games

If there's one thing players want to know, it's how to win on slot games.

Since slot games are powered by random number generators, there's nothing you can do to guarantee a win – but you can be aware of how to form these wins, so you can keep your eyes peeled for those lucrative combinations.

All online slots are different, but they do all pull from the same pot when it comes to calculating wins.

Most games will use fixed win lines, ways to win, cluster pays or scatter pays when designing their game, so it's important to know what each of these mean.

Fixed Win Lines

Fixed win lines are the simplest to understand as a player, and will often be present on a 3 or 4 reel slot game, although they can and will still appear on larger reel games.

With fixed win lines, there are set lines that cross through all of the symbols on screen. In order to form a winning combination, you have to land matching symbols (usually on adjacent reels from left to right) across one of these lines.

Some smaller games with only 3 reels only have 5 fixed win lines, whilst some larger reel games can have 20, 50 or even 100 lines.

The win lines will always be available to view in the game information, should you want to know what they are. Additionally, some studios display the start and end of the lines at the side of the reels.

Ways to Win

Ways to win are similar to fixed win lines in that you usually have to form your winning combinations across adjacent reels beginning from the leftmost reels.

However, with ways to win there are no fixed win lines and instead matching symbols can land in any position on adjacent reels.

To calculate the number of ways to win available in a slot game you just need to multiply the reels together. Five reels that each hold 3 symbols would be 3x3x3x3x3 which equals 243 ways to win – a popular combination that you'll see quite often, alongside options like 1,024 and 4,096 (5 or 6 reels that are 4 symbols tall).

In order to calculate a winning amount in one of these games, you multiply the pay table value by the number of ways you have won across.

For example, if you land matching symbols across 3 reels and the first two reels have 2 symbols each whilst the third has 1, you would have a 3 of a kind win across 4 ways. You would find the 3 of a kind payout value and multiply it by 4.

Ways to win can also be increased through features like expanding reels, positional multipliers or symbol stacking.

Thankfully slot games do all the work for you, so you can just sit back and reap the rewards of having thousands of ways to win.

Megaways

Megaways – a concept pioneered by Big Time Gaming in 2015 – are the same as ways to win; the calculation for available ways to win and win total do not change in a Megaways slot game.

However, where Megaways varies is that the ways to win will change on every spin as the number of symbols that land on each reel will change every spin.

A standard Megaways game will allow each reel to hold between 2 and 7 symbols across 6 reels for a maximum of 117,649 ways to win when all reels hold 7 symbols, however many other Megaways games have now been released by other studios offering higher maximum ways.

Look out for Megaways games that offer increasing Megaways as a bonus feature, allowing your ways to win to grow every spin!

Cluster Pays

Cluster pays is the first example in this list that is a deviation from the norm, although if you've been a fan go slot games for a while you will undoubtably have seen these releases.

Cluster pays games – made popular in sweet releases like Sugar Rush from Pragmatic Play –  will usually take place on a grid like we mentioned above, and require symbols to land in a cluster for form winning combinations.

The minimum amount required for a win will normally be 5 or 6, with symbols paying different amounts depending on the size of the cluster.

All symbols in a cluster pays game must be touching horizontally or vertically to be counted as a win.

Scatter Pays

Scatter pays are another more recent win calculation method.

In a scatter pays slot game, much like a cluster pays release, you must land a minimum number of matching symbols in view to form a winning combination.

However, in a scatter pays release there is no requirement for symbols to land in a cluster and touch each other.

Instead, symbols can land anywhere in view and will form a win as long as there are enough of them.

This payout mechanic is known by this name because scatter symbols to trigger bonuses can land anywhere, and it's the same process here.

CollectR

Although we're really only covering the main slot game payout mechanics, it would be silly not to mention CollectR – one of the most recent new mechanics.

Created by ELK Studios for their Pirots series, the CollectR mechanic shows birds or some other creature collecting all symbols in a path from themselves that matching in colour to themselves.

This payout mechanic has now been adapted into 3 Pirots releases, Dam Beavers and even makes a reappearance in Pirots X, although only in the bonus game.

UK players can't seem to get enough of this mechanic, which is how you know it's a good one!

Other Payout Mechanics

Aside from all of the mechanics we've mentioned thus far, you may find some others on your slot game journey.

This includes Push Gaming's Win What You See Mechanic, or some other independent ones.

Occasionally, a new mechanic is made available to players and it's fully unique, which means it doesn't fit in to any category above.

Still, everything was new at once point, so don't write those slot games off!

Best Slot Game Providers

To get the best slot games, we have to have some pretty fantastic game studios.

These are the companies behind the slot machines UK players play every day.

They’re always striving to innovate and release new concepts with exciting features, and we get to reap the rewards.

When we review new slot games, we don’t give a better or worse review depending on the studio behind it; we’re always objective.

However, there are a few studios we continually see pushing the boundaries of what is possible and keeping us on our toes, which in our eyes make them some of the best.

Popular Slot Themes

There are a number of themes you’ll see on your journey to finding the best slot games in the UK.

Some of these are more popular, whilst some are very unique.

The popular themes you’ll see time and time again include the following:

• Egyptian
• Irish
• Wild West
• Space
• Mining

However, some of the more innovative studios in the industry have brought us some pretty cool themes over the years. From factories where humans are worked to the literal bone and apocalyptic cities to supermarkets and potato royalty, there’s a theme out there for everyone.

This is really exciting for players; with thousands of slot games out there, no two days of gambling will ever feel the same if you don’t want them to.

The Best Slot Sequels

Sometimes a slot game is so good we just can’t help but go back for more.

The best slot games will often be revisited by the provider who made them, bringing a sequel anything from a few months to a few years later.

These games will improve upon the original release whilst keeping the essence that players loved the first time around.

Often taking a ‘bigger and better’ approach, the best slot game sequels will also offer better winning potential and enhanced features.

Slot sequels are one of our favourite game types to review, and we know they’re frequently the most hotly anticipated games in the eyes of players – in the UK and beyond.

How We Review the Best Online Slot Games

We take our duty in reviewing online slot games for UK players very seriously.

As we said above, the first thing we are above all else is objective. It isn’t our job to force you to play a new game or make you like it.

Instead, we consider it our job to explain the game to you and help you to understand its features and mechanics.

We want every player who reads one of our reviews to find them interesting, enjoyable and informative.

With that in mind, we do still offer our personal perspective along with a score, and there are a number of things we look at when determining that score.

Separating Fact From Fiction When Playing Slots

One of the most important tools you can have in your arsenal when you gamble online is knowledge.

Too many players get caught out by bad habits and a lack of understanding around slot games, which leads to problems – either financial or emotional.

Slot games are driven by Random Number Generators (RNGs), which means that there is nothing you can do to affect the outcome.

Each spin you play is completely independent from the last, which is why you should never make another deposit to chase your losses or because you feel you are ‘due’ a win.

Similarly, you should never feel like a slot game is going to ‘take back’ your money because it is rigged.

Most importantly, the United Kingdom Gambling Commission – which oversees all gambling related compliance in the UK – enforce requirements for external testing and auditing to be done on slot games, by companies like eCOGRA.

• Slot games are random
• You cannot influence your outcome
• You can lose your money playing slot games
• Slots never ‘owe’ you anything
• Slot games are not rigged
• Slot games are tested and audited before release

Pros and Cons of Online Slot Games

Like everything in life, there are pros and cons when gambling online. Beyond this, slot games in particular have their own set of pros and cons for players to look out for.

There are a lot of benefits to choosing slot games online if you’re going to gamble – like the plethora of themes, feature and mechanics available, the immersive nature of the soundtracks and storylines, and the huge winning potential they can offer.

Still, there are also some drawbacks to discuss.

Firstly, gambling is an addictive activity, so you want to be careful and ensure you stay in control of your habits. Always use the tools available to you and play responsibly.

Alongside this, if you are already an avid gambler who plays casino games, there is a bigger house edge on slot games.

Many players feel the trade off is worthwhile since slot games are so immersive, but it is still important to be aware of all the facts before playing.

Jackpot Slot Games

Many players think the only way to win a life changing amount of money is to play and win the lottery.

Contrary to this belief, a lot of players have won incredible amounts of money from online slot games.

This is because slot games are being given higher and higher limits as innovation drives the industry forward – some studios even have games with win potential in the hundreds of thousands.

Alongside this, however, are jackpot slot games.

These are slot games that have progressive jackpots attached to them.

Although there are regular jackpot slots with fixed values, it’s progressive jackpot slots that offer the life changing sums of money, with jackpots like Jackpot King, Mega Moolah or Dream Drop growing to be millions of pounds – and someone has to win it!

Although there is an RTP contribution towards the jackpot in these slot games, you still get the excitement of the usual base game features and bonus games.

Even better, if you’re not interested in jackpot chasing, studios like Relax Gaming usually offer a non-jackpot version of the same game, so you don’t have to miss out on your favourite new features!

Final Thoughts on the Best Slot Games

We’ve now covered more or less everything there is to know about slot games, from the payout mechanics, features and themes to how we personally review the latest slots on the market.

Provided you play responsibly and take care to use the tools available to you, slot games can be a fantastic source of entertainment.

There are thousands of games available out there, and our team are reviewing these every week, explaining new slots and what makes them special before they’ve been released.

We are always objective, detailed and informative in our coverage of new games, and don't try to sway your opinion.

If you need a source to trust on all things slots, look no further than our team of experts.