Our Favourite Themed Slots Based on True Stories

5 Slots Inspired by Real Events and True Stories

The trials and tribulations of real life often serve as inspiration for a lot of things we see in the media, whether it's heartbreaking songs about lost lovers, autobiographical biopic movies, or even casino games and slots inspired by actual historical events.

If you're ready for a history lesson, strap in.

We're exploring a handful of online slots inspired by real events and real places, showing how some game developers – or one in particular – turn major moments in time into reel-spinning storytelling.

1. D-Day

D-Day – June 6, 1944 – was one of the most pivotal turning points of World War II. Over 150,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, launching an operation that led to the liberation of Western Europe and, eventually, the fall of Nazi Germany.

The aptly-named D-Day slot by Nolimit City gives us a little glimpse into the planning that went behind this massive operation.

The base game is built around a war-room plotting table, complete with maps, diagrams, miniature figurines, and soldiers gathered around the reels to make players feel like they've just stepped into a military bunker.

D-Day Base Game

2. Pearl Harbor

It's clear that World War II has been a reel (pun intended) source of inspiration for many slots as we go back in time a couple of years to another globally defining moment.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. Until then, the United States had remained neutral, but this assault prompted their formal entry into the war the following day.

Nolimit City's Pearl Harbor pulls clear influence from these events – you'll find kamikaze planes, crosshair targets, and the studio's signature xMechanics as the action unfolds mid-air.

Pearl Harbor Base Game

3. Das xBoot

After taking to the skies with Pearl Harbor, Nolimit City dives deep into the depths – literally – with Das xBoot.

This slot is based on the 1981 German film Das Boot, which in turn is an adaptation of Lothar-Gunther Buchheim's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name. The story follows the German submarine U-96 and its crew during the Battle of the Atlantic – the longest continuous military campaign of WWII. 

The nautical imagery is quite clear in NLC's Das xBoot: with nautical symbols, ominous radar blips, sonar screens, echoing audio cues, and of course, NLC's xBombs all aboard the submarine. 

Das xBoot Base Game

4. San Quentin/Folsom Prison

Moving onto something slightly more positive, although not by much, Nolimit City has also dabbled in prison and crime-themed slots (a sentence we'd never thought we'd say), namely in the forms of San Quentin and Folsom Prison. 

The former is California's oldest state prison, opened in 1852, and the only one in the state that houses male inmates on death row – hence Nolimit City's 2025 sequel: San Quentin 2: Death Row. Both games play into the prison theme with handcuffs, handmade shivs, and don't drop the soap jokes. 

Then, made famous by Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison is another California institution, this one a medium security. Cash recorded one of his most iconic live albums there, namely At Folsom Prison in 1968, and NLC's Folsom Prison leans into that with a bluesy rock soundtrack and gritty aesthetic. 

San Quentin Base Game

5. Stockholm Syndrome

The term “Stockholm syndrome” came about after a 1973 bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, where hostages developed emotional bonds with their captors over the course of six days, and then later refused to testify against them. 

Nolimit City's slot of the same name, Stockholm Syndrome, brings this story to life, with a typical NLC twist. It appropriately takes us to Sweden, where it all began, as we look towards a large bank surrounded by armed police – or polis – in the native tongue, with guns pointed and trained on a suspect.

On the grid itself, the symbols themselves take on a BDSM-esque kink we've seen before in games like Kenneth Must Die, with one female hostage tied up with phone cords and another gagged and bound, with the studio's trademark tongue-in-cheek satire. 

Stockholm Syndrome Base Game

Final  Thoughts

While this list could almost be titled “Slots Based Around Real Stories by Nolimit City“, it's clear they're one of the few studios brave enough to push boundaries  (with no limits, obviously) and weave real-world stories into their games, offering up some of the most obvious examples. 

Real events don't always make for easy themes, but they do make for powerful storytelling. 

Whether it's war, crime, psychology, or historical turning points, these games show how reality can inspire some of the most memorable themes on the reels, standing out from your typical fruit machines, mythology games, or other slot themes.

Just remember: real stories may shape these games, but you should always remember that they are entertainment first. Play within your limits, stay in control, and always gamble responsibly.