Top Emerging Slot Providers to Watch in 2026

Four New Slot Providers That Blew Us Away in 2025

In 2025, we reviewed almost two new slots every single day.

If our maths checks out (we barely passed our maths GCSEs), that works out at 8-10 slots per week and close to 500 games across the year.

And while most players already know the industry heavyweights, aka the studios that dominate casino lobbies (cough Nolimit City, Pragmatic Play, and Hacksaw Gaming, cough), some of our favourite moments of 2025 came from discovering new and emerging game providers quietly doing something different.

Whether it was through bold slot themes, inventive mechanics, or wild maths models, a handful of up-and-coming slot studios genuinely surprised us. 

Rather than rehashing the usual names, we thought we'd spotlight four new slot providers that stood out in 2025 – and look to make an even bigger splash in 2026.

Shady Lady

While they were officially established in 2024, Shady Lady truly emerged from the shadows in 2025, giving us a grand total of eight slots – and each one a hit. 

Their games remind us of Nolimit City's early days, with an unmistakable edge and “dare to be different” attitude shown in their borderline absurd themes and out-there mechanics.

Our favourite Shady Lady slot from 2025 was Devil's Finger, taking players to a fiery hellscape where the titular mechanics are cranked to block winning ways on the grid and – ironically – stick the middle finger up at conventional slots. 

Honourable mentions go to Sew (we'll never look at our granny's sewing kit the same way again) and Swoll, which took the term “gym rat” to new extremes.

Shady Lady's roadmap for 2026 is already looking promising, with their new game Laced reaching new highs and two more exciting slots on the horizon: Suck and Truth. 

Swoll Free Spins Bonus Play

Sneaky Slots

We, among many others in this industry, consider Nolimit City to be one of the gold standards when it comes to creating slots. 

So when we heard that NLC were taking brand-new studio Sneaky Slots under their wing, we were intrigued. 

Sneaky Slots' games have NLC DNA clearly running all the way through their visuals and gameplay, even taking up iconic xMechanics like xNudge in Gopnik and xBomb in Freak Show Revelation, all while offering their own signature spin on their releases. 

While many consider Sneaky Slots to be like a younger sibling to Nolimit City, we hope they can continue to build upon their strong debut year with their boundary-pushing ideas and unapologetically bold creative directions. 

Their roadmap for 2026 is largely under wraps as the studio aptly takes a sneakier approach to the new year, but we know games like Gods Go Pew Pew and UnWISHable are coming soon.

Freak Show Revelation Base Game

DreamSpin

2025 was a breakout year for DreamSpin – an independent slot studio founded by the co-founders of Hideous Slots and Fruity Slots.

Despite being a small, tight-knit team, DreamSpin has quickly made a name for themselves by creating slots that feel genuinely player-first. 

Built by gamers with years of industry experience, their slots feel outside of the box, with crisp visuals, fun themes, and gameplay that delivers on what slot players actually want to see. There's a sharpness to their releases that immediately sets them apart from the cookie-cutter crowd.

So far, we've tested Buzz Thrill, Backstreet Wilds, Wizards of Wild Wood, and Pirate Pigs (the latter two releasing later this year), with each new release building on the strengths of the last and showing steady creative growth.

Based on what we've seen so far, DreamSpin is only just getting started – and each spin really does feel like a dream.

Backstreet Wilds Base Game

DEGEN Studios

Finally, we have DEGEN Studios, launched in 2025. 

They are now four games deep, with Hacker's Haven, Raider Riches, Wild Gangs, and Rave Riot. Based on these titles, it's clear to see that their games are tackling themes and ideas that most other providers would rather avoid. 

While this might not be for everyone, we love studios that take risks with their themes. With so many basic slots flooding the market, having games that push boundaries (responsibly) while staying fun is the key to surviving in this industry right now. 

And with their gritty aesthetics and engaging maths models, it's clear that DEGEN Studios is here to challenge the status quo, bringing both personality and volatility back into the spotlight. 

Hacker's Haven Base Game

Final Thoughts

These picks are just based on our own tastes – we've never been shy about preferring darker, riskier, and more unconventional slots over safe, fluffy releases.

That doesn't mean to say that other new (or older) studios aren't worth your time – far from it. 

However, these are the four providers that stood out to us in the last year, for pushing boundaries, taking creative risks, and refusing to play by the rulebook. 

With so many copy-and-paste slots out there, studios like Shady Lady, Sneaky Slots, DreamSpin, and DEGEN Studios are a reminder that innovation is still alive and kickin'.

If you'd like to learn more about these providers and their new games (as well as many others), feel free to check out our slot reviews.

As always, if you choose to play any of the games by these providers, remember to play responsibly and only ever gamble within your means.

For full transparency, DreamSpin was founded by one of the co-founders of Hideous Slots, and our reviews are written and scored by a third-party writer within Hideous Slots. We always aim to be unbiased in our reviews, but we feel like it's important for readers to be aware of this connection.