Even before the advent of the internet Slots had largely moved over to an electronic format. By the end of the 1970s, most slot machines were video Slots, using digital reels shown on a screen rather than the mechanical reels of older designs.
An increasing number of players now play casino Slots online, with online platforms offering a large variety of different slot games. There are thousands of options when it comes to playing Slots online – far too many to cover each one – but they can be split into a few major types.
- Classic Slots
The simplest of all the slot game options, classic Slots hark back to the days of mechanical slot machines.
These games only feature three reels – in line with the oldest designs – and either a single payline or just a handful. This keeps the design streamlined and simple to understand, making them a popular choice with players looking to try out a basic game.
It’s not a universal rule, but many classic Slots will lean towards using symbols like fruits, bells and sevens as a nod back to their origins. With fewer additional graphics or extra features, classic Slots offer a more retro experience for online players.
- Branded Slots
You’ll find plenty of slot games that fall into this category, with their theming based on popular culture properties like films or TV shows. Thanks to the use of licencing agreements, these games can utilise imagery, graphics and sounds from the original property as part of their theming.
The actual gameplay design of branded Slots can vary, depending on the developer’s choices. The main unifying element of this category is their use of theming, which offers players a slightly different experience compared to broader themes like mythology or wildlife.
- Progressive jackpot Slots
This category of slot game is determined by their style of jackpot. Progressive jackpot Slots operate differently compared to fixed jackpot games, as a small portion of each player’s wager is put towards the overall jackpot.
This allows the total value to climb rapidly and potentially reach levels higher than a fixed jackpot game, as the jackpot continues to grow until someone lands the correct winning combination. Naturally, the odds of landing that combo are lower, but it’s still a popular format.
Progressive jackpots are often linked across multiple related games, with all the instances under a certain brand potentially pooling towards the same jackpot.
- Cluster Slots
These are a slightly newer addition to the roster of casino slot games, changing up one of the core elements of the classic formula. Rather than using paylines, cluster Slots instead base their payouts on whether clusters of matching symbols appear anywhere on the reels.
A group of five or more adjacent symbols is generally considered a cluster, triggering a payout for players.
Once the cluster has registered as a winning combination, the symbols that make it up will clear off the reels, making space for new ones to fill in the gaps. This allows players to potentially land multiple clusters in a row, increasing their payout as a result.
And that’s only the start! There are plenty of different slot games out there that change up elements of the formula to create their own gameplay twists.
