Online slots have exploded in popularity over the past few decades. With so many options to choose from, what separates the good from the truly great slot machines? In this guide, we’ll cover the top features savvy players look for when selecting a slot to play.
High RTP
The return-to-player (RTP) percentage indicates how much of your money you can expect to win back over many spins on any platform, including Casino RollXO. A higher RTP signals a more generous slot. The best online slots have an RTP of 96% or more. This means for every $1 wagered, on average 96 cents is paid back to players over time. Even a small RTP difference greatly impacts overall payouts.
Favorable Volatility
Volatility or variance refers to how often and how much a slot pays out. Low volatility slots pay out frequently, but amounts are small. Highly volatile slots pay less often, but payouts can be huge.
Engaging Bonus Games
Bonus games provide fun ways to boost your winnings. Different types of bonus rounds include:
- Free spins – Get a set number of free spins, usually with expanded reels or special wild symbols added
- Pick bonuses – Pick boxes or objects on the screen to reveal instant prizes underneath
- Wheel bonuses – Spin the bonus wheel for a chance to trigger progressive jackpots or other awards
- Sticky wilds – Wilds “stick” in place for subsequent spins raising your odds of winning
The more immersive and varied the bonus games, the better.
Chance at Massive Progressive Jackpots
All slots can pay fixed jackpots when you land the top symbol combination. But progressive slots offer life-changing prizes that continuously rise with every bet placed. Some progressives are stand-alone, while others are networked across multiple slots or casinos. The latter progressive jackpots can climb to millions of dollars. Even a small chance at an eight-figure score makes for an exhilarating gaming experience.
Branded Content and Familiar Themes
Slots based on popular movies, TV shows, bands, games, or celebrities tend to attract more players. But beyond leveraging a known brand, great branded slots find ways to creatively integrate key elements fans know and love. This includes playing iconic music, using actual show footage, or adapting signature bonus rounds that tie back to the main theme.
Innovative Gameplay and Features
With fierce competition, elk studios slot games developers constantly push boundaries finding new ways to deliver a fresh gaming experience. Recent advances include slots with:
- Cascading reels – Winning symbols disappear and new ones cascade down with every spin
- Expanding reels – Reels can expand to hundreds or even thousands of rows high
- Multiple progressive jackpots – Slots that offer two, three or even four different progressives
- Megaways – Variations with tens of thousands of payline combinations
The most player-friendly slots find imaginative ways to incorporate cutting-edge features that enhance engagement and payout potential.
Strong Graphical Capabilities
From an aesthetic perspective, the graphics, animations, sound effects and music should all complement the slot’s theme and gameplay. Crisp, vibrant visuals with smooth animations heighten enjoyment whether playing on desktop or mobile. Many new HTML5 slots allow for slick animations and special effects not possible in Flash-based games.
Mobile Responsiveness
In some jurisdictions, over 60% of real money slot play now happens on mobile devices. Leading online slots use responsive web design so gameplay dynamically adapts on any size screen – desktop, tablet or smartphone. Swiping gestures and touch controls make for seamless operation. Top slots also permit both horizontal and vertical orientations.
Fast Load Times
You should never have to wait more than a few seconds for new rounds to load. Slow load times point to backend inefficiencies that hamper enjoyment. The most well-coded games allow you to spin instantly while easily accessing settings and information with snappy response times.
Safety and Fairness Checks
Only play slots at reputable, regulated casinos that can prove their games are fair and secure. You want independent audits, licensing in established jurisdictions and strong encryption practices safeguarding financial and personal data. An external testing agency should routinely evaluate slots for random number generation, ensuring fair odds and randomness.