Best Online Slots in the UK

Features of the Best Slots

There’s a massive variety of themes to pick from when it comes to online slots. From historic China to buccaneering pirates and futuristic space stations to ancient Rome, there’ll be a game with that theme.

What makes a slot a good one, though? Take ancient Egypt, for example. Players have an enormous number of slots with that theme to choose from. What makes one more playable than another? Personal preference comes into it, of course, but there are other factors to weigh up, too, which we’ll look at in more detail below.

High Variance

When considering whether to play an online slot, 1 of the most important factors is variance. Does a slot deliver a steady stream of small-value wins? Or is it volatile? These slots might offer wins very rarely, but they have the potential to be big ones on the rare occasions they hit.

The high risk but potentially high rewards on offer from volatile slots see many of them develop cult status. They’re certainly chancy, but if luck is pointing in the right direction, they can deliver some knockout action.

High Max Win

Closely tied in with high variance slots are those that offer how maximum payouts or max win. The big rewards have made these some of the most popular slots around. Players love to chase huge wins and the bigger the potential rewards, the more appealing they become.

Take for example, Dead or Alive 2. It might not be the most innovative slot in the world but the fact that one of its features has a maximum win of 111,111 x your total stake means that it’s become one of the best slots online and a firm fan favourite.

Superb Design

Players who will be staring at a screen for a decent amount of time want something that’s easy on the senses. Many of the best slot games come with high-class sound and visuals. Players expect more than ordinary bars, bells and oranges found in an old-school fruity.

Combine impressive design with high variance and big win potential, and you’re well on the way to creating a classic. Immortal Romance is a prime example. Packed full of backstory, it has its own uniquely-developed soundtrack. It also offers super volatile gameplay and potentially massive payouts. Put that together with the classy sound and visuals, and you can see why it’s become one of the best slots to play online.

RTP %

For the uninitiated, the RTP is the Return to Player rate. That is, the amount that a slot pays out on average. The higher the percentage figure, the more that the game returns. For example, a slot that has a 96% RTP pays out £96 out of every £100 wagered.

Most slots have an RTP of around the 96% mark. There are some outliers in both directions, though. Some jackpot slots can have a lower RTP rate. Slots with an RTP in excess of 97% are understandably popular with slot players.

9k Yeti has a 97% RTP. Set sail on a voyage in 1429 Uncharted Seas, and the RTP is a massive 98.6%. You can usually find a slot’s RTP in the paytable or game info section. Is the return-to-player percentage a factor for you? Check out the best RTP slots.

Bonus Features

Some players are happy with slots that hammer home a limited range of extras (like Starburst). Others demand more in the way of bonus features. Thankfully, there are loads of online slots available that offer both styles.

Take Playtech’s Age of the Gods slot, for example, which comes with 4 different free spin features, each one based on one of the ancient deities. They all offer decent winning potential too.

Other examples of the best slots for features include games from Blueprint Gaming. Take Ted, for example. Based on the hit movie about the foul-mouthed talking bear, starring Mark Wahlberg, it’s brimming with base game modifiers and a massive collection of triggered features.

Originality

Slots have come a long way from their one-armed bandit roots. We still enjoy playing a simple, classic fruity from time to time but most players expect a bit more in the way of originality.

The best slots deliver that in spades. The prime example in recent years has been the explosion in popularity of slots using the Megaways game mechanic. Big Time Gaming isn’t resting on its laurels, though. The developer behind Megaways has also launched the Megaclusters and Megaquads game engines.

Another good example of innovation is ReelPlay’s Infinity Reels game engine, which adds an extra reel with each successive win. The best slot games often feature the best new gameplay.

Jackpots

The goal of many slots players is to scoop an enormous, life-changing sum. With their multi-million pound paydays, progressive jackpot slots certainly offer that. NetEnt’s Mega Fortune and Games Global’s Mega Moolah might be relative veterans, but their eye-watering jackpots mean that they remain some of the most popular slots in the UK.

Mobile-Friendliness

More and more people are giving up on their desktop computers and using ever more powerful tablets and mobiles as their primary devices. The online gaming world has kept up with these technological changes to create superbly designed slots that are fully optimised for mobile play.

A prime example of this comes from developer 4ThePlayer, which has created the Big Reel Portrait Mode, which uses 60% of the screen for the game interface. They are some of the best slots for iPhones you’ll come across.

Land-Based Slots Turned Online

Many of the best online slots available started life as land-based slots found in casinos, arcades, pubs and bars up and down the land.

Some of the top-rated slots are ones that were around long before online slots even existed. Some players will stick to the games they’ve played for years and even decades.

The likes of IGT’s Cleopatra, Barcrest’s Rainbow Riches and WMS’ Zeus all became popular in live venues before making the transfer to the online slot world. These are the best slots in Vegas, meaning their online presence remains constant.