Play Free Online Slot Machines

Slots are among the most popular games in both land-based casinos and casinos online. After all, these games house life-changing jackpots that most people could only dream of winning, so it’s no surprise that people want to play them for as long as possible without their bankrolls drying up.

It’s precisely this motivation that drove online casinos to begin offering these games in Freeplay mode. As a result, players can still enjoy the thrills and chills of playing online slot machines without having to throw money at them impulsively. They get the same games to choose from, the same levels of excitement, and even the same rewards to play for – only without the risk. Sounds like a pretty intriguing prospect, right?

If you thought online slots were only for real money players, read on to find out how the free versions of these games work, what to look for when you’re choosing one to play, and how practicing these games can help you become a better slots player online and offline.

What Are Free Online Slot Machines?

In summary, free online slots and real money online slots are essentially the same as what you would expect to see on the gaming floors of land-based casinos. All three work with a set of reels, paylines, and house a jackpot or cash prize of some sort. The only difference is online slot machines are played through your computer or mobile device.

The most notable thing in common about these games is that they are all based on luck, which means nothing can influence the outcomes or results. Nevertheless, many factors can affect your chances of winning: from how much you bet on each spin to whether or not the game features a progressive jackpot.

How Do These Online Games Work?

The most important thing you need to do before you start playing online slots is to understand how these games work. For this, you first need to nail the basics. Once you’ve got to grips with these fundamentals, you’ll realize how much the results fluctuate and how getting frustrated or angry will get you nowhere. The uncertainty of not knowing whether you’ll lose it all or rake in a big fat win is what makes these games so enthralling to play!

Let’s do a quick breakdown of the key features of online slots so you can better understand how they work:

Paylines – Paylines are the most important element in a slot game, as they determine how much you’ll win based on your bet. When we align the winning combinations of symbols, they are matched along a payline. If you land three or more game symbols on any active payline form left to right, you’ll either trigger a bonus round or win a prize.

Bonus Symbols – To help you easily achieve a winning combination, most slots feature helpful bonus symbols known as wilds. These can have unique powers such as the ability to multiply your bets or trigger additional bonus features, but most of the time, they replace other symbols in the game.  The only symbol wilds cannot replace is what’s known as a scatter.

Scatter symbols are a special part of the game that can also lead you to play a bonus feature. These bonus events can be free spins, a mystery prize round, or anything else. Scatter symbols are there to help you unlock special bonus features or events that aren’t part of the traditional base game.

Progressive Jackpot – And the last thing to understand is the difference between a simple jackpot and a progressive jackpot. If you play an online progressive jackpot slot, the highest prize will not be fixed. Instead, its value will be determined by a pot of money that increases each time players place a bet. Basically, it’s a pot that collects a portion of every player's bet until someone eventually triggers the jackpot and wins. Once the game has paid out to the winner, the jackpot resets and the process starts from the beginning.

Different Types of Free Online Slots

3-Reel Slots- These slots are akin to classic one-armed bandits or online fruit machines, and they closely resemble the ones found in pubs and bars during the 70s and 80s. These slots have three reels, and usually feature one to five paylines to wager on.

5-Reel Slots – Most of the online slots you’ll see thee days feature five reels. These games house more paylines and bonus features than 3-reel games, which is why they are the basis of today's most important video slots and progressive jackpot slots.

6-Reel and 7-Reel Slots – As the concepts got more creative,developers have taken the layouts of slots to new extremes in recent years. Thanks to innovative and popular games like Megaways, you can now find slot machine games with up to nine reels.

Classic Slots – Classic slots tend to be fairly simple and usually have a small number of paylines and a simple reel configuration. They can also have various other features, such as free spins, the ability to play winnings for a larger amount, and a jackpot.

Video Slots – The best online slots usually fall into this category. Video slots can also feature a number of reels and paylines, but they are normally defined by their exciting bonus features and imaginative themes.

3D Slots – 3D slots are also similar to video slots as they also have bonus features and themes like classics video slots, only with they are layered with a 3D effect. They also tend to feature unique storylines and characters that make it feel more like playing a modern-day video console game than a plain online slot machine.

Fruit Machines – Fruit machines are old school but still popular in Europe and casinos in the UK. The objective of these games is to align symbols like fruits, bars, and bells to trigger a payout. Usually, a fruit machine has three reels, but there are also versions with 4 or 5 reels.

Progressive Jackpot Slots – As mentioned, progressive slots take a portion of everyone's wagers and add them to a pot. As more people play, the value of the prize increases at an exponential rate. When a player hits the right combination of symbols at random, they win the jackpot. It’s not possible to win a progressive jackpot when playing online slots for free, or any other cash prize for that matter.

Multiple Payline Slots – Many of the most popular slot titles have multiple paylines, which means players have to adjust their bet value, select how much money they want to bet on the active line, and then choose the paylines they want to activate.

Free Slots vs. Real Money Slot Machines

Online slots are a step up in evolution from their land-based predecessors. The difference between these two is obvious in the sense that players are no longer required to travel to play these machines, and they can be accessed from any computer or smart device with an internet connection. But how do online slots that pay out real money differ from the free versions of these machines?

Free Online Slots

• Play risk free
• Learn the ins and outs of slot games
• Opportunity to try out different strategies
• Not able to win money or claim bonuses

Real Money Slots

• Larger selection of games
• Chance to win real money
• Eligible to claim a progressive jackpot
• Entitled to bonuses and free spins

What to Look for in a Slots Game

Theme and Layout – Most online slots are inspired by a certain theme. Some games have a unique design, others are based on movies, TV shows, celebrities, places, and more. You’ll also notice that online slots are different when it comes to layout and prizes. Check out these features and try a few games to see what you like and feel comfortable with.

Payment potential – Even though you can’t win any money playing online slots for free, it’s still good to look at what these games offer in terms of jackpots and cash prizes. You may decide after a few rounds on Freeplay mode that you want to try the game for real, so be sure to find out what you can expect to win and whether the rewards are worth your time and hard-earned money.

Risk Factor – If you choose to transition from playing for free to playing for real money, you should be prepared for the risk. Even the best online slots will not pay 100% of the time and getting your head around this now will mean less disappointment when you play for real. To evaluate your chances of winning before starting the game, look at the RTP (return to player)  as well as the volatility of a slot. The higher the RTP, the higher the chances of winning!

Is Playing for Free a Good Slots Strategy?

Playing any casino game for free can certainly be part of a solid strategy if you intend to play for real at some point in the future. If you’ve never played a slot game before, trying it out in demo mode lets you get fully acquainted with the rules and game dynamics without having to worry about how much is left in your bankroll.

However, as slots are based entirely on luck, you should note that no strategy will ever be able to change the odds in your favor or guarantee you a win. The best that a strategy can do is optimize your approach to playing slots, and help you manage your money better.

Best Free Online Slot Developers

Although there are many top iGaming names in the industry, these five are the ones you’re most likely to come across when you’re playing free slot games online. Every one of these game developers brings something different to the online gaming world and is driving the industry to new heights – whether this is through VR slot games, online casino technology, or any other innovation.
Microgaming – Microgaming is one of the best and oldest online gambling developers, producing hundreds of exciting slot games every year. The company has the world’s largest network of online progressive jackpots, which offers players the opportunity to win up to $ 1 million in each game.

NetEnt – NetEnt is considered to be one of the greatest global slots developers. The company has created more games than any other developer, offering a balance between style, substance, payments, and theme. Top slots titles include popular favorites like Mega Fortune, Starburst, Narcos, Gonzo's Quest, and Boom Brothers.

Yggdrasil – When it creativity and innovative ideas, Yggdrasil slots are hard to beat. This developer creates fun and stylish games that not only offer rich stories and animations, but also unique prizes and features. Yggdrasil slots closer resemble video games than traditional casino slots.

Play’n Go – Play N Go was the first company to develop slots specifically for mobile applications, so mobile slots are its forte. Although it’s not been around as long as the other companies, it launches slot games regularly, and its games have great reviews from players.

Slot Vocabulary – Get to Know the Jargon!

Payline – An imaginary line that forms over the reels on which symbols must appear to form a winning combination. Normally, you can see the number of paylines for a slot in the game’s paytable. Paylines can be fixed or adjustable.
Reels – The ‘columns' of online slots, which appear as symbol-carrying vertical barrels that rotate to achieve winning combinations.
Jackpot – This is the highest payout you can achieve in a slot game. It’s not possible to win more than one jackpot at a time.
Free Spins – A set of spins that are either awarded as a casino bonus reward or part of an in-game bonus feature.
Wild Symbol – A symbol that replaces all other symbols in the game to help you form more winning combinations. In some slots, you will also find Stacked Wilds or Expanding Wilds.
Scatter symbol – The symbols that activate the bonus feature of a slot when a certain number of them appear on the reels.
Base Game – Term used to differentiate standard slot mode from bonus mode or free spins mode.
Bonus Game – A free spins round or another bonus event that’s triggered by the scatter or wild symbols.
Autoplay – The option to set your bets and spin the reels automatically.
Multiplier – A slot feature that multiplies your prizes or winnings by a certain number (e.g. x10, x50)
RTP – The average percentage of bets that a slot will return to a player.
Volatility – Also known as “variance” refers to the frequency of which a slot machine pays out.
Hit Frequency – A figure that indicates how often the reels will stop on winning combination, normally displayed as a percentage.

Tips for Playing Free Online Slots

Understand How Slots Work

As we said, the best way to get good at playing online slots is to know how they work. Playing them for free is the best method for doing this, simply because you can play without risks and you can go completely at your own pace. Once you have a good understanding of the rules, symbols and characters, bonus features, and payout potential, you’ll be naturally more confident when you make the step to playing for real money.

Use a Strategy

While no level of skill can help you win at slots, it never hurts to have a game plan that will keep you on track while you play. This should involve setting a budget, only placing wagers that you can afford, and setting yourself a loss limit in case things go south. Remember that slots are designed to be addictive and make you want to keep playing for that jackpot – don’t fall into this trap and look and make sure you know about money management even if you’re playing for free.

Study the Paytables

Researching a game before you play is just as important as practicing the game. Even though playing will help you get to know the rules and establish whether you like a game or not, you’ll find a lot of information and save yourself time just by having a look at the paytables. Here, you’ll find all the information concerning the rules, paylines, bonus features, the symbols and how they work, the RTP, and the jackpot amount.

Check Who Makes the Game

Whether you’re playing for real money or not, it’s always a good idea to check who developed the slot you want to play to ensure it’s fair and credible. You’ll be surprised at how many dodgy slots there are on the market which are made by companies no one has ever heard of. It’s not uncommon for these companies to rig their games so players have no chance of winning, and some of them may even have viruses or bugs that can damage your computer or device when you download them. Only play games made by a reputable brand such as the ones we’ve listed in this guide.

Take Your Time

One of the best parts about being able to play slots and other casino games online for free is the fact you can go at your own pace. You should never rush or give in to pressure from others to make a move while you’re gambling. Doing so can cause you to become stressed very quickly and lead to you making terrible decisions. Use Freeplay mode to think about your moves carefully and what you would do if you were playing for real money, as this calm and relaxed mentality you’ll have is likely to rub off on you and keep you in this frame of mind when you play for real.

Stick to Simple Games

The best way to get started with playing online slots is to start with simple games first. Once you become an expert in the rules and dynamics of these types of games, you’ll find it much easier to play games with harder rules and more complex features. The more experienced you are in playing slots, the better you’ll be when it comes to money management, choosing the right games, and knowing when it’s time to call it quits if you’re on a losing streak.

Watch Out for Bonus Rounds

There’s no magic trick that will make the right symbols appear and trigger the bonus rounds, but it still pays to know how these second-screen events work. They are the gateway to winning jackpots, after all, and triggering these features will award you with extra prizes like free spins, prize multipliers, and more. If you are eventually planning to play slots for real money, you’re going to want to activate these bonus rounds as much as possible.

Check Out Some Slot Reviews

If researching different slots sounds a bit boring and tiresome, you can always read up on reviews about these games to determine whether one is going to be a good fit for your style, confidence level, and budget. There are thousands of slots available these days, so checking out what other players and review sites have said about them is a great way to gauge whether it’s worth your time. They’ll give you a detailed experience of what it's like to play and list the pros and cons if you do decide to try it yourself.

Conclusion

We hope you found this information helpful and you are now ready to embark on your online slots adventure! Feel free to check out our reviews of the best online casinos and slot games for more information about playing Freeplay slots, along with extra tips and strategic advice for playing.

FAQ

Can I win real money playing free online slots?
Unfortunately no. You can only play for jackpots and claim cash prizes in slots if you make a deposit and place real money wagers. The same applies to redeeming real money casino bonuses.

Can I play slot games for free on my phone or tablet?cc

Do I have to download software to be able to play?
You can choose to download the software of your chosen casino, or you can access a casino’s slots collection by loading them up and playing them in your browser.