Last year the online casino industry experienced unprecedented growth, so it’s no surprise that it brought some epic pokies releases. In 2018, the online gaming market volume reached a staggering $51.96 billion. This is a noticeable increase from the previous year, where the industry was worth $47.11 billion. It’s set to reach $55.19 billion in 2019, which means punters can expect plenty of new developments this year. From online casino debuts to innovative software updates, the online gambling industry is set to keep reinventing itself.
Out of all the potential improvements, none are more exciting than the new generation of pokies options. Boasting a slew of innovative features, online pokies have come a long way from their classic predecessors. From videos to 3D graphics, each year the quality of pokies games becomes noticeably more impressive. These features are complimented by wild storylines and enticing bonus rounds. All these improvements have paved the way for some truly exceptional pokies releases.
To showcase how quickly the industry is evolving, we compiled a list of the best pokies games in 2021. From being based on blockbuster hits to exploring new adventures, each entry boasts a storyline that will blow users away. These releases took players by storm, which makes them impossible for any respectable punter to ignore. There are too many quality releases to continue playing the same pokies games. For this reason, spice up 2021 with the best pokies options available online!
Pokies Theme #3: Gonzo’s Quest – Through a series of plot twists, this NetEnt release take punters on an exciting expedition that cuts through the heart of South America. Users are enlisted to help Gonzo the Spanish conquistador find El Dorado, the mythical city of gold. When playing this exciting release, it’s obvious that NetEnt didn’t overlook any of the details. This game boasts 5 cascading reels and 20 paylines that are filled with 3D images that routinely come to life with animations. These icons are complimented by multipliers that allow users to win up to 5 times their original bet.
While the graphics are breathtaking, the hidden bonuses are even more enticing. On top of the usual multipliers, users routinely get treated to up to 20 free spins. These drastically increase the chances of hitting the jackpot which rewards players 1,850 times their original bet. This game offers a generous 96% RTP that makes this 3D video slot too enticing to ignore. Get a piece of the action by embarking on this lucrative adventure!
Play Gonzo’s Quest pokies game at any NetEnt powered online casino. You can play for free or with real money. As you hit spin, the reels, filled with various colourful stone masks, will burst into life. Stone blocks come tumbling down and the grid refreshes, leading to new wins. Twenty fixed paylines are available, and you’ll need to land at least three of the matching masks across one of these to pick up a win.
Gonzo’s Quest falls in the category of medium variance game. The highest possible win in the base game is a huge 2500x your wager.
There are a total of seven different stone symbols to look out for, with each one paying out a different amount. The highest paying symbol in the game pays out a maximum of 125x your stake for five on a line.
Once you do land a win, the winning symbols will be destroyed, and new ones will fall to take their place. This avalanche reels feature is the centrepiece of Gonzo’s Quest pokies, and landing avalanche wins one after the other will increase a win multiplier up to a maximum of 5x in the base game.
Players will also discover wilds and scatters, both of which can unlock big wins. Gonzo will express his appreciation of these as he dances and celebrates with the player.
The main feature of Gonzo’s Quest is the avalanche reels feature. The avalanche consists of symbols that cascade down the screen like tumbling rocks. When you form a winning combination on a payline, the symbols explode and they are replaced by other falling symbols. The more winning bet lines you get, the more avalanches that occur on Gonzo’s Quest.
Each avalanche also increases the multiplier by one. This win multiplier keeps increasing with each successive avalanche up to a maximum of 5x. A non-winning spin will reset the multiplier, and you’ll need to land more avalanche wins to increase it again.
On top of the avalanche reels feature, Gonzo’s Quest pokies also includes avalanche multipliers, wilds and scatters.
Avalanche multipliers are applied to any successive avalanche win. The first avalanche win will apply a 1x multiplier, the second a 2x multiplier and so on. This bonus will increase any winnings you land while the multiplier is active. The maximum multiplier during the base game is 5x. You can see the current multiplier in the top corner of the screen.
Wilds come in the shape of a question mark and will substitute for any other symbol in the game. This way, they’ll help you to form wins and hopefully start off a big avalanche win. Wilds are also able to substitute for scatters, potentially helping you to unlock the free spins bonus round.
Scatters are known as the free fall symbol in this game, and landing three scatters across the first three reels. This will unlock the Gonzo’s Quest free spins or, as they’re known here, the Free Fall feature.
This bonus round gives players ten free spins and increases the multiplier progression. Rather than going from 1x to 5x, the multiplier win bonus will go from 3x to a huge 15x. Free spins can be retriggered by landing more scatters during the bonus round.
Pokies Theme #2: Jumanji – NetEnt and Sony teamed up to create this highly anticipated pokies variation of a timeless blockbuster classic. Armed with multiple perks and plenty of familiar features, this game has everything punters crave. Their 5 reels are packed with 36 paylines that feature multiple symbols that will make users reminisce. On top of offering a welcome dose of nostalgia, this game offers a massive jackpot of up to 1,000 times the original bet. With a 96.33% RTP and plenty of free spins and wilds, this well-crafted adventure is ready to take punters back to the 90’s.
Jumanji pokies game is a five-reel game with four special features that trigger randomly during play. Join the best online casino to play this pokies game. There’s also the board game feature in this pokies game with four different free spins, a mystery feature, coins wins, and extra dice rolls. The five reels are in a geometric form where the reels are 3-4-5-4-3 symbols high from left to right.
Choose your bet before you play, there are options from as little as $0.10 all the way up to $100. As you hit spin, you’ll be looking out for the different symbols and hoping to land a matching combination of three or more symbols to collect a win.
Low paying symbols consist of the A-J playing card symbols while further up the payscale you have the various animals of the jungle. There’s a pelican, crocodile, rhino and finally, the King of the jungle, the lion.
Wilds are one of the most common features you’ll come across in the pokies game. Wilds can land anywhere across the reels and will substitute for other paying symbols in the game. They’ll effectively help you to land wins.
The sticky vines feature is the first of four different bonus features that can randomly trigger at any point in the pokies game. Just like in the film, you never know what will happen next! When the sticky vines feature is active, any winning symbols and wilds will stick to the reels and the reels will respin.
There are many extra bonuses that include extra dice rolls, coin wins and a mystery feature. The coin wins payout an instant prize while the mystery feature could be more dice rolls, more free spins or a big win.
Pokies Theme #1: Holmes & the Stolen Stones – By deviating from the traditional setup, Yggdrasil Gaming provides a refreshing break from boring progressive jackpot games. Instead of having 3 reels with a wild being the only illuminating detail, this video slot is bursting at the seams with vibrant features. Punters get to join Sherlock Holmes on an exhilarating quest to find the missing stones within 5 reels and 3 horizontal rows. Collecting all 5 crystals unlocks a larger-than-life progressive jackpot of 24,000 credits. This game features an unusually high 96.8% RTP, which makes it a mystery that’s extremely advantageous to solve.
Five local progressive jackpots are up for grabs in this action packed adventure with Mr Holmes pokies game. Join in the search for the missing stones across 5 reels and 20 paylines and enter the warehouse bonus game to increase your chances in the Free Spin jackpot game. The jackpot is won when five diamond stones of the same colour are collected in the Jackpot Free Spin mode.
The pokies game has eight regular symbols that will win if three or more are lined up in sequence on a payline, beginning from the leftmost position. This intricately designed low to medium variance game focuses on frequent jackpot wins and a Shard collection feature. You are never far away from the next jackpot free spins!
