Online slots and slot machine players love new game experiences, and slot manufacturers stand ever ready to offer them.
New games we can expect to see in 2020 include pop culture themes including the latest Monopoly game from Scientific Games, Jeopardy! from International Game Technology, and The Karate Kid and the Mask from Everi.
They include games with rewards for small cycles of spins, such as Ainsworth’s Super Lit Vegas and Incredible Technologies’ Happy 8’s. And there are progressives galore, including Konami Gaming’s Ba Fang Jin Bao series.
Let’s check out some new slots to anticipate from game makers in 2020.
SCIENTIFIC GAMES
Monopoly Electric Win$: No year would be complete without a new Monopoly game, and Scientific Games has come through with a six-reel, 20-line game packed with bonus fun/
It’s available in multiple coin denominations from 1 cent to 50 cents. In addition to your bets on the base game, there’s a 25-credit bonus bet that activates a special Electric Reel.
In the Board Bonus on a supersized version of the iconic Monopoly board, players roll dice to determine a number of multipliers to be added to the board. You have a chance at one of four progressive jackpots or one of six bonuses, all awarded randomly.
In both the Pick and Match Bonus and Community Chest Bonus, players pick for credit prizes. In the Railroad Bonus, a prize train awards credit prizes and a multiplier. In the Dice Bonus, players roll for credit prizes. Lastly, in the Free Spins Bonus, players are awarded 10 free spins, and if a MONOPOLY Electric Win$ symbol lands on the reels, an additional 10 free spins are awarded.
Away from the board, the base game includes an Electric Reel that’s activated by the bonus bet. The Electric Reel can add wild symbols to the reels for power-packed wins. Before a spin, a Hotel symbol may appear in positions on the first five reels. Then if the Light Bulb symbol appears on the sixth reel, it transforms the hotels to wilds.
**Ultimate Cash Spin: The popular Cash Spin game combines with the new TwinStar J43 Motion Wheel cabinet for an interactive game experience. Players can now physically spin the wheel during the U-Spin Wheel Bonus to win free games, credit prizes, and one of three progressive jackpots.
Ultimate Cash Spin is a 30-line game available in denominations from 1 cent to $500 – it’s for low rollers and big shooters alike. The U-Spin Wheel Bonus is triggered by three U-Spin symbols on the reels and awards one spin. If the wheel lands on a wedge with a Diamond symbol, then a spin of the Ultimate Wheel is awarded featuring upgraded prizes, including the chance to win the Grand progressive jackpot.
A Free Games Bonus awarded by the wheel begins with the player spinning a Free Games Wheel for possibilities that include up to 15 free games with a 2x multiplier. The U-Spin Wheel Bonus can be retriggered during the free games for big win possibilities.
Ultimate Cash Spin also includes Cash Spin’s popular Money Bag Bonus, where players choose among moneybags to win from three to 20 times their bets. And if you pick a back with a “+1” display, you win an extra pick along with the credits.
INTERNATIONAL GAME TECHNOLOGY
**Zodiac Lion: A five-reel video slot on IGT’s Crystal Curve slot cabinet, Zodiac Lion has an unusual configuration on its five video reels. The first, third and fifth reels are four symbols deep, while the second and fourth are five symbols deep.
The result is a 50-line game with a 100-credit wager to cover all lines and bonuses. That’s a $1 wager on a 1-cent game.
During the base game, when a lion symbol appears inside of a frame on the reel, it unlocks the frame and transforms it to a wild symbol.
The Lion Spin bonus is triggered during the base game when three or more lion spin symbols appear in locked frames, awarding one free spin for every triggering symbol. Once the bonus is triggered, a giant wheel spins behind the reels to award players up to 22 lion symbols per spin for an anticipation-building experience.
**Jeopardy! High-denomination players get their chance for a credit explosion or implosion through Final Jeopardy in a new high-denomination slot.
Based on the long-popular TV game show, Jeopardy! includes three progressive jackpot levels. You can bet one, three, six, 10 or 20 credits per spin, but it takes at least a six-credit wager to be eligible for the Jeopardy bonus event. Those who bet 10 get four extra paylines and increased Daily Double chances, and if you bet 20, you get even more Daily Doubles and improved chances for a progressive jackpot.
When three bonus symbols appear on an active payline, they trigger the Jeopardy bonus. At the start, five free spins are awarded. During those spins, if a bonus symbol appears, you’re awarded a prize that can include a progressive jackpot, and the number of remaining spins is reset to five.
If three bonus symbols appear on a payline during the event, you advance to Double Jeopardy with increased rewards. Anytime a Daily Double symbol appears in either Jeopardy or Double Jeopardy, credit awards are doubled.
At the end of the bonus spins, you can either keep the credits you’ve won or give them up to play Final Jeopardy. There, you select up to four spaces from the board. They reveal credit values that are added and offered to. You can accept or decline and try again. If you decline, you pick again for a new offer. If you decline that, you can try once more, and the value of your final picks become your prize for the round.
KONAMI GAMING
**Dragon’s Law SeleXion: Two new linked jackpot games feature the iconic long-tailed dragon that captured players’ imaginations on earlier Dragon’s Law game.
In Dragon’s Law Boosted, players have a choice. You can play either the original Dragon’s Law game with five video reels, each three symbols deep, or you can hit the “boosted” button to double the possibilities.
If you play the boosted version, you each reel is six symbols deep for extra chances to win at slots. Dragon’s Law’s random wild feature returns. After a spin wild symbols can appear on top of symbols on the screen. With the boost, Dragon’s Law adds a random progressive that includes a Maxi jackpot that starts at $5,000.
The SeleXion companion title to Dragon’s Law Boosted is Dragon’s Law Rapid Fever, which showcases the popular Dragon’s Law mystery wild.
Throughout primary play, an activated Strike Zone area is outlined in blue. Bigger bets can expand the Strike Zone from right to left. Randomly during or after any spin, the long-tailed dragon flies down to the reels to scatter wild symbols packed random bonus prizes.
Prizes include credit awards, jackpots, and wheel spins. All prizes that land within the Strike Zone are awarded, while those that land outside the Strike Zone serve as regular wild symbols.
**Ba Fang Jin Bao: Eight is a lucky number in Chinese culture, and in two new games under the Ba Fang Jin Bao umbrella, the lucky 8sgo down all the way to your wagers. Penny players can make bets ranging from 88 cents to $8.80.
Two themes, Abundant Fortune and Fortune Totems, feature a symbol-driven, four-level linked progressive system. At the top is the Grand jackpot, which starts building from a $10,000 base.
Both themes feature a chance at a progressive jackpot anytime a gold ingot symbol lands on the reels. When the progressive feature is triggered, 12 gold ingots appear across the screen, which players tap to reveal a corresponding progressive jackpot prize. When 3 matching jackpot symbols are uncovered, you are awarded the corresponding jackpot amount.
EVERI
**The Vault: You’re looking to empty the vault and fill your bankroll in a series of five-reel penny slots featuring three base games in 30 or 40-line configurations. All feature a bank-wide bonus feature and community-style play.
In an Empty the Vault respin bonus, gold from the vault can give a big boost to credit prizes that are locked on the screen. When triggered, reels will spin in a lock-and-respin mode. Scatter symbols bring the biggest rewards: When three scatter symbols are locked on the same column, they will increase on every following spin. Treasure will fall from the top screen vault onto the locked reels.
In the bank-wide Diamond Rush bonus feature, everyone tries to steal diamonds from other players at the bank and lock them in for Diamond Heist time. The Heist is triggered when a vault symbol reveals a diamond or a diamond plus credits during the Diamond Rush bonus.
**The Karate Kid: A five-reel, 30-line penny game features the Karate Tournament bonus. One large wheel spins to lock in a progressive jackpot tier available to the player. You can win the jackpot by with a reel spin during which the 3 x 5 reel set contains only fist symbols and blank spaces.
Another feature is the Wild Strike Bonus which is initiated randomly during any spin. During the bonus, the reels split up to six times and add wild reels giving players extra chances to win progressive jackpots.
**The Mask: Movie thrills come through on this five-reel, 40-line penny slot. During the Free Games bonus with Jackpot Wheel Spin, players can land full stack combinations to win instant credit prizes or the special combination to unlock a single spin of the jackpot wheel. The jackpot wheel guarantees a jackpot prize up to the progressive value.
In the Pick Bonus with Prize Jump, players who locate Milo, the Jack Russell Terrier, advance up 10 possible levels to larger prizes with gold and silver keys instantly unlocking credit prizes. Steer clear of the cheese, because finding two cheesy symbols end the bonus.
AINSWORTH GAME TECHNOLGY
**Super Lit Vegas: The latest in Ainsworth’s successful QuickSpin family incorporates a “Persistent State” play mechanic in which players build toward wheel spins in quick, seven play cycles.
While you play, you collect orb symbols. On the seventh spin, the orbs become wild, so a big orb collection can lead to big wins. If you collect eight or more orbs during the seven-spin set, you get a Wheel Spin for credits – usually in the hundreds, but with a 10,000-credit top.
On average, you’ll win the Wheel Spin once per eight cycles, or once per 56 spins.
In regular play, three “free games” symbols will launch 15 free spins. You can collect orbs throughout event, and on the 15th spin, they turn wild. Players can get the Wheel Spin through the free spins, too.
**Captain’s Quest: With Captain’s Quest, Ainsworth launches an “Ultimate Upgrade” line of games, in which Ultimate Upgrade symbols launch special features.
A 1-cent game with 30 paylines, Captain’s Quest includes the Persistent Play mechanic. You play in cycles of 10 spins.
Each time an Ultimate Upgrade symbol appears, you collect one of five features: Symbol Replaced, 1 Wild Reel, Wilds Added, Extra Lines, or Multipliers. On the 10th spin, all features are awarded into a final spin. Players can collected some of, all of or multiple of each of the features.
Three or more scattered symbols launch free games in which the player can choose one off the five upgrades.
INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGIES
**Happy 8’s: The number 8 is lucky for players in an Asian themed game that features “Scatter Blast,” where you can accumulate bonuses, progressives and wilds over an eight-spin cycle.
You build up your extras on the first seven spins, and on the eighth, all wilds are released to the 40 line reel set below. That can bring some huge wins on the reels, and any progressive awards or bonus meters that have been filled with their scatter icons are also awarded. Then everything is reset to start another eight-spin cycle.
If three Bonus scatters accumulate within eight spins, then eight free spins are triggered. Any accumulated wilds from the base game are carried over to free spins, where accumulated wilds are active on the reels and shift with every spin.
All the collected wilds and features carry back over to the base game to finish up any reaming spins in the cycle for even more chances to gather wilds and win progressive awards.
The 40-line game with four progressive levels is available in 1, 2, 5 and 10-cent denominations, and you can bet 60, 120, 180, 240 or 300 credits.
**Ultra Rush Golden Steed Feel the Rush: Made for IT’s Infinity Skybox cabinet with three video screens, this 60-line game puts an innovative twist on the hold-and-spin bonus game mechanic. It can be configured for coin denominations ranging from 1 cent to $1.
Ultra Rush Golden Steed has ornate Eastern-inspired symbols to evoke luck and fortune. Three golden medallion scatters trigger 10 free spins with the chance to re-trigger for more free games.
You also can win the Ultra Rush feature on any spin when six scatter symbols land on either an upper or a lower set of reels. The scatters show credit amounts and remain locked while all the rest of the regular symbols are cleared to reveal new reel sets that have only blanks, credit scatters, and wheel scatters.
Players begin the event with only three spins but each time a scatter lands, the free spin countdown is reset back to three. Players who fill an entire screen are rewarded a huge credit bonus in addition to the credit amounts collected with scatters.
On top of that, any wheel scatter symbols are worth a chance to spin the jackpot and progressive wheel.
