In the old days new slots sites and casinos had to be built up from scratch costing a lot of time, money and effort. These days there are lots of ways new slot sites can be made quicker and cheaper through the availability of third party platforms and service providers. This means there are now new slot sites launching every single month.
Here you can find our list of new recommended slot sites, we don’t just list any old sites, but only UK licensed brands from reputable companies that have diversity, clear terms, good game selections, solid support and a range of features and banking options.
If you would like to see who we think are the best slots sites visit our main page and if you would like to see the latest new slot releases read our slots blog.
New Slot Sites For March 2024
Looking For Older Slot Sites?
The sites shown above have launched in the last couple of years, if you want to see some older more established brands head over to our best slots sites page where we list our recommended the top sites for games. You can also find our how to play slots guide.
New Slots Blog
New Slot Releases
Even if you have only spent 5 minutes looking at an online casino, you can’t fail to see that there are hundreds upon hundreds of slots available to choose from. Some sites use this as their main selling point boasting 1000+ games, while others take a more boutique approach and only list proven favourites, but even the smaller game libraries don’t usually fall under 200-300.
These games have amassed rapidly in number over the years for two reasons:
- There are numerous different game developers operating in the industry, some are old hands and some are new upstarts, but they all want a place at the table. This means they keep releasing games to stay current and keep players interested.
- Technology has come on leaps and bounds since the first days of online slotting, so players expect the developers to keep up with and this and take advantage of new innovations. Once one developer comes up with a new feature or significantly improves visuals and animations the others are sure to follow, or even try and outdo them with something bigger and better. This is great news for slots players.
But who are these developers and how often do they release new games? Let’s look at a few of the more prominent names out there first before checking out one or two of the newer kids on the block for comparison.
NetEnt
Even those who have only dabbled with slots in the past are likely to have sampled at least one of NetEnt’s titles. They have been in operation since 1996 and more than 300 casinos use their software.
They are known for utilising great graphics with lots of features, meaning their games look good and play well too.
NetEnt release a few new slots each month so there is always something new to try, but only those that prove popular are kept around for the long term. Of all the games they have developed over the years there are around 200 live at any one time, with about 130 of those being slots.
They aren’t as prolific as some of the other big developers, but their games do tend to be well thought out are released in a steady flow throughout the year.
Here is what 2018 looked like for NetEnt:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
They also like to stick to a tried and tested format when it comes to the design of their games, so while the number of paylines may change it’s rare to see anything other than 5 reels or an RTP that sits either side of 96%.
Microgaming
Microgaming were actually the first company to launch an online casino, but have since wrapped up that side of their business and now focus on developing games.
In contrast to NetEnt, Microgaming keep most of their game library online unless there is a good reason not to. They are arguably the biggest provider in the industry with more than 600 titles stocking their shelves. The collection is growing too – by 2 games a month on average – although a lot are developed by their many subsidiary studios.
This is their release schedule from 2018:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
A lot of their titles, especially the older ones, are understandably not as visually impressive as newer slots, but there are plenty of features to cross your fingers and hope for, and the Microgaming progressive jackpot network is one of the highest paying in the world.
Playtech
The guys at Playtech are best known for their ability to strike licensing deals with already popular brands; the Marvel franchise is probably the most obvious example. For a few years Playtech offered slots themed around the various superheroes in the Marvel Universe that were extremely popular with players.
When the licence ran out, they simply gave the games a different ‘skin’ (so they changed the theme and the graphics etc. but the game played the same underneath). This is typical of Playtech, and they know how to do good business.
They release games throughout the year but they don’t follow a particular style religiously like some others do, meaning there is a good deal of variety with Playtech titles.
They currently have around 180 slots in the offering, although this does not account for the hundreds that have been released and retired over the years. They don’t give themselves time limits in terms of when games are released – these numbers are from 2018 as an example.
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
15 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 |
You can see that this shows a very busy start of the year with 15 new games in January, before a more slow and steady pace through the middle and a slight upturn at the end; whereas Jan 2019 saw only 4 releases and the year before was different again. The company’s many subsidiary studios probably has something to do with this.
Yggdrasil
Only in operation since 2013, Yggdrasil were quick to adopt new HTML5 technology and all of their 60+ slots were built this way.
As a newbie, they had to make an impact in a crowded market, and they did this by hiring the best designers that money could buy. A quick look at their game catalogue is all the proof you need that these guys are worth every penny they are paid – the games look stunning.
They also needed to build a game library but chose to stick at around one a month in order to maintain quality. A strategy that has worked for them, although they have been picking up pace in recent years.
This was Yggdrasil in 2018:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
That’s 15 titles in 2018, and they had already hit the same number by October 2019.
As a younger company the payouts aren’t as mouth watering as what the bigger developers can dish out, but Yggdrasil are very inventive with features and gameplay and aren’t afraid to push the RTP past 97%.
Thunderkick
The second of our ‘newer’ breed of slot developer, starting life in 2012 with a similar approach to Yggdrasil: create visually superior games and let the library build up naturally.
One thing that is great about Thunderkick is their ability to come up with themes for games that have rarely been used before. Turning the reels into dollops of ice cream, for example, or using birds as symbols and electrocuting them to re-invent the explosive reels feature.
They don’t release games often but when they do you know they are going to be fun to play and have probably the best visuals available. Their roster if small at around 35, but they are all winners.
In 2018 they only released 7 games:
Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
This represents a typical year for Thunderkick, so their titles are always heavily anticipated.
They are predictable in the RTP of their games – many sit at 96.10% – but they also have games with 97% RTP’s, and although their base game payouts aren’t the highest the features are always helpful not to mention great fun, and they make good use of multipliers too.
How Do I Find Out About New Releases?
Slot developers and online casinos want you to play their new games, so when they are released the information isn’t hard to find.
The only real problem you might face is knowing where to look, because there are so many developers nowadays that new slots come out literally every week. It would be easy to get bogged down in all the rubbish, so you only want to hear about the good stuff.
You know what sort of games you like, which developers use the sort of features you enjoy and which casino’s host their games, so if you were a huge fan of Yggdrasil, here are a few things you could do:
- Social Media – New releases will definitely be announced on Twitter etc. so make sure you are following your favourite developers social media accounts.
- Youtube – Similarly, most developers have YouTube accounts. Get subscribing to your top faves because new slots almost always have video trailers before they are released to give you an idea of what thy are all about.
- Casino’s – If you play at a few different casino’s you will know how they promote new releases. They might get headline space on the homepage, or there might be a section on the site specifically for new releases. It will be hard to miss them if you are actively looking.
- Forum’s – There are plenty of online forums dedicated to slot chatter and popular new games are always discussed, so get yourself an account and have a browse.
- Developer’s Website – This is where you will get the most in depth information, but also the most laborious way of going about it. Still, if you are expecting news on an anticipated game then this is the best place to find it, and there are often demo versions available to try for free, too.
What Types of Slot Are There?
One aspect of the slotting world that really keeps it thriving is the fact that there are almost limitless possibilities when it comes to creating new slots.
Themes are restricted only by the developer’s imaginations, and new slots can be built quickly based on anything or anyone that is currently in vogue; Rocket Men by Red Tiger Gaming is a perfect example. The game was based on a Twitter spat in 2016 between the illuminous loud mouth Donald Trump and his sparring partner Kim Jong Un. They were childishly and irresponsibly threatening each other with nuclear war, and a few months later this monstrosity was born.
You’ve got to laugh haven’t you?
Other slot providers go a more official route and strike licensing deals with TV shows, films, bands, and even individual celebrities, creating slots based on brands, names and franchises that players will already know and maybe even be fans of. This has an obvious benefit for everyone involved.
Some developers are more prone to this sort of approach than others, and they can be based on almost anything as you can see below:
Game | Genre | Developer |
---|---|---|
James Dean | Celebrity: Actor | NextGen |
Motorhead | Band | NetEnt |
Vikings | TV Show | NetEnt |
Anchorman | Movie | Bally |
Ace Ventura | Movie | Playtech |
Worms Reloaded | Computer Game | Blueprint |
Family Guy | Animated TV Show | IGT |
Cluedo | Board Game | IGT |
Batman Series | Comic, Film | Playtech |
Narcos | TV Show | NetEnt |
Franki Dettori’s Magic Seven | Celebrity: Sport | Playtech |
Scarface | Movie | NetEnt |
Andre the Giant | Celebrity: Wrestling | NextGen |
Bullseye | Game Show | Microgaming |
Jurassic Park | Movie | Microgaming |
Monopoly Series | Board Game | WMS |
Marvel Series | Comic, Movie | Playtech |
Playboy | Adult Magazine | Microgaming |
Breaking Bad | TV Show | IGT |
The Big Bopper | Celebrity: Singer | RTG |
It’s usually only the bigger industry names that can afford to do this offically, but you will see all developers creating slots based on famous films etc. without explicitly mentioning them.
For example, during the height of the Twilight saga’s popularity, many games concerning vampires and love stories were released – which of course was no coincidence. They all pretended to be their own entity’s but were obviously knock off versions of the real thing, even though some of them were really good.
Equally, take a look at John Hunter and the Aztec Treasure by Pragmatic Play and tell me the guy in the open khaki shirt, holding a whip and wearing a fedora on his head isn’t the spitting image of Indiana Jones…
Nah, never seen him before in my life mate.
So What Can I Expect to See?
It really depends on what is popular at the time. The industry tends to ride the wave of whatever is in fashion, so if there is a particularly successful film that comes out for instance, then a slot will probably be based on it at some point. Microgaming used to be the go-to guys for this kind of thing but many others do it too. The same goes for long running binge worthy TV shows.
You might even see more than one slot; Terminator and Jurassic Park are two example of movies that have spawned multiple slot games following the franchise. Developers are always trying to think of old classics to revive too; Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and James Dean have all had the treatment, but what about Madonna, The Beetles, Oasis? Basically, keep an eye on pop culture and the slot industry will usually follow.
Playtech are big on licensing deals, and negotiated arguably the most famous of them all with the Marvel series of slots that has since come to an end, but if anyone is likely to flash the cash on new branded slots it’s them.
Also, if one developer has an especially successful slot release, even if it is unbranded, you can expect to see an influx of similarly themed slots from other developers not far behind. Slot games come in waves like that, sometimes the Wild West is flavour of the month, then it will be futuristic slots, then Egyptian themes, etc.
The Future of Slot Gaming
Up until recently, all instant play slots were built to run using the Flash software platform. It was ahead of its time in its day, but as technology has moved on it has become outdated and more resource intensive than the newer HTML5.
The issue for game developers is that they have huge back catalogues of popular titles that are still widely played even a decade after their release, but they were built to run on Flash. That means they have to decide whether to invest resources into re-designing these games with HTML5 in mind – and maybe taking the opportunity to update them in other areas at the same time – or throw them on the scrap heap.
It could be argued that NetEnt lead the way on this transition, updating their game collection long before it was necessary. This has led to the re-release of many old favourites from lots of developers making them available on all devices, but have they been improved at all?
The overall answer is probably ‘yes, but you might not notice’. Of course, on a case by case basis developers might have tweaked the graphics a little while they were tinkering under the bonnet, but for the most part the improvements will be things like:
- Ability to play smoothly on both mobile and desktop.
- Less processing power needed from your machine or device.
- Increased battery life if playing on mobile.
- Increased security (Flash was essentially an extra plugin, or middleman, to enable video content and so was vulnerable; HTML5 has this ability built in).
- Improved performance.
The main thing from the player’s point of view is that the games you love will still be available to you and they should run more smoothly at the very least. If they look and sound richer too then happy days!