Bonus Slots – Games Info & Guide
After playing slots for over a decade, I can tell you that bonus slots are hands down the most exciting way to play.
Let me break down everything you need to know about bonus slot machines – trust me, once you understand how they work, you’ll never want to go back to basic slots again.
What Exactly is a Bonus Slot?
Here’s the simple answer: A bonus slot is any slot machine that comes with extra features or bonus games beyond just spinning the reels.
Think of it like this – regular slots are like watching a movie, but bonus slots are like being IN the movie. You get interactive games, free spins, mini-adventures, and loads of other cool features that can seriously boost your winnings.
Pretty much every modern video slot you’ll find online is a bonus slot these days. Even some of the classic 3-reel slots have jumped on the bandwagon and added bonus features to keep things interesting.
What Makes a Slot a "Bonus Slot"?
A bonus slot needs at least ONE of these features:
- Bonus Games – Interactive mini-games where you can win extra prizes
- Free Spins – Free goes on the reels (my personal favourite!)
- Multipliers – Your wins get multiplied by 2x, 3x, 5x or even more
- Pick-Me Features – Choose from hidden prizes
- Gamble Features – Double or nothing on your wins- some games you can even gamble the free spins
- Progressive Features – Building up to bigger rewards
If vide slots doesn’t have ANY of these? Then it’s not a bonus slot – it’s just a standard slot machine.
Why I Love Bonus Slots (And You Will Too)
I have played thousands of slot games over the years. The ones that keep me coming back to play? Always the bonus slots. Here’s why:
- Way More Entertainment Regular slots can get boring fast. Bonus slots keep you engaged with different features popping up. One minute you’re spinning normally, next minute you’re in an interactive game picking treasure chests or racing cars.
- Bigger Win Potential Some of my biggest wins ever have come from bonus rounds. I once hit a free spins bonus on Bonanza and walked away with 500x my bet. You just don’t get that kind of action on basic slots.
- They’re Actually Fun Sounds obvious, but slots should be fun! Bonus features add fun, excitement and variety to the game. Instead of just watching reels spin, you’re actively involved in the game.
The Different Types of Bonus Features
Let look at the different types of bonuses games I have played them all:
1. Free Spins Bonus Rounds
This is THE most common bonus feature, and honestly, it’s brilliant.
How it works:
- Land 3 or more scatter symbols (usually marked with “SCATTER” or a special icon)
- Get a set number of free spins – typically 10, 15, or 20
- Everything you win during free spins is yours to keep
- Often comes with multipliers or extra wilds
Pro tip from experience: The scatter symbols don’t need to be on a payline. They can land anywhere on the reels, which makes them easier to trigger than you’d think.
My favourite free spins slots:
1. Rush Express (Area Vegas) Several free spin games
2. Tomb of Gold 2 (Play N Go) really fun free spin game, way underrated.
3. Gates of Olympus Super Scatter (One of the most popular slot games ever made.
The Retrigger Feature:
Here’s something cool – you can win MORE free spins while playing your free spins. If you land more scatters again during the bonus, and boom, you’re back in business. I’ve had rounds where I’ve retriggered 4-5 times and ended up with 100+ free spins. That’s where the big money normally is.
2. Interactive Bonus Games
These are like mini video games built into your slot. When you trigger them, the reels disappear and you get taken to a totally different screen.
Examples I’ve loved:
Pick-Me Style Games: You see a bunch of objects (treasure chests, doors, playing cards, etc.) and pick them one by one to reveal your cash prizes. and you can Keep picking until you hit the “COLLECT” symbol.
Simple but addictive
No skill required, just luck
Quick rounds that get straight to the prizes
3. Arcade-Style Games:
These require some interaction from you. Maybe you’re driving a car, shooting targets, or navigating a maze. Your choices can actually affect your prize.
I remember playing Aliens by NetEnt – you literally have to shoot aliens to progress through levels. It’s proper gaming mixed with slots, and it’s brilliant.
4. Wheel of Fortune Style
Spin a wheel and wherever it lands, that’s your prize. Dead simple but effective. Mega Moolah uses this for it’s progressive jackpot feature, and that game has made multiple millionaires.
4. Gamble Features
Alright, this one’s for the risk gamblers (like me, apparently).
How it works: After any win, you get the option to gamble it. Usually you’re guessing:
Red or Black – Double your money if correct
The Suit – Quadruple your money if you guess the right suit.
You can keep gambling your winnings multiple times, but here’s the catch – get it wrong and you lose everything from that spin.
My take after years of playing: The gamble feature is fun in small doses, but I’ve learned the hard way not to get greedy.
I’ll gamble small wins (under 5x my bet) but anything bigger? I take the money and run. I’ve watched too many nice wins disappear because I got cocky.
5. Cascading/Avalanche Features
Okay, this isn’t always called a “bonus” but it feels like one when you’re playing.
How it works: When you hit a winning combination, those symbols explode or disappear, and new ones drop down to replace them. If you hit another win, the process repeats.
Why it’s awesome: You can get multiple wins from a single spin. I’ve had rounds where I’ve gotten 6-7 consecutive wins from one spin on Gonzo’s Quest. Each consecutive win usually increases a multiplier too, so your wins get bigger and bigger.
6. Wild Features & Expanding Symbols
Wild Symbols substitute for other symbols to help create wins (like a joker in cards). But bonus slots take wilds to the next level:
- Expanding Wilds – Cover entire reels
- Walking Wilds – Move across reels with each spin
- Sticky Wilds – Stay in place for multiple spins
- Random Wilds – Appear randomly on any spin
Book of Dead has one of my favourite wild feature. During free spins, a random symbol will expands to cover entire reels. I’ve have played where the reels were covered with high-paying symbols, that’s when you hit those 1000x+ wins.
6. Progressive Bonus Features
Some slots have multi-level bonuses where you collect symbols or complete tasks to unlock bigger and better features.
Example: Vikings Go Berzerk by Yggdrasil has a brilliant rage collection feature. Each time a viking lands on the reels during free spins, they fill a rage meter. Once full, that viking becomes a permanent sticky wild for the rest of your free spins.
You can have multiple Vikings go berzerk, and your progress saves between sessions. I’ve had games where I’ve built up 3-4 permanent sticky wilds, and that’s when the bigger wins start rolling in.
These keep you invested in a game long-term because there’s always something new to discover and you’re literally building towards bigger rewards.
Random vs Triggered Bonuses
Here’s something to understand: bonuses trigger in two ways.
Triggered Bonuses
Most bonus features trigger when you land specific symbol combinations:
- 3+ scatters for free spins
- Bonus symbols on certain reels
- Collecting a set number of special symbols
You have some control here because you can see your progress.
Random Bonuses
Some bonuses can trigger completely at random on ANY spin, regardless of what symbols you land.
Jurassic Park has a T-Rex Alert feature that can randomly trigger and award you with wild reels. There’s no warning – it just happens, and it’s brilliant when it does.
Age of the Gods series has random progressive jackpot games that can trigger even on losing spins. I’ve seen players hit the jackpot on a 20p spin because they got lucky with the random trigger.
Multi-Level Bonus Slots (The Ultimate Experience)
If you really want to get into a slot, try the multi-level bonus games. These slots have different levels or stages you progress through.
How they work:
- Start at Level 1
- Collect symbols, achieve goals, or play bonus games to advance
- Each level has better features and bigger win potential
- Progress often saves so you can come back later to continue
My play recommendations:
Aliens – The game Start in “The Search” level, progress to “The Encounter,” and finally reach “The Hive.” Each level gets more rewarding.
Vikings Go Wild series – Collect rage points to turn vikings into sticky wilds. The more you play, the more permanent wilds you can have.
These slots are perfect if you like having goals and seeing progress. They feel less like gambling and more like playing a proper video game.
Themes & Variety (There's Something for Everyone)
One thing I love about bonus slots is the sheer variety of themes. Whatever theme you like, there’s a bonus slot for it:
- Adventure theme – Gonzo’s Quest, Rich Wilde series
- Ancient Egypt – Book of Dead, Legacy of Dead
- Movies & TV – Game of Thrones, Jurassic Park
- Irish Luck – Rainbow Riches, Leprechaun series
- Horror – Blood Suckers, Immortal Romance
- Space & Sci-Fi – Starburst, Space Wars
- Fantasy – Immortal Romance, Dragon’s Myth
The bonus games usually tie into the theme, which makes them even more immersive.
In Jurassic Park, dinosaurs literally stomp across the screen during bonuses. In Game of Thrones, you choose your house before free spins start.
What's NOT a Bonus Slot?
Just so we’re clear, here’s what doesn’t count as a bonus slot:
Classic 3-Reel Slots with No Features These old school slots just have paylines and basic wins. No free spins, no bonus games, nothing fancy. They are fine if you like simplicity, but personally, I find them very boring after about five minutes.
Examples:
- Classic fruit machines (cherries, bars, sevens)
- Basic 3-reel slots with just multipliers
- Simple single-payline games
Some players still love these for the nostalgia or simplicity, but they’re definitely not bonus slots.
Tips from Years of Playing Bonus Slots
Let me share some wisdom I’ve picked up over the years:
1. Read the Paytable Seriously, do this. Click the info button and understand how bonuses trigger, what symbols you need, and what the features do. I’ve seen players miss out on features simply because they didn’t know they existed.
2. Manage Your Bankroll Bonus features don’t always trigger quickly. Sometimes you’ll go 100+ spins before hitting free spins. Make sure your balance can handle the wait. I usually have enough for at least 100 spins at my chosen bet level.
3. Volatility Matters
- Low volatility – Frequent small wins, bonuses trigger often but pay less
- High volatility – Rare big wins, bonuses trigger less but pay way more
I prefer high volatility because when bonuses DO hit, they can hit hard. But if you’re on a tighter budget, low volatility is safer.
4. Free Spins Can Be Dry Just because you trigger free spins doesn’t guarantee a big win. I’ve had plenty of free spins rounds that paid less than 10x my bet. Don’t chase losses thinking the next bonus will save you.
5. Try Games in Demo Mode First Most online casinos let you play for free. Use this to understand the bonus features before playing with real money. I still do this with new games to see if I like the bonus style.
6. Don’t Gamble Big Wins If you hit a nice win (50x+ your bet), seriously consider just taking it. The gamble feature is tempting, but I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve watched a good win disappear because I got greedy.
The Evolution of Bonus Slots
When I first started playing slots online back in the early 2000s, bonus features were pretty basic. Maybe you’d get some free spins with a 2x multiplier if you were lucky.
Now? The technology has gone absolutely mad (in a good way). We’ve got:
- Megaways mechanics with up to 117,649 ways to win, and Expanded Megaways max (e.g. White Rabbit) → up to 2,985,984 ways
- Cluster pays where symbols group together
- Buy feature options where you can purchase the bonus round
- Cinematic graphics with actual movie clips (Terminator 2, Batman, etc.)
- 3D animated bonus games that rival console games
The line between video games and slots has gotten really blurry, and honestly, I’m here for it.
Are Bonus Slots Worth It?
Are Bonus Slots Worth It? In my opinion? 100% yes.
Lets look at the Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Way more entertaining and exciting than basic slots
- Better win potential with multipliers and features
- Interactive elements keep you engaged
- Huge variety of themes and styles
- Can be played with small bets (even 10p per spin on most)
Cons:
- Can go longer without wins between bonuses
- Features can be complex for beginners
- Sometimes bonuses trigger but don’t pay well (it happens)
For me, the entertainment value alone makes bonus slots worth playing. Even when I’m not winning big, I’m having fun with the features.
My Top 5 Bonus Slots (Personal Picks)
After years of playing, these are the ones I keep coming back to:
Gates of Olympus – Pragmatic Play’s blockbuster slot features a classic “Zeus” theme with tumbling wins, increasing multipliers, and huge hit potential during the free spins. Every spin feels exciting thanks to the all-ways pay system.
Pirots 4 – Elk Studios’ (One of the best slots ever made) innovative cluster slot takes the popular Pirots series to the next level with symbol upgrades, expanding grids, and exciting feature chains that can build into massive wins. Its dynamic gameplay keeps every spin unpredictable, there 3 games you can choce from in the slot.
Bamboo Ways – a masterpiece from Push Gaming blends Asian-inspired visuals with a ways-pay system, split symbols, and progressive multipliers for thrilling bonus rounds. The high volatility gives it serious win potential.
Le Pharaoh – Hacksaw Gaming’s stylish take on the Egyptian theme offers multiplying wilds, pick features, and expanding symbols that can fill the reels during free spins. It’s both elegant and explosive.
Razor Ways – Push Gaming’s high-octane game packs mystery symbols, wild reels, and razor multipliers that can combine for massive payouts. The bonus game can turn even modest setups into epic wins.
Sugar Rush – Pragmatic Play’s colourful hit uses cluster pays with increasing multipliers that stick to the grid, allowing for chain reactions and compounding wins. Behind the cute theme lies serious win potential.
See our full list of the top 20 video slots
Final Thoughts About Bonus Slots
Bonus slots have tottaly changed how we play slots online. They are more exciting, more entertaining, and offer way better value than the old basic slot games.
If you are new to slots, start with something simple like Starburst to understand the basics. Once you’re comfortable, branch out into the more complex bonus slots with multiple features.
And remember – slots are meant to be fun. Set a budget, stick to it, and enjoy the bonus features for what they are: entertainment with the chance of winning some money.
After playing for this many years, I can honestly say bonus slots never get boring. There’s always a new game with a fresh feature to try. That’s what keeps me (and millions of other players) coming back.
Good luck, have fun, and may your bonus features be generous!
Remember: You should always gamble responsibly. Set limits on your play, stick to your budget, and never chase losses. If you feel gambling is becoming a problem, seek help from organizations like GamCare or BeGambleAware.
