Like pretty much everything in this day and age, the world of online slots and iGaming go through specific trends every so often, with particular styles and types of games coming into fashion for a while, before being replaced by something bigger and better.

Trends are particularly prominent when it comes to slots because whenever something popular takes casino lobbies by storm (making developers a lot of money quickly) practically every other studio in the industry takes notice, releasing similar slots in an attempt to get a piece of that pie.

It’s near impossible to predict what trends will come and go. Even with the best intentions of making the perfect online slot, developers can’t tell whether a game will flop or not until players have actually got their hands on a live version of the game in which they can stake their money.

Despite not being able to predict the future, the team at SlotGods.co.uk, one of the leading sources of independent bias free online slot reviews, are here to explain exactly what’s trending right now in the world of online slots. 

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Big Time Gaming’s attempt to create the next Megaways

Arguably the greatest trend to ever grace the iGaming industry is the influx of Megaways slots. These are a type of online slot game developed by Australian studio Big Time Gaming that utilises Reel Modifier Technology to allow for up to 117,649 paylines to come into play.

Despite not lighting the world on fire upon the release of their first ever Megaways slot, Dragon Born, in 2016, Big Time Gaming weren’t discouraged, and followed it up with Bonanza Megaways, a mining-themed slot that certainly caught the attention of players and casinos alike.

In the years that followed some of the biggest names in iGaming such as NetEnt, Iron Dog Studio, Pragmatic Play, Blueprint Gaming, IGT and Relax Gaming have all spent big bucks to gain the license to create their very own Megaways games. 

These studios released their own Megaways slots such as Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, Rick and Morty Megaways and Temple Tumble Megaways, all huge successes in their own right.

There are close to 100 Megaways slots in 2021, and the hype doesn’t seem to be ending there, however that’s not to say developers (Big Time Gaming in particular) haven’t been trying to create the perfect successor for Megaways slots. 

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In the Summer of 2020 Big Time Gaming released a brand new type of game called Megaclusters, these are unique slots that on the face of things look like a standard cluster pays slot, however, upon registering a winning cluster symbols break down into 4 smaller symbols and the game grid expands up to a maximum of 16×16, bringing more paylines into play.

The studio have now released 3 official Megaclusters slots and an additional one that uses the mechanic, but not the brand name… If we’re being completely honest these games haven’t really raised any eyebrows just yet, but just like the Megaways mechanic, it could take one good new game to change the course of the Megaclusters mechanic.

We’re going to be keeping our eyes on what Big Time Gaming do next with the Megaclusters mechanic to see if a real trend emerges, especially following their acquisition by Evolution who will most certainly have a say in which direction the studio goes in next. 

ReelPlay’s unlimited possibilities – To infinity and beyond? 

Online slot developers ReelPlay have looked on from the sidelines over the last few years watching the Megaways mechanic grow into a true force to be reckoned with. The team clearly saw something special happening, so they decided to create their own unique online slot mechanic to rival it, this is how Infinity Reels were born.

Infinity Reels is a truly unique mechanic that sees players start out with just 3 game reels, every time a winning spin is registered an additional reel is added to the right of the game screen. There’s absolutely no limit as to how many reels can be added in total, which is very exciting!

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Whenever players stop registering winning spins then the game will reset and revert back to its original state. Infinity Reels slots are genuinely a lot of fun, and we’re seeing more and more find their way onto slot sites recently… However, it’s well worth noting that these games are extremely volatile, so don’t go into them expecting action right away, you’ll need to make quite a few spins before things really get going.

While Infinity Reels slots have always been on our radar, it was the release of Yggdrasil slot Tiki Infinity Reels Megaways that really caught our attention. To see two truly exciting slot mechanics from different developers come together in one game like this is unheard of.

We fully expect to see more Infinity Reels games in the not-too distant future, there’s clearly a market for them and they’re starting to turn some heads.

Relax Gaming’s raw, unfiltered fun – Bonus Reels slots

Not heard of Bonus Reels slots before? We wouldn’t blame you for not knowing what they are as they’re a brand new innovation that are about to hit slot sites like a ton of bricks in the coming months, so much so that the Slot Gods team thoroughly believe this style of game will become the biggest online slot trend in the United Kingdom.

So, what are Bonus Reels slots? Well, there’s only one of these slots out so far – Money Cart 2 Bonus Reels – a high-octane spin off of popular slot Money Train 2. This slot features absolutely no base gameplay whatsoever and sees players work their way into the game’s Bonus Reels feature in just a handful of spins… Exciting, right?

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This lack of base gameplay means that this incredibly exhilarating Relax Gaming slot has a much higher RTP than usual, sitting at a cool 98%… So expect winning spins! 

What’s the point of having a slot with no base gameplay we hear you ask? Well, this slot was only released to make up for the fact that players in the UK can’t make use of the feature buy mechanic.

Such is the public’s love for Money Train 2 and their incredibly fun bonus features that Relax just had to come up with a creative way for players to get into this bonus without any fuss, especially considering it’s such a popular game with online slot streamers and YouTubers.

Money Cart 2 Bonus Reels is the first of its kind, and we genuinely believe that there are going to be a whole host of online slots that follow suit, bringing out games that transport players into the exciting bonus features right away without the need for hundreds of dead spins. 

If you want to board the hype train early then we’d highly recommend giving this slot a spin, it’s easily amongst one of the best games of 2021 and is the start of something truly special.

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