Back in 2015, developing online pokies with colourful graphics was sufficient for a provider to succeed, but today it is not enough. Small development studios have taken the idea of online slots to a new level through innovative approaches, and big companies have taken up the challenge. What technological trends prevail in online slots development today — we will explain on this page.
Visual effects in online pokies
First of all, the providers have used modern technologies to significantly increase the graphical appeal of online pokies. In doing so, they have not just improved the colour palette, but have taken a more thorough approach:
3D graphics bring the game to life with a character near the reels that accompanies the gameplay and illustrates the triggering of bonuses.
Animation of each symbol is used to bring all game characters to life — they move when players win, adding dynamism to the gameplay.
Non-trivial plots are the latest trend in online pokies Australia, ensuring that each new game succeeds against the usual fruit and candy.
Unusual mechanics in pokies online
All releases of the last two years are characterised by non-standard ways of accounting winnings and jackpot support. It seems that the providers have decided that the more novelties there are in thepokies, the better. One example of this abundance is Ultimate Fire Link Cash Falls By The Bay by Light & Wonder, scheduled for release in late 2025. This game combines everything we'll be talking about below.
Non-standard reels
Today we see a clear trend towards creating online pokies real money with unusual reels. For example, in Cash Lab Megaways by iSoftBet, smaller reels are placed on the edges, in the centre — with the maximum number of rows. In Agent of Hearts Slot by Play'n GO it's the other way round, the edge reels are higher than the centre ones, and in Gold Hit: Tigers Falls by Playtech all 5 reels have different heights.
No more pokies paylines
Traditional paylines in best online pokies Australia are also a thing of the past. Today, they have been replaced by more original mechanics:
Betways — to win in such slots it is important that the symbols are simply on adjacent reels. The best examples of games are slots with Megaways and Multiways.
Hold & Win — to win, it's important to hold as many symbols on the field as possible. Good examples are 12 Coins and Royal Express.
Cluster Pays — a unique way of counting, which requires identical symbols to cluster together. The best pokies are Jamming Jars and Reactoonz.
Pay Anywhere, also known as Scattered Pays, is an accounting of the number of identical symbols on the field. The most popular games are Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus.
Collectors — in this modification, a symbol in the form of a character collects items to account for winnings. The most notable example is the Pirots series of games.
Already this month 260 slots have been released, and 65% of them do not have standard lines — the trend is obvious.
Network online pokies jackpots
The experience of Mega Moolah by Games Global and Dream Drops by Relax Gaming proved successful, and inspired other developers to launch network jackpots. For example, thepokies from Pragmatic Play have appeared in online casinos labelled Jackpot Play — these games participate in the provider's network progressive jackpot. Playtech has gone even further with the new Cash Collect network jackpot, even connected to Live games.
Fundamentally new approaches to gameplay
Leading developers are trying radically new approaches to creating online pokies real money. They are literally combining computer and mobile game technologies to offer players innovative products. We have found several experimental methods that are already having some success with players.
A mix of pokies with RPG technology
This novelty will be appreciated by gamers who are used to first-person video games. Evoplay has released the world's first slot in which the player pays for each move of the character, defeats monsters and collects loot. The rewards in Dungeon: Immortal Evil are determined by RNG algorithms, and 3D graphics allow the user to literally live every battle with the protagonist.
Symbol merging as in mobile games
Games labelled Merge Up are on almost every phone — billions of people like to combine items to get the best versions of them. BGaming decided to implement this mechanic into their pokies online, and now in the Merge Up slot, clusters of winning symbols assemble into the next highest value icon, all the way to triggering the super game.
Pokies adventures in virtual reality
And another trend that is still only gaining momentum is virtual reality gaming. The first casinos offering to play through VR goggles have already appeared online, with collections of 40+ pokies. The first slot fully adapted for this purpose is Gonzo's Quest VR by NetEnt, which was a real hit even without VR.
The future of online gambling Australia
Clearly, the future of gambling promises to be bright and exciting. Every year slots are becoming more complex and engaging, so now they are more than just games of luck. Companies are striving to create products that will capture players' attention from the first spin, and are ready to use really unconventional approaches, including mechanics from video games, virtual reality elements and other technological solutions.