Bonus features in online slots

As keen online slots players will be aware, slots have come a long way since the old fruit machine-style games that many of us remember. While there are still a few basic, base-game-only online slots – which have a very traditional feel, and very few bells and whistles – this is no longer the norm.

The most popular slots in an online casino lobby now come packed with all kinds of bonus games and extra slot features, and most online slot players are looking for a little more than the traditional experience. There’s a reason why the online slots lobby is invariably the most popular part of the casino, and a lot of it is due to how slots have developed in recent years. When you check out the top slots in the LeoVegas slots lobby, you’ll soon notice that most of them come with a theme, a storyline, dynamic animations and a vast array of bonus features.

The best bonus feature slots can offer

When it comes to picking the best bonus feature slots can offer, there is likely to be a difference of opinion, because a lot depends on the players’ individual preferences. There are so many bonuses to pick from when it comes to online slots that players really are quite spoiled for choice.

You’ll find everything from free spins and re-spins to random multipliers and expanding reels, along with, in some cases, mini games that play out ‘inside’ the main game as an extra bonus game within a game. Slots may come with special wild symbols (such as sticky, stacked or expanding wilds), plus fixed or progressive jackpots and cascading reels.

It’s not always easy to tell at first glance which slots have the best bonus slot features, so you’ll need to check out the game details. This can be done in a few different ways. Here at LeoVegas, you’ll tend to find some basic information about the game on the slot’s main page, which often highlights some of the key features you can find.

You can also look at the game’s menu for more information. This will include the paytable and the rules, which will explain how the bonuses work and which symbols to watch out for, because there are usually specific symbols that trigger the bonus rounds. For example, many free spins rounds and some other bonus rounds are triggered by landing scatter symbols on the reels, so find out what they are and keep an eye out for them.

Don’t forget that you can also check out game reviews online. They tend to be written by keen slots players who will give you an overview of the bonuses available in each game, including how they work, when they kick in, and how much they can pay out.

Best slot bonus features: free spins

Free spins are one of the most popular and common slot features. It’s fairly uncommon to find a slot that doesn’t have some kind of free spins round. Each slot differs, but free spins are usually triggered by landing scatter symbols, and you generally just need those scatters to land anywhere on the grid, rather than on a payline.

Three or more scatters are normally enough to get some free spins, but you’ll often find that more scatters lead to a higher number of spins. Free spins are slightly different from re-spins. A free spin tends to mean that all the reels will spin again (with the exception of perhaps any sticky symbols). Re-spins often refer to a feature where a specific reel (that didn’t form part of a winning combo the first time) spins again to give you another chance to win.

Best slot bonus features: wilds

Wilds are another bonus feature you’ll find in almost every slot game, and they’re often the key to forming winning lines. The wild is a special symbol that substitutes for all other regular pay symbols, so you’ll need to land one or more on a payline with other matching symbols to try to form a winning payline.

There are lots of different types of wilds you might come across. Sticky wilds lock in place while the reels spin again to increase your chances of a win, for example, and stacked wilds land on top of (or next to) each other to form a group of wilds.

There’s also a feature you’ll find in some slots known as expanding wilds. This is when a wild lands and expands out across the grid to form a group of wilds, sometimes across several reels (and rows) or even the whole grid. Expanding wilds increase your chances, statistically speaking, of forming a winning line, because each wild can substitute for other symbols to help you line up three or more ‘matches’. The animations that come with them are often pretty spectacular, with the symbols seeming to ‘explode’ out across the grid.

Best slot bonus features: multi-level bonus rounds

Some slot games come with multi-level bonus rounds that unlock as you play. A good example of this is found in Immortal Romance, where you’ll have the chance to play four different levels of bonus rounds, each one centred on one of the characters in the game. You’ll only advance to the next level if you win the previous one.

Multi-level bonus rounds are a great feature that usually tie into the theme and storyline of the slot and enhance the playing experience. Just be aware that not every player will hit the bonus games in every session as this is completely random.

Best slot bonus features: expanding reels

Expanding reels are not overly common in slot games, but they are an interesting feature in those that do have them. Most of these types of slots start with a pretty standard grid, but then something that happens during the game (such as a special symbol landing or a certain win amount being hit) will trigger the feature.

Expanding reels behave differently in different slot games. You might just get one extra reel added or the whole grid might expand out, adding extra rows and reels, morphing, for example, from a 4x4 grid to a 7x7 or 10x10. Expanding reels will generally increase the number of paylines, meaning that there will be more ways to win available on a bigger grid.

Best slot bonus features: multipliers

Multipliers are another bonus feature you’ll find in many popular slots. These are quite complicated to understand, as they come in many different forms, and can be part of the initial base game, or only available once you’ve already progressed into one of the bonus games.

In some slots, random multipliers simply appear across the reels and apply to any winning line they’re part of. In others, there might be a separate reel or spinner that lands on a particular multiplier, which is then applied to any wins that have landed on the main reels.

Multiplier symbols will show the multiplier to be applied. It could be 2x or 3x the win, or more. Some slots have special bonus rounds or jackpot features with high multipliers. Depending on the game, multipliers might be the most important feature on the grid in terms of helping you to reach the stated maximum win on that slot.

Slots with bonus features

Almost all modern slots come with some bonus features. However, here are a few of our favourite slot games with good bonus features:

Gold Strike Bonanza Fortune Play is a feature-rich slot with free spins and multipliers, with up to a maximum win of 2,500x your bet.

Dead Man’s Gold is a slot with lots of features, including expanding reels and multipliers. The grid can expand to up to eight rows, and there are multiplier free drops with sticky wilds.

7 Shields of Fortune comes with free spins, re-spins and three special fixed jackpot prizes, offering up to 20x, 200x or even 4,000x your bet.

Wild Wild Bison is another slot with some unusual bonus features. It has expanding reels and a giant multiplier reel that spins alongside the regular (and expanded) reels, multiplying any wins by random amounts of up to 10x.

Ultimately, though, each player has their preferences, so you’ll probably want to play a few different types of games, with different types of bonus features, to find out which ones appeal most to you. You can check out the LeoVegas slots lobby today and try some of our top slots to see which ones you like best.