A Few NetEnt Slot Classics to Get You Started
Take your pick from the every NetEnt casino game above, with this list being continually updated as new slots and titles are released to the iGaming world. If you’re a iGaming newbie and are interested in learning about some of the classic games, NetEnt’s Starburst, Gonzo’s Quest, Bloodsuckers and networked jackpot Mega Fortune are a few fan-favourites. The latter is world-famous for paying out numerous multi-million prizes! Once you’ve got your head around how to play, you’ll be able to start wagering real money on your favourite NetEnt game at a tried and tested online casino.
Why Play for Free?
Why not? OK so you can’t win money when you play for free, but the games are still a lot of fun to try out. This feature is especially great if you’re new to Netent and aren’t sure which game to play for real money, if Netent has released a new game or if you’re just looking for something other than the usual ones you go for. It can be expensive, testing out every different game live at an online casino, so what better way to test the waters than to play the games for free first!?
All the features of the games are available in the play for free mode, things like Wild symbols, Scatter Symbols and Bonus Features such as Free Spin rounds, extra Bonus Games; whatever is available in the ‘play for money’ game, is available when playing for free. See exactly how each game works, how it looks, what it sounds like, and figure out if it’s something you would enjoy playing with your own hard earned cash.
Unlike lots of other ‘play for free’ games, Netent don’t impose a limit on how much you can play. Just keep spinning those reels until you’re ready to find a Netent casino you like (grabbing a great welcome bonus whilst you’re at it!) and deposit your valuable cash.
NetEnt Games by Category
As NetEnt’s history dates back to 1996, it’s safe to say that they’ve created A LOT of titles over the years. Sure, a very large percentage of their releases focus on slot machines – but they also delve into other areas too. As there are hundreds of different titles, we don’t want you to go endlessly searching to find your desired category, so take a shortcut by following the links below, or keep reading to find out all about the different types of games that NetEnt create.
- Video Slots
- Live Casino
- Jackpot Slot Games
- Table Games
- Video Poker
- Classic Slots
- Scratch Cards
- Bingo
Video Slots
Video slots are the digital-age equivalent of the traditional slot machine, otherwise known as fruities (UK) or Polkies (Australia), the machines that can be found in all on-land casinos and which work mechanically.
These games often incorporate modern game mechanics because they’re not constrained like their on-land equivalents, and many use themes or concepts that would have been unheard of in classic one-armed bandits.
Video slots are, without a doubt, the unrivalled favourite for gamblers online, with many of the top casinos focusing their efforts, sights, and promotions on these games. Only the best casinos feature the full roster of NetEnt’s video slots, and these casinos are certainly the ones that shine.
Video slots come in different types. You can get jackpots (which we’ll look at in more detail below), classic slots (which we’ll also look at below), high-concept games, simple games, and even branded games. Branded video slots are a NetEnt speciality. They make the best-branded slots in the industry and partner up with the biggest ‘brands’, for example: Guns ‘n’ Roses, Narcos, Jumanji and many more.
The high-concept slots are unlike anything you would have ever seen on an on-land slot machine. They often have complex narratives, side games, multiple slot reels, and beautiful 3D graphics. Here we’re thinking about games like Scudamore’s Super Stakes, Zombies, or Gonzo’s Quest.
Simple games are like classic slots, insofar as they’re not particularly complex, but they do not try to emulate old-school mechanical slots. They still embrace the modern stylings, but they don’t have all the bells and whistles. You can read more about all of these types of video slots, along with the slots themselves on our Video Slots page.
Live Casino
When NetEnt started making games back in 1996 video slots were their raison d’etre. However, as their popularity grew, they soon started to expand their operations to include other forms of online gaming. Seventeen years later, in 2013, NetEnt launched their first-ever live casino game.
These are the perfect mix between the on-land and online casino experiences. You can play all of your favourite casino games from the comfort of your home, but you get to play them as if you were right there at the table in the casino.
You get a live stream video feed of a top-notch croupier commanding the table, whilst players from around the world place bets. One of the great things about playing live casino is that you can socialize with the other players at the table, along with chatting to the croupier.
NetEnt’s live games all operate 24/7, unlike some of the other providers within the industry, and they have every single type of on-land casino game that you could expect. They have Baccarat, Texas Hold ‘Em, Stud Poker, Roulette, Blackjack and much more.
NetEnt live casino is also available on your mobiles, because a year after launching their first live dealer game, NetEnt launched their mobile live casino. This means you can get this perfect synthesis of on-land and online casino wherever you are, even at sea! Have a look at our live casinos page for more details on these games, you’re bound to like them (everyone does).
In December 2020, Evolution acquired NetEnt which resulted in NetEnt Live being discontinued. However, the two studios will be working together so live dealer excellence will still be available under the Evolution name.
Jackpots
Jackpots are one of NetEnt’s specialty slots that they’ve been making since their first one launched in 2005. Informally jackpots are known as millionaire makers because they’re the slots that give out the biggest life-changing wins.
The way a jackpot game works is simple. When you play the slot a tiny portion of the wager that you make is added to a total pot, the same goes for, basically, everyone else who is playing that slot. These tiny amounts soon add up to make very large pots of cash, and eventually, one lucky player will make a spin and the rest is history.
Their pockets will be lined with gold forever. These collective totals usually come in different sizes and also differ upon whether they’re local or networked. There can be slots that offer total pots in the millions, like Mega Fortune, or those that offer smaller pots in the tens of thousands (that is still lots of money, we realise that).
NetEnt are a Guinness World Record holder for the largest payout ever on a jackpot. Moreover, since the 2005 inception of Arabian Nights, NetEnt’s jackpots have given away more than €500m in wins. The big difference other than pot size is whether or not the jackpot is local or networked (often also called pooled).
The difference between local vs networked jackpots is pretty simple. Networked jackpots generate their pots from all of the casinos which host the NetEnt game, meaning the prize is effectively pooled from across the network. Local jackpots usually only raise their pots from single casinos. Head to our Jackpots page to find out more!
Table Games
Table games are any game that would be played on a table in a real-life on-land casino. They’re like the live dealer games we mentioned above but without the high-tech video stream and player-to-player interactions. They have also been around as long as video slots have and were the natural precursor to the live dealer games that NetEnt are now famous for making.
NetEnt’s table games come in as many forms as you’d expect to find in your on-land casino and probably more. You will get blackjack, roulette, poker, baccarat and more.
The beauty of the NetEnt table games, however, is that they’re not limited to single versions of each. So, you’re going to be able to play all your favourite variants too. If you want to see exactly what NetEnt table games are available and what variants of the classics NetEnt offer, then we suggest checking out the Table Games page in more detail.
Video Poker
Video poker is, by far, one of the most popular forms of online gambling game after video slots. Poker isn’t a hard game to learn, but is it very hard to master. All the NetEnt virtual poker games include hands, tables, cards, and sometimes even other players or croupiers, all rendered into a virtual format.
Video poker games come in all the instantly recognisable formats like hold ‘em, stud, and more. Not only this, but NetEnt have many of their own proprietary versions of poker, incorporating many new game mechanics and rules.
In fact, even the classic versions often incorporates extra bonus rounds, because the NetEnt designers couldn’t help themselves injecting some extra fun into these classics. Players will also appreciate the fact that NetEnt’s video poker games have some of the highest RTP percentages in the industry. If you want to find out more about these video slots, along with their high RTPs, then you can check out our video poker page.
Classic Slots
As we said above, slots are NetEnt’s main focus, their reason for operating. However, not all of the slots they make are video slots, they also make another category of games called ‘classic slots’ or just ‘slots’.
Classic slots are an interesting breed because they’re a modern remake of the old classic one-armed bandits but maintain their stylings and themes of the classic on-land games. They also typically only use simple game mechanics and will usually still have only a 3 x 3 slot reel.
Like video slots, classic slots can also come as jackpots, meaning that if you want to win those big, big wins, you don’t have to automatically go to the flashy new games. Instead, you can pick something more subdued and old-school. Keep in mind though that NetEnt make fewer of these types of slots, because they’re less popular with fans. However, NetEnt’s classic slots are certainly the best of the industry and you’ll be able to find them over on our classic slots page.
Scratch Cards
Last on the list are scratch card games, which are digital remakes of the original card-based, real-life scratch cards. These were cards that you could buy, often with a 3 x 3 grid upon them, where all the positions on the grid were covered with foil and you’d have to get your nails or a coin dirty scratching it away to reveal the symbols underneath.
If the player managed to reveal a match of (typically) three symbols, then they’d have made an instant win (this is why scratch cards are often called ‘instant win’ games). The NetEnt scratch cards are quite limited, mainly because they’re not that popular. However, NetEnt’s scratch cards are certainly the industry leaders, using innovation like no other company.
For instance, NetEnt have made scratch card jackpot games. These give you the opportunity to win a jackpot as well as the normal cash prizes. To see our full list of games, head to our Scratch Card reviews page.
Bingo
You can trace the origin of online bingo games all the way back to 1996 and the concept has gone from strength to strength in the ensuing years. Indeed, players are spoiled for choice these days as a huge number of bingo sites have popped up all over the internet. Online bingo offers participants big prizes and a virtual community spirit that is the perfect homage to the popular land-based game that inspired it and people of all ages and backgrounds are increasingly catching on to the buzz. This is an area that NetEnt have more or less avoided. The developer has made one online Bingo game but has yet to totally commit to the concept
