The five-reel slot, often referred to as a 'video slot', makes up the majority of not only the range of slots offered at a site but also of the entire variety of games on offer. Most sites now have well over 1,000 slot games alone, with a generous proportion of that being for slots with a 5-reel format, making it clear that this type of reel configuration is, (and will probably always remain) very popular with players.
What do we mean by a 5-reel slot? One of the ways to classify slot machines is by reel count (reels are the vertical columns that move when the spin button is pressed). Traditional fruit machines use a 3x3 reel format, while modern video slots; our focus in this article, use a 5x3 format.
Slot machines have been around since the late 1800s and the advent of modern brick-and-mortar casinos. The first modern video slot game was released in 1976 but it was not until the rise of the online casino in the late 90s that traditional 3-reel slots, started to become eclipsed by 5-reel games, with their larger format allowing for more paylines and more features.
Over the years 5-reel slots have become beloved by players for their huge range of themes, bonus features, innovations, and impressive payout potential. This ultimate Gambling Zone list delves into the expansive world of 5-reel slots and highlights the best-loved trailblazers of the genre.
Top 10 Popular Slot Games you should try
With such a wealth of choice out there and countless developers, it takes something special for a slot to stand out from the crowd and become a crowd favourite. Luckily for our readers, at Gambling Zone we have done the hard work, applied our expert eye and used our specialist knowledge to hand-pick the top 10 most popular 5-reel slot games.
Starburst
For as little as 10p a spin, players of all devices can enjoy NetEnt's Starburst slot, a 5-reel, 10-payline game. Gameplay revolves around Starburst Wilds which only appear on the centre reel and gives the game a retro arcade vibe. The Stardust Wilds can expand to award up to three re-spins including wild reels, which could result in some galactic payouts. Despite its simplistic gameplay, Starburst is NetEnt's most popular game and has become a cult classic. Set in a cosmic universe with a space-age soundtrack to match, the Starburst slot machine came out in 2012 and has kept up with the times thanks to regular updates that have been released since the game's original release. Starburst has also inspired several spinoff games such as Starburst XXXtreme and Slingo Starburst.
Immortal Romance
The early 2010s were all about urban fantasy, with smash hits like Twilight, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, and Supernatural all having us obsessing over werewolves, vampires, demons and more. Released in 2011 by Microgaming (now Games Global), the Immortal Romance slot was released to capitalise on this trend. While the urban fantasy frenzy has since died down, slot players' love affair with the Immortal Romance has not waned, with the game becoming a nostalgic favourite for many players.
With 5 reels and 243 chances to win, Immortal Romance has a bunch of extra features, one of which is a base game with up to five wild reels that appear at random. You can unlock four free spins features through the Chamber of Spins which is one of Immortal Romances' biggest selling points. These free spins bonuses are inspired by each of the characters in the game and include 5x multipliers, a Vampire Bats feature with multipliers up to 6x, Rolling Reels with multipliers up to 5x, and wild transformations based on each of the supernatural figures. The most valuable bonus round revolves around the character Troy and offers free spins with maximum payouts of 12,150 times the bet.
Check out the Gambling Zone recommended list of the best slot sites to play this top 10 most popular slot games.
Wolf Gold
With five reels and twenty-five paylines, Pragmatic Play's Wolf Gold slot machine features a Native American theme and has become legendary in recent years thanks to its jackpot variants such as Wolf Gold 1,000,000. Playable for as 25p on any device, and it has a Free Spins feature where you may win unlimited free spins. In the Money Respin feature, Moon symbols can be collected to win cash prizes or one of three set jackpots, with the Mega Jackpot being worth 1,000x your total bet.
Mega Moolah
The Mega Moolah slot machine, developed and powered by Microgaming, (now Games Globla) has produced more millionaires than any other progressive jackpot game. This 5-reel, 25-payline slot machine has a safari theme and is set in the plains of Africa. Wild symbols quadruple wins, while the Free Spins bonus offers 30 free games with a 3x multiplier are all included in the gameplay experience of the original slot which was first released way back in 2006 (but like Starburst has received multiple quality-of-life improvements and updates since then). The four progressive jackpots are the main attraction and what made Mega Moolah become slot royalty amongst players. The biggest prize in Mega Moolah's history was won in April 2021 when the Mega Jackpot paid out a record €19.4 million. Alongside the Mega Jackpot, the other progressive pots are the Mini, Minor, and Major pots.
The licensed Batman slots The Dark Knight, Summertime, and 5 Reel Drive all use the same four-tiered progressive jackpot system that Mega Moolah is famous for. There are also been multiple renditions of the original Mega Moolah game such as Mega Moolah Megaways, and many popular slot series have included their own Mega Moolah version such as Immortal Romance: Mega Moolah.
Dynamite Riches
While BTG’s Bonanza (an additional top slot for you to explore) first introduced online slots players to a gold rush/mining theme (as well as the Megaways system), it is Dynamite Riches from Red Tiger Gaming which has become the best-loved and most popular example of the genre. Played on a 5 reel, 20 payline gaming engine, players must gather wilds in order to activate the four explosive dynamite bonus features. Said features can substitute low-value symbols for high-value symbols, add wilds or super wilds, or increase the game's multiplier. As an additional golden nugget, there is also a free spins bonus round known as the Gold Spins Bonus with all dynamite modifiers still in play. BTG makes a second appearance in this iconic slot’s lore, as their innovative Megaways engine is loaned to Red Tiger Gaming to create the Dynamite Riches Megaways slot.
Age of Gods: Epic Troy
Age of the Gods: Epic Troy
Age of the Gods is developer Playtechs’ flagship slot series, with well over 20 titles in the series. While the original Age of the Gods slot will always be a fan favourite, it is Age of the Gods: Epic Troy that is the most popular. We would be remiss if we did not mention one of our favourite slot facts here; as many of the games in the Age of The Gods series are reskins of Playtechs’ hugely popular Marvel slot series, which had to be removed from sites once the licensing agreement expired. So, if you have fond memories of those games, be sure to check out this series.
Back to Age of the Gods: Epic Troy. Slot players can immerse themselves in the Trojan War, which saw characters such as Paris, Melanaeus, and Agamemnon fight for the love of Helen of Troyl the face that could launch 1000 ships. Featuring magnificently illustrated symbols of Helen, Paris, and Achilles, there are a plethora of extra features in Epic Troy, as is typical of the Age of the Gods series. To justify its epic moniker, the slot machine includes three respin features, free spins, and a bumper jackpot round. With an RTP of 96.5% and an enormous 243 ways to win per spin in standard play, this medium-to-high-variance game has a top prize of 607.5 times your stake.
Dam Beavers
With such a crowded market with thousands of games to compete against, standing out from the crowd is key. No developer does this better than ELK Studios, who have become renowned for their off-the-wall themes that are not only rich in storytelling and entertainment value but offer high production quality and great bonus features too. The best-loved and most popular ELK Studios slot is Dam Beavers. In this game, ELK presents us with a world filled with anthropomorphised beavers. The setting is a warm and inviting dam with plenty of food in barrels, plenty of chairs to relax in, and a heater to keep things toasty. But this is just the first level of the dam; the atmosphere changes drastically as you continue to spin the reels.
Turns out these beavers are skilled dancers and are said to have the greatest discos along the riverbank. They have a four-story dam with many different features found at each level. The floorboards will break on their current layer whenever the beavers appear on the reels, plunging you into a new level and revealing additional features, bonuses, and prizes.
The slot machine is played on a 5×5 grid and features four levels with the provider's exclusive CollectR mechanism. Five additional features are included as well, such as free spins, a feature metre, and a large assortment of special symbols leading to potential payouts of up to 10,000 times your wager.
Book of Dead
Book of Dead
There are tons of ‘Book of’ slots out there, but everything began with the Book of Dead slot from Play’n Go. Featuring hunky and clearly Indiana Jones-inspired adventurer Rich Wilde (not to be confused with Pragmatics’ John Hunter). After meeting Anubis and Osiris in the Book of the Dead slot, and hopefully looting some treasure, you and Rich must make a quick exit from the legendary Egyptian underworld.
An old tomb serves as the backdrop for the reels and when the Rich Wilde symbol covers an entire reel, the maximum payout is 5000x the wager per spin. There is only one bonus feature in the Book of Dead which is a free spins bonus played in the sacred burial chamber. There are up to 20 free spins up for grabs in this high-volatility adventure, and the bonus can be triggered indefinitely. Best of all during this bonus expanding symbols come into play which dramatically increases symbol payouts by 10x their value in the base game.
There are a total of 10 slots that chronicle the adventures of Rich Wilde and his friends including titles such as Rich Wilde and the Tome of Madness, Rich Wilde and the Amulet of Dead, and Cat Wilde and the Pyramids of Dead; Who is Richs’ daughter.
The Alter Ego
Embark on a nighttime journey to Victorian London in The Alter Ego slot, where you will meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The game takes place on a moonlit Victorian street and is inspired by the infamous Gothic novella known as 'The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Hyde', written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886, which has been made into more than 120 stage and film adaptations. Along with the Rocky and Walking Dead slot series, Pragmatic Play has created an ever-expanding collection of extremely immersive, meticulously designed, and narratively heavy slots based on popular media franchises, though the most popular of these is undoubtedly the Alter Ego slot.
Playing the 5 reel, 576-way slot machine, Alter Ego is a unique experience partly thanks to the unconventional 3x4x4x4x3 setup. During free spins wins or when Red Potion Scatters appear, the number of symbols on each reel increases, leading to a possible 100,000 ways to win. Mystery symbols up the ante in this slot, which already has a 96.07% RTP and a maximum win of 10,000 times the wager.
The Big Dawgs
The Big Dawgs
The Big Dawgs is a slot machine game developed by Pragmatic Play that takes players on an adventure through seedy back alleys in one hell of a ‘ruff’ neighbourhood. Played on a 5×5 grid, the Big Dawgs slot offers 2,304 ways to win. The theme is immediately recognisable upon loading the game, featuring dogs on the reels that are anthropomorphised versions of the underworld and urban culture of LA. With a hip-hop gangland theme, there is far more to discover than just ‘who let the dogs out’ as bonus features such as Multi Wilds tripling wins and Colossal Wilds landing up to 3×3 in size for potentially larger wins, plus two Free Spins features ensuring that this slot is one of the most popular and definitely not a dog's dinner. With an RTP of 95.77%, The Big Dawgs is a high-volatility slot machine that offers maximum payouts of 5,000 times the total wager.
Final Thoughts
Five-reel slots are a staple part of the selection of games offered at online casinos; and with good reason. Feature-packed with engaging bonus rounds plus stunning graphics and animations, and a whole range of themes and storytelling, there truly is a 5-reel slot for every kind of online casino player. Check out Gambling Zones’ recommended online slot sites where you can play the best 5-reel slots such as those mentioned above, and keep posted on our comprehensive reviews to keep up to date with both the new and most popular releases.
