Free Slots
If you're new to the exciting world of online casinos and are still trying to figure out the differences between land casinos and online casinos, here's a big one for you to sink your teeth into – unlike land casinos, online casinos let you play most of their games 100% free 24/7, slots included.
Known as demo or free play slots, these virtual 'instant play' HTML5 casino games are identical to their real money counterparts except for one thing - you can't cash out any winnings from them no matter how much you've racked up. That said, free slots games have many other benefits.
For one, they're a fantastic way to try out or practice playing a particular online slot game, whether a classic 3 reel slot, a multi-line video slot or a bold, bright and colourful 3D slot. Most online casinos permit you to play all of their slots in demo mode, with the exception of their progressives.
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Best Free Slots You Can Play Right Now
What are Demo or Free Slots?
Just as their name suggests, these are virtual or online slot games you can play 100% for free. All you have to do is click on any of our instant play free slots and they'll automatically open in your internet browser, ready for you to play. Unlike real money slots, which you always have to fund in order to play, free online slots always come with a pre-loaded amount of free casino credits.
The amount of free credits awarded depends on the casino offering the free game, but is typically a few thousand units of dollars, euros, pounds or any other applicable currency. Like their real money equivalents, free slots allow you to choose your coin and bet size plus the number of pay lines and rows to play (if applicable) and even whether to use the gamble feature (if applicable).
You can also trigger the features and bonus rounds of demo online slots just as you can their real money counterparts, only without the same financial rewards to show for it. These include regular wilds, stacked wilds, expanding wilds, sticky wilds, scatters, free spins, multipliers and more. Best of all, most free slots allow you to refresh your account balance if you run out of funds.
In other words, you can play free slots for as long as you like. Most serious slot players, however, eventually turn to real money slots once they've mastered their free play versions, and learned their respective pay tables by heart. Although free slots are highly entertaining and dynamic to play, they cannot match the thrill and excitement of playing premier slot games with real money.
Why Play Free Slot Games?
There are three reasons why people gravitate towards free slot games, each of which is explained below:
- Free slots are just that - 100% free. Many players enjoy trying to rack up the big bucks, even though their big bucks can't be cashed in. Because these slots don't need to be funded, they automatically alleviate any and all financial pressure for those who choose to play them.
- Free slots are a great way to learn a game without constantly having to 'feed the machine.' You can learn all the ins and outs of a slot game on its free version like its features, how they are triggered, what they pay, if it's worth spinning reels on a maximum bet, and so on.
- Free slots let you try out online casinos. Many casino players - seasoned and new - like to 'test drive' casinos before they sign up, claim their bonuses and deposit. There's nothing wrong with this 'try before you buy' philosophy which in fact we endorse on DogSlots.
Whatever your reason for playing free online slots, you'll find some of the best examples featured right here from the most popular online casinos powered by the best game developers.
What Are The Types of Free Slots?
The types of free slots online you'll most often encounter at online casinos are free classic slots, free video slots and free 3D slots. Read on for a brief explanation of each:
Free Classic Slots
These are typically 3 reel, single pay line slot games that resemble the type of slot machines you'd expect to find in land casinos. In other words, the graphics of free classic slots usually depict a view of a slot machine, together with its metallic housing.
Classic slots are popular amongst players all over the globe as they are modelled on original 'old school' slots that were so popular prior to the evolution of video slots. They normally have various bar, 7s and fruit symbols, and free classic online slot games are no exception.
Free Video Slots
These usually have 5 reels, 10 or more pay lines and are crammed with plenty of high-paying symbols such as free spins, scatters, multipliers, bonus and free spins. In addition, free video slots come in all manner of themes to suit just about every taste.
For instance, many of the world's most popular online video slot games are based on well-known comics, films, musicians, celebrities, fairy tales, books, myths, bands and more. This is why free video slot games are amongst the most sought out by online slot game fans.
Free 3D Slots
3D slots are relatively new to the online gambling scene, having only been around for the last 15 years or so. Characterised by their HD quality 3D-styled graphics and entertaining in-play animations, these slot games are rapidly increasing their fan base.
Free 3D slot games in particular are extremely popular as fans seek to try out these games, trigger their features, and empty their coffers without having to deposit a cent. Top Swedish game developer NetEnt is particular well known for its 3D real money + free play slots.
Mobile Slots
These are identical to regular online classic, video, 3D or jackpot slots except you can play them on your favourite tablet or smart phone. In fact, the games are responsive, meaning they’re designed to work any platform from a PC, laptop or notebook to a tablet or smart phone.
Penny Slots
As their names suggests, these are slot games you can play for as little as a penny or a cent per line which means you can play them with even the smallest of online gambling budgets.
Progressive Slots
Also known as jackpot or progressive jackpot slots, these are slot games with the biggest potential payouts. They look and play like regular online classic or video slots in every way except one - their maximum payout is not listed in their paytable.
Instead, their maximum payout is in the form of an ever-growing jackpot that is constantly being fed a fraction of a bet at time by players playing the same game on the same online casino network. Online progressive jackpots slots can and do climb into the millions.
243 / 1024 / 3125 Ways to Win Slots
These are online slot games that instead of a set number of paylines have 243 or 1024 or 3125 programmed outcomes that can yield winnings.
Can You Win Real Money Playing Free Slots?
Yes, you can win and cash out real money playing 100% free slots by way of no deposit free spins bonus offers. These are highly sought after new player bonuses that do not require a deposit to unlock - just a new (and free) casino account registration.
Free spins no deposit bonuses are popular in online casinos around the world for two reasons; One, they really are 100% free and two, with luck you can even withdraw real money generated from free spins play if you meet the wagering requirements.
If given the choice, always try to claim no deposit free spins bonuses because they give you the chance to play one of a casino’s best slots risk-free, and provide an insight into the casino to help you decide whether to become a regular depositor or not.
Just visit a casino offering a free spins bonus, register a new account, login to the casino with your new username and login (which you can use to login to the casino’s mobile or desktop site), and go to the game lobby to redeem your pre-loaded free spins.
If you can’t find the specified slot game with your free spins, reach out to the casino’s customer support over Live Chat for further assistance. Once you have the game open in front of you, start spinning and hopefully winning until you run out of spins.
At that point any winnings you may have accrued is converted to regular bonus money and subject to the casino’s bonus wagering requirements. (This is the number of times you must play through or bet your bonus cash until you’re allowed to cash it out).
For example, if you rack up $40 in free spins winnings from a no deposit bonus offer that has a 10x wagering requirement, you would have to wager your bonus credits to a value of at least $400 (10 x $40) before the casino lets you make a withdrawal.
And even then - as specified in the bonus terms and conditions - the amount of free spins no deposit winnings you’re allowed to withdraw is capped at a nominal sum. This is standard practice by online casinos to limit their financial liability with bonuses.
What are No Download Slots?
These are virtual slot games that can be played on any computer, notebook or smart device with any operating system on any browser. They are also known as ‘instant play’ slots because all you have to do is click or tap them and they’ll instantly open on your respective internet browser, ready for you to play.
Historically no download slots came after downloadable slots - the first generation of online slots designed solely for Windows-based computers that had to be downloaded, installed and regularly updated. In due course these were joined by the very first instant play browser-based slots designed in Adobe Flash.
Flash games have since given way to cutting-edge HTML5 instant play slots, the industry standard in non-downloadable games. Unlike Flash games, HTML5 games can be played on any device, any computer, any browser and fit any screen. It’s this flexibility that has put HTML5 firmly on the ‘no download’ slots map.
HTML5 slots are faster, more stable and reliable than their forebears, and have superior graphics, animations and features. HD quality 3D slots and other online and mobile casino games wouldn’t be possible without HTML5. No download games are safer than downloadable as they alleviate the risk of viruses.
On Dogslots you’ll find the best no download slots with the most exciting features and worthwhile payouts. In fact, we only endorse slots offered by the most reputable online casinos developed by the most recognisable and respected gambling software vendors, which is reflected in our vast collection of free slots.
What are No Deposit Slots?
These are online slots you can play 100% for free. There are two kinds of no deposit slot games you’ll find at the premier online casinos featured on this site - fun play or demo slots you can play for free with or without a casino account, and real money slots you can play as part of no deposit free spins promotions.
Demo or fun play slots let you get a feel for a particular game, its features and payouts before you decide to switch to its real money counterpart (which you’ll need to make a deposit to play). These slots can be accessed on any desktop or mobile device and are entertaining and 100% risk free requiring no deposit.
No deposit free spins are popular with new players as they’re always bundled with top real money slots that need zero funds to play. Rack up money from your free spins, play it through the amount of times specified in the T&Cs and you can cash out winnings. (See Can You Win Real Money Playing Free Slots above).
Typical Slots Features and What to Expect When Playing Free Slots
Most modern online slots come with a number of features designed to make them both more entertaining and lucrative to play. Below you’ll find typical slots features and what you can expect when you encounter them while playing free slots:
- Auto Play (Auto mode) - A feature that lets you choose a number of spins a slot will automatically play so you don’t have to click / tap the Spin button constantly.
- Bonus Game - A slots bonus game or round designed to boost your winnings that can be activated if you land three or more Wilds, Scatters or Bonus symbols.
- Bonus Rounds - (see Bonus Game)
- Cascading Wilds - Wild symbols that cascade down on top of one another to cover one or more reels to create more winning combinations. They substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
- Pick and Click - A name for the action in Bonus Games where you must choose and click/tap one or more objects or items to reveal their hidden prizes and/or booby traps.
- Expanding Wilds - Individual wilds that expand to cover all other symbols above and below them on a particular reel. They substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
- Extra Symbols - A nickname for symbols that have are special characteristics such as Wilds, Scatters and Bonus symbols.
- Free Spins - A specified number of spins awarded when you land three or more Scatters that don’t require you to pay any credits to play, hence free spins.
- Gamble Feature - An feature activated after every winning spin where you have the option to double up half or all of your recent winnings (or lose it) by playing some variation of hi or lo, red or black etc.
- Jackpot - A sizeable payout that typically accumulates until it is won.
- Multipliers - Numbers that multiply your winnings on active pay lines i.e. 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x etc. The higher the multiplier, the greater your winnings.
- Hold and Nudge - A Hold button lets you ‘freeze’ an entire reel into the next spin, while a Nudge button lets you move a reel a single space (up or down) to help you make the best winning combination.
- Progressive Jackpot - The largest possible payout of a slot game that continues to accumulate and grow until it is eventually won.
- Random Wilds - Wilds that appear randomly across your reels during a base game or Bonus Round. They substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
- Respins - An option on some slots where you can respin the reels for free after a non-winning spin in the hope the respin will yield a winning combination.
- Scatters - Special symbols that land randomly across one or more reels that can trigger Free Spins and other bonuses.
- Shifting Wilds - Wilds that remain in play for a fixed or random number of spins, while shifting to a different position after each spin. They substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
- Special Symbols - (see Extra Symbols)
- Stacked Wilds - Wilds that cover an entire reel which substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
- Sticky Wilds - Wilds that are stuck in place for a fixed or random number of spins. They substitute for all other symbols except Scatters.
- Wild Symbols - Symbols that substitute for all other symbols with the exception of Scatters.
Free Slots Around the Globe
Known as pokies Down Under (Australia and New Zealand), fruit machines in the UK, puggies in Scotland, one arm bandits in South Africa and plain old slots in the United States and beyond, these fascinating reel-spinning games with one or more paylines attract millions of players to land and online casinos every year.
Slots are universally loved and for good reason - they’re bright, bold and noisy, easy to play, fun and exciting and can yield some spectacular payouts. Free slots are especially loved because, well they’re free, and they can be just as entertaining and in some cases just as lucrative even though they won’t cost you a cent to play.
In fact, free slots transcend language barriers, nationalities and borders because every culture understands and embraces the concept of receiving something for nothing. This is why you’ll find free slot games whether in the form of fun play games or as part of no deposit free spins promotions regardless of the target market.
What does differ from country to country, however, is the general taste in slot themes. For instance, in Asia free slots with Oriental theme go down very well, while UK slot fans love soccer-themed games. South Africans are partial to wildlife-themed games, while many US players are drawn to slots containing bling and wealth.
That said, these are generalisations because in reality fans of particular free slots can live anywhere in the world, never more than a simple mouse click or finger tap away from hundreds of top quality online and mobile slots, many of them available for free. Now we hope you enjoy our selection of best in class free slots.
Can You Play All Online Slots For Free?
There's no such thing as free to play progressive jackpot slots so to play these you have to register a online casino account (if you don't already have one), make a deposit (and claim a sign up bonus if you choose) before heading to the games lobby to pick a progressive to play for real money.
That said, on this page you'll find some of the best hand-picked 100% free slots of 2018 you can play right here, right now. We'll also recommend safe, secure and reputable online casinos where you can play exactly the same game for real money once you've mastered a particular free slot.
