Weighing Up the Three Most Popular Games that Can Be Played for Free

There are hundreds of thousands of different slot games available online, with more and more being added to the many libraries of the industry weekly. While variety is the spice of life, having so many options can be more of a hindrance to some. As slots are predominantly pay-as-you-play, you want to pick one that suits your preferences and is of high quality. Still, for the most part, you only have the tile and info page to go off of.

In video slots, while the animations may be flashy and bonus rounds pulse-raising, the core features of the game that matter can take several rounds to suss. Here, we're delving into the key games that have earned their popularity, why slot game popularity matters, and if the top slots are right for you. Of course, some people find fun in exploring new games and finding their own favourites, so the games featured aren't the be-all and end-all of the entertainment medium.

Why popular slots matter the most

When playing slots, for most people, the goal is to get a return: you pay to spin for a shot at a larger return. As this is very much a universal theme for slot players, most people are looking for the same underlying aspect, but also have their own preferences for the theme, complexity, bonus features, graphics, and the like. When there's a universally understood preferred outcome – a slot that pays – we can start to trust the masses.

The crowd psychology thesis of The Wisdom of Crowds suggests that if you require a single answer, the collective wisdom of a crowd will likely be very accurate, as most will know the answer. This has been particularly well-proven on the quiz show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, where the Ask the Audience option for contestants is rarely wrong.

You can say that the same is true in online slots, with the masses gravitating to proven games, thus making them popular and high-ranking on casino landing pages. The highest-rated new casinos recognise this, and see how the crowd has begun to operate. Players are drawn to popular slots because so many others have given them the nod. It's why each of the three most popular games are the central focus of those new casinos' welcome offers, with those being Book of Dead, Gonzo's Quest, and Big Bass Bonanza – but which is right for you?

Book of Dead (Play'n Go)

In ancient Egypt, the Book of Dead was a set of texts that were used to help the dead find their way to the underworld. Funerary instructions were key to these texts, but so too were the spells. These spells were used by ritualists to transcend the everyday experience and then use the magical powers on Earth. It's these supernatural powers that give intrigue to the Book of Dead and why it's used as the core element of the slot.

The slot game, Rich Wilde and the Book of Dead, launched in 2016 and could even be considered quaint by modern video slot standards. It has five reels, three rows, ten paylines, and one core feature. However, it's the high volatility and straightforward nature of the all-important feature that makes it so popular. Find three of the Book of Dead, and the free spins roll in to stack up a random symbol when they land, enhancing wins greatly.

Gonzo's Quest (NetEnt)

Gonzo's Quest features a curious little conquistador attempting to solve the puzzle of a great Maya wall dotted with the iconic stone carvings of the Mesoamerican civilisation. It's possible that the slot character is drawn from the shipwrecked Spanish soldier Gonzalo Guerrero, who served as a slave and husband to the daughter of the cacique. The slot also leans heavily into finding the fabled lost city of gold.

In the 2013-released NetEnt slot, the 20 paylines spin to an underlying medium-high volatility, which makes payout slightly more often but less high in value when compared to the high volatility of Book of Dead, on average. The most enchanting feature is its cascading reels, which amplify the multiplier as wins tally up. In the free spins mode, which opens the wall for Gonzo, multipliers are tripled.

Big Bass Bonanza (Reel Kingdom)

One of the big reasons why people love fishing so much is the suspense. Once you've laid out your gear, prepared, and sit back, it's all about the waiting game to prove if you've set up well enough to snag a bite. When the reel starts spinning away, you get pumped up by the adrenaline to catch the line and battle the fish. In many ways, playing a slot game is similar to fishing but without the prep or skill required to land something big.

Big Bass Bonanza taps into the love of fishing with its medium-high volatility and ten paylines, but the 2020 slot also goes deep into its theme. In this Reel Kingdom slot, you'll see loads of fish with monetary values that also pay set amounts when aligned in the base game. In the free spins mode, those fish get their cash values, and when you land a fisherman, they'll catch all of the fish and their additional values.

The crowd knows, and the crowd says that Book of Dead, Gonzo's Quest, and Big Bass Bonanza are the slots that are most worthy of your time. Best of all, you can get loads of free spins for each as welcome offers.