Expected Reading Time | 11 Minutes
Last Updated: July 24, 2024
Written by Yvonne Greenwood
We are happy that you can join us for our annual look back at the hottest online slot releases. This time, we are taking a look back at the most popular slots of 2023.
Looking to the future, in 2024 you can expect, as always, plenty more exciting slots releases, as well as the continuation of modern casino slots. This pretty much means better features, greater payouts and (hopefully) higher RTPs. The competition among slots developers is as fierce as ever, and this should ensure that they will continue to push slots technology so that we can play even greater and better ones as we go deeper into the year.
It is always a little tricky to anticipate exactly what will happen as the year progresses, but we can state with confidence that there will be plenty more excellent Megaways slots, which remain some of the most played slot games in the United Kingdom. We also expect to see a greater number of themed slots, especially ones branded around popular television shows.
The SlotsHawk team always does its best to try to predict the future of slots so that you have the news before anyone else. However, with the benefit of hindsight, we are able to inform you with accuracy which the most popular slots from 2023 were.
HOTTEST ONLINE SLOTS IN 2023
2023 was certainly another successful year for slots developers, although with that being said, the UK online slots market has certainly shrunk due to the updated laws in the sector. Regardless, UK punters still love playing online slot machines and this will not change this year.
There have been plenty of hot slots in 2023, but the top 10 certainly stand out from the rest. The oldies still seem to be the goldies too, with the likes of Rainbow Riches featuring in the top 10 once again, despite being over a decade old.
THE TOP 10 MOST PLAYED SLOTS IN 2023
Here is the SlotsHawk.com list of the most played online slot machines in 2023. We have included the number of visits each game has received across the year.
| SLOT GAME | NUMBER OF VISITS (Jan to Dec 2023) |
| Big City 5’s | 6,797 |
| Dragon’s Myth | 5,982 |
| Secrets of the Phoenix Megaways | 5,804 |
| Rainbow Riches | 5,222 |
| Fire in the Hole | 4,498 |
| 9 Coins | 4,445 |
| Razor Returns | 4,110 |
| Space Donkey | 3,726 |
| Bonanza Megaways | 3,721 |
| Mayan Wild Mystery | 3,698 |
Our list of the most popular slots in 2023 is based on the traffic each of our individual slot game reviews received between January 2023 and December 2023.The main standout here is that there are several older slot games mixed in with a few which were released in 2023.
In addition, there are only two slots which were in the top 10 list of the hottest slots for last year in this new one: Secrets of the Phoenix Megaways and Rainbow Riches. You can find out a little more about each of the games below.
1. BIG CITY 5’S BY IGT
A rather surprising winner of the SlotsHawk hottest slot game of 2023 is Big City 5’s. A modern slot game with an old school twist, the £200 maximum bet limit meant that Big City 5’s remains popular especially to high roller and VIP slots players.
Another reason for its popularity is due to being able to win up to 200 free spins during the games bonus round. Add to this the £250,000 maximum win and it is easy to see why Big City 5’s is the hottest slot of 2023.
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2. DRAGON’S MYTH BY MICROGAMING
An exceptional slot game where the graphics are concerned, Dragon’s Myth was a fair way behind Big City 5’s but with 5,982 visits in 2023, it deserves its place on our list. The low volatility aspect mixed with the fun theme makes Dragon’s Myth a popular game for the slots hobbyists, who prefer to bet small and enjoy a leisurely, stress-free gambling experience.
The progressive jackpot is also popular as it means that larger amounts can be won from a singe spin, even when betting the minimum, which, incidentally, is £1 per spin.
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3. SECRETS OF THE PHOENIX MEGAWAYS BY ROXOR GAMING
The first game which you will also find on our list of the hottest slot games in 2022, Secrets of the Phoenix Megaways is widely played because there are several casinos, including Bally Casino, which give their players no wager free spins on this slot. In addition, it is perfect for newbie players due to its minimum bet of £0.01
There are also plenty of features including cascading reels which are a lot of fun in comparison with the older games which lack such modern slot features. If you do decide to play Secrets of the Phoenix Megaways, then we do recommend playing at Bally Casino where you will get the 30 free spins once you make a deposit of at least £10 and stake it on a casino game of your choice.
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4. RAINBOW RICHES BY SCIENTIFIC GAMES/BARCREST
Certainly the oldest game here but also probably the best known, Rainbow Riches has been available to play at both online and land-based casinos for several decades now, and it remains as popular as ever. There are now dozens of slots in the Rainbow Riches slots series but the one which started it all remains the most played.
Although Rainbow Riches started out as land-based slot game, the online version was a pioneer in slots technology. Our personal opinion is that Rainbow Riches has the greatest appeal of any slot in history. Partly due to the minimum bet of £0.01 and the max bet of £400, but also due to its three bonus games and high max payout.
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5. FIRE IN THE HOLE BY NOLIMIT CITY
NoLimit City slot machines are known for having ‘extreme volatility’ and that is exactly what Fire in the Hole has to offer. The volatility paves the way for plenty of action and the extremely tempting maximum payout of 60,000 times your bet means that Fire in the Hole remains one of the biggest payout slots of all time and this is one of the reasons for its popularity.
Add to that the modern features, fun graphics, ace soundtrack and 486 paylines, and what you have is a well-rounded slot which is lots of fun to play. Our Fire in the Hole slot review received just shy of 5,000 searches in 2023.
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6. 9 COINS BY WAZDAN
Wazdan slot games consist of some of the most original features around. The Wazdan team are constantly trying to push the limits of new slot technology, and 9 Coins is undoubtedly their most popular slot of all. With a 50,000x max potential payout, an above average RTP and progressive jackpot, it is easy to see why 9 Coins was the sixth hottest slot of 2023.
Like all Wazdan games, in 9 Coins players have the ability to choose their own volatility level too and this certainly contributes to why so many UK gamblers love this one.
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7. RAZOR RETURNS BY PUSH GAMING
A 100,000x maximum payout? Check. 96.55% RTP? Check. Free spins and mystery symbols? Check. Impeccable graphics? Check. In our opinion, Razor Returns has it all and we are not surprised in the slightest to see it as one of our most read slot reviews.
Released in 2023, Razor Returns is one of only a few sequel slot games which have been successful. Another reason for its popularity is the fact that so many UK slot game sites have Razor Returns in their library. Push Gaming is one of the biggest developers out there, and their game licenses are purchased by most online casinos.
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8. SPACE DONKEY BY NOLIMIT CITY
The second and final video slot machine from NoLimit City, Space Donkey takes its prideful position as our highest ranked high volatility slot due to its totally original gameplay and features. NoLimit City have really tried to create something unique and ground-breaking with Space Donkey, and although it isn’t perfect, we certainly appreciate their efforts.
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9. BONANZA MEGAWAYS BY BIG TIME GAMING
Bonanza Megaways remains the most played of all Megaways slot machines and even in 2024, this is unlikely to change. The original Megaways game is easy to play with plenty of high paying features and a bonus game with free spins.
In addition the RTP is decent at 96% and the maximum potential payout is one of the highest at 26,000x.
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10. MAYAN WILD MYSTERY BY STAKELOGIC
An appealing theme mixed with the opportunity to win 125,000 times your bet, we are not surprised that our Mayan Wild Mystery review was read by over 3,600 of you last year. Although the graphics are a little basic (it was released in 2019) there is nothing basic about the winnings which can be accumulated in this slot.
Mayan Wild Mystery is not widely available, but we have seen it in the library of a few UK online casinos, including at Casumo Casino.
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THE TOP ONLINE SLOTS PROVIDERS IN 2023
The competition between slots providers is fierce as they each aim to provide punters with the best and most unique slots to play. NoLimit City seems to be doing their utmost to shift the landscape in a way unseen since Big Time Gaming developed the Megaways mechanic. Wazdan also continue to try to create pioneering new slots technology. Whether or not we see a major industry change in 2024 remains to be seen.
Based on our traffic data from 2023, we have listed the games providers which created the most played slots.
There are nine different developers in total, with NoLimit City the only provider which has more than one game on our list. Find them below:
- IGT
- Microgaming
- Roxor Gaming
- Scientific Games
- NoLimit City
- Wazdan
- Push Gaming
- Big Time Gaming
- StakeLogic
SEARCHING FOR ONLINE SLOT GAMES? A SEARCH VOLUME ANALYSIS
There are lots of online slots players who use Google in order to find the slot game they are looking for. This ensures they don’t waste time looking through various casino games libraries in an effort to find the slot they are looking for.
There are also online tools which record the monthly search volume of keywords on Google. Below, we have used the Ahrefs tool so that we can show you what the monthly search volume is for all 10 of the hot slots on this page.
| SLOT | SEARCH VOLUME (per month) |
| Big City 5’s | 10 |
| Dragon’s Myth | 10 |
| Secrets of the Phoenix Megaways | 100 |
| Rainbow Riches | 185,000 |
| Fire in the Hole | 700 |
| 9 Coins | 20 |
| Razor Returns | 10 |
| Space Donkey | 10 |
| Bonanza Megaways | 250 |
| Mayan Wild Mystery | 10 |
As shown in the table above, Rainbow Riches has by far the largest number of organic Google searches per month.
HOTTEST HIGH ROLLER SLOT GAMES IN 2023
These are the online slots which come with high maximum bet limits which were the most played in 2023. Unfortunately for many UK gamblers, such slot games will become a thing of the past after the UK government announced that all slot games will be limited to a maximum of £5 per spin. However, last year players were able to bet a maximum of £500 per spin – perfect for high roller gamblers.
Here is the SlotsHawk list of the most played slots for high rollers in 2023. Again, we have also included the number of visits each slot accumulated over the year.
| SLOT GAME | NUMBER OF VISITS (Jan to Dec 2023) |
| Rainbow Riches | 5,222 |
| Razor Returns | 4,110 |
| Thai Flower | 3,712 |
| Irish Riches Megaways | 3,500 |
| Aloha Cluster Pays | 3,412 |
| Leprechaun Heist | 3,410 |
| Rex the Hunt | 3,265 |
| Burning Stars 3 Hold the Jackpot | 3,258 |
| Booty Bay | 3,194 |
| Beauty and the Beast | 3,099 |
Like in earlier tables, this list of the most popular high roller slots in 2023 is based on the number of visits the individual slot game reviews received over the course of the year. In addition, each game has a maximum bet limit of between £100 – £500.
Several of the slot games on this list also feature on our top 10 list of the best high roller slots.
ALL THE SLOTS PLAYERS ARE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
Enthusiasts of slots are always looking for the newest games to play. The most played slots in 2022, although still popular, are not the most played in 2023, and this does not surprise us.
We expect to see a whole bunch of exciting new slot games in 2024, and with any luck, it could be the best ever year for the slots industry as a whole.
CONTRIBUTORS
Greetings, I’m Yvonne Greenwood
Yvonne Greenwood is our talented writer. In the office she goes by the nickname ‘The Machine’ because of her ability to always smash out excellent and relevant articles for our readers at SlotsHawk.com.
Content writer since 2020
