For some reason, people love classic retro-themed games. Maybe its the nostalgia of the pixel graphics and the feeling that you’re playing a game from your very childhood. Maybe you just like their simplicity and casual fun. Regardless, retro-themed casino games combine the best of both worlds — retro graphics with exciting features and reels. Here is a quick list of the top six retro-themed casino games you need to be playing in 2024.
1. Retro Reels Extreme Heat
Developed by the industry giant Microgaming and available at most mobile casinos, Retro Reels Extreme Heat is a classic five-reel slot that combines a vintage design with modern game mechanics. It’s got your traditional symbols like lucky sevens, bells, bar icons, and more, all rendered in vibrant, fiery retro colors. The background music and sound effects are sure to remind you of old-school slot machines and retro games.
Every slot has a standout feature, and Retro Reels Extreme Heat features a great one. The Respin feature allows you to respin individual reels at an additional cost but increases your chances of hitting a winning combination. If you’re missing a single symbol and need it all to align, the Respin feature is going to be your best friend. It also has free spins and a scatter symbol that can trigger bonus rounds, giving you a shot at even bigger wins.
2. Neon Staxx
NetEnt came out with Neon Staxx a while back, and it’s been a retro-fan favorite ever since. Neon Staxx transports you back to the 1980s thanks to its blinding neon lights, synth soundtrack, and retro-futuristic visuals. It’s a five-reel, four-row slot set against a backdrop of a glowing grid with symbols including wild animals and traditional slot icons we’ve all come to love.
Neon Staxx’s feature randomly stacks symbols on the reels, giving you a better shot at a large payout. There’s also a free spin round you can encounter by landing three or more scatter symbols. One of those scatter symbols will come out stacked, as described above, increasing your chances of a big win.
3. Mega Joker
This has nothing to do with Batman or his clown archnemesis. Instead, Mega Joker from NetEnt is a three-reel, five-row slot that throws itself back into the old days of classic slots. Its name comes from the iconic Joker symbol, but it also features cherries, lemons, melons, and other classic symbols, all in retro style.
Perhaps the best thing about Mega Joker is the Supermeter mode, which gets triggered after you win on any spin. You can either choose to collect your payout or gamble it in Supermeter mode, where higher payouts are possible, but losing your win is, too. This is the first slot to feature a progressive jackpot on our list, which can be won randomly and is always going up until someone gets lucky.
4. Fire Joker
Another joker-themed slot, this one from Play’n GO. Fire Joker is a three-reel slot attempting to emulate the classic feel of the original machines. Like the others, it has classic symbols but is set against a fiery, retro background. The crisp visuals are nice and vibrant, capturing the retro feel you love with a slightly modern touch.
This one has fairly straightforward gameplay but does have a feature called the Wheel of Multipliers. This gets triggered when all reels show the same symbol to trigger the event. It multiplies winnings by up to ten times the total amount, offering an easy way to double, triple, or 10x your win.
5. Hotline 2
If you’ve played Hotline Miami, a franchise that hopefully never runs out of steam, you already know where this one is going. Hotline 2 is a sequel to the popular Hotline slot game from NetEnt and is set in the (not-so) glamorous world of 1980s Miami. It’s got five reels and three rows with symbols like luxury cars, expensive jewelry, characters named Detectives Quinn and Riveria, and the devious Kitty Weiss. Weiss is attempting to pull off a big heist, but the detectives are hot on her trail. Fans of Hotline Miami 1 & 2 can already see in their minds the neon lights and synth-wave soundtrack.
Hotline 2 has a unique feature they call the Hotline Bonus Bet. This minigame lets you activate additional hotlines, which increases the chance of hitting expanding wilds and triggering free spins. Free spins rounds are particularly exciting if you manage to get them, as expanding wilds can cover entire reels, which, as we all know, can make for some pretty substantial payouts.
6. Jackpot 6000
Jackpot 6000 already has a retro-esque title akin to those PS1 racing games, but does it have the full package? This slot from NetEnt offers a traditional three-reel, five-payline layout. Symbols, as expected, are all taken from the classic slots, like jokers, stars, different fruits, and more. It’s all packaged up in a nice display of retro graphics and sounds, perfect for retro lovers like yourself.
Jackpot 6000 has the same feature as Mega Joker. For a quick refresher, in case you’ve already forgotten, Supermeter mode gets activated after any win. In Supermeter mode, you can either decide to take your winnings or gamble them with the potential for way higher payouts than normal. Unlike Mega Joker, though, there’s also an insane feature that lets you double your win — if you can correctly guess a coin flip. Feeling lucky?