Best Slots Released in 2021

The best slots released in 2021, ranked by our review score.

We currently list 36 slots released in from 4 studios, led by Pragmatic Play (12), Nolimit City (12) and BGaming (11). Across the 36 games with a published RTP, the average is 96.01%. Christmas Big Bass Bonanza has the highest at 96.71%, while Four Lucky Diamonds is lowest at 94.03%. Max wins range from 1,000x up to 150,000x on San Quentin xWays. Of the 26 games with a provider volatility rating, the most common ratings are very high (46%), high (35%) and medium-high (15%). 20 of them (56%) offer a bonus buy where it is legal.

36 slots match this list. Rankings use our editorial review score and the published game data; they are not paid placements.

1. Wanted Dead or a Wild – Hacksaw Gaming

Wanted Dead or a Wild is the game that made Hacksaw a household name with high-volatility players. Three separate bonuses, each purchasable on its own where bonus buys are allowed, give the game far more variety than a single free spins round. The Duel at Dawn feature – expanding VS reels with multipliers – can produce huge results on just a few spins, which is why it is popular with streamers. It is very swingy; most bonuses pay modestly and a few pay enormously.

96.38% RTP · Very high volatility · 12,500x max win

2. Gates of Olympus – Pragmatic Play

Gates of Olympus is the game that turned Pragmatic's pay-anywhere tumble engine into a franchise. There are no paylines: eight or more matching symbols anywhere on the 6x5 grid pay, and the grid keeps tumbling until no new wins form.

96.50% RTP · Very high volatility · 5,000x max win

3. Mental – Nolimit City

Mental is one of Nolimit City's most notorious slots: disturbing asylum theme, layered modifiers and a 66,666x max win. The base game is frequently quiet, and the bonus can either fizzle or explode depending on how multipliers stack. It's exactly the kind of game that's worth learning in demo mode first – the feature interactions take a few bonuses to understand.

96.08% RTP · Very high volatility · 66,666x max win

4. San Quentin xWays – Nolimit City

San Quentin xWays is a prison-themed Nolimit slot with one of the highest advertised max wins in the industry at 150,000x. Its xWays symbols and Lockdown spins combine into some of the swingiest bonus rounds you will find. Treat it as a curiosity to explore in demo; real-money sessions can be very costly before a meaningful hit.

96.03% RTP · High volatility · 150,000x max win

5. Fire in the Hole xBomb – Nolimit City

Fire in the Hole xBomb is a mining-themed cascade game where xBomb wilds blow open extra rows. Its Lucky Wagon bonus has sticky multipliers that make late spins the most exciting. It strikes a good balance between Nolimit's extremes and a gameplay loop you can actually follow.

96.06% RTP · Very high volatility · 60,000x max win