2023: What’s Coming? New Slots in the Pipeline!
Following a busy year for online casino content in 2022, the calendar was almost at its end. Attention turned to the titles expected to arrive in 2023.
More than 1300 new casino games were released in 2022, adding a substantial selection for online casino players. Casino Ideal’s preview anticipated at least as many in 2023, and possibly more. It also noted that video slot quality had been improving steadily year over year, giving players another reason to look forward to upcoming releases.
Several upcoming games had already caught our attention. This preview picks out five of the best new video slots then expected to reach online casinos in the following months.
Pinatas & Ponies (Red Tiger Gaming)
Red Tiger Gaming was behind one of the first anticipated releases, Pinatas and Ponies. This high-variance game has 6 reels and 6 rows, with scatter pays: 10+ matching symbols anywhere on the grid qualify for a payout. Its listed bonus features include multipliers, free spins and a buy bonus option.
- RTP: 95.72%
- Variance: High
- Max Win: 2,172x
Lucky Fishing Megaways (Pragmatic Play)
Set for early 2023, Pragmatic Play’s Lucky Fishing Megaways brings the developer’s fishing theme to another game. Its earlier Big Bass slots helped familiarise players with the style. This title has a 6+1 Megaways layout, with the +1 representing a horizontal reel above the main reels. This setup allows up to 117,649 ways to win per spin.
The features listed for this high-variance slot include tumbling wins, multiplier free spins, a risk game and the option to buy a bonus round.
- RTP: 96.55%
- Variance: High
- Max Win: 5,000x
Cash-A-Cabana (Play’n Go)
The title is a play on the name Copacabana, but its money-themed setting is New York in the swinging 40s. Play’n Go was expected to release Cash-A-Cabana at some point in January 2023. The preview anticipated the developer’s trademark focus on graphics and gameplay quality.
The game was described as a 5-reel, 3-row slot with 20 fixed paylines and medium to high volatility. Wild symbols can expand to fill a reel and multiply wins by 2x. Its free-spins round features a global multiplier, with 2 extra spins possible each time the ‘Host’ symbol lands on the reels.
- RTP: 96.2%
- Variance: Medium to High
- Max Win: 10,000x
Scatter Monsters (Quickspin)
The 2022 IGA Awards named Quickspin ‘Slots Provider of the Year’, putting its next release on slot fans’ radar. Scatter Monsters was presented as a potential hit for the iGaming studio, with a devilish cartoon world of vampires, zombies and demons.
Scatter Monsters also features scatter pays: matching symbols can create a win wherever they appear on the screen, then disappear as replacement symbols fall into place for another potential payout. Its main feature is the Soul Meter. Collecting souls fills the meter, which awards modifiers such as upgraded symbols, free spins or symbol removal when full.
- RTP: 96.08%
- Variance: Medium
- Max Win: 1,493x
Mammoth Gold Megaways (Pragmatic Play)
Pragmatic Play appeared twice in the five-game preview, reflecting the note that the developer regularly released at least 5 new slots each month. Mammoth Gold Megaways was another title expected in January 2023. Its gameplay was compared with the provider’s Muertos Multiplier Megaways, which Casino Ideal’s preview described as a major hit in 2022.
The game features 6+1 reels, each displaying a random number of symbols. The number of ways to win therefore varies with each spin and can reach 117,649. The preview listed wild multipliers, free spins with a multiplier that carries over without resetting, and a buy bonus feature.
- RTP: 96.03%
- Variance: High
- Max Win: 10,000x
Looking Forward to 2023?
These five titles were among the releases expected in early 2023, with the first launches only a few months away at the time. Whether they would match or surpass some releases in 2022 was yet to be seen. The preview ended on an optimistic note, hoping they would make a promising start to another year of slot gaming.
Evan Carrington brings more than 12 years of experience in the iGaming industry, with a focus on reviewing online casinos, assessing slot games and examining player safety. Their work covers casino licensing, RTP, volatility, bonus terms and withdrawal policies. Drawing on practical testing and independent research, Evan provides clear, evidence-based reviews to help players understand gambling platforms, their features and possible risks.
