6 Reel Slots - Features & Free Games

Characteristics of 6-Reel Slots

The chief characteristic of slots in this category is the sixth reel. The principal of the game itself remains unchanged, as you still need to spin the reels and land winning combinations on the paylines. 6-reel slots feature games with different themes including fruit, animals, egypt, food and many others.

There are several ways that game developers use a sixth reel:

• As a regular reel in the main game
• As a bonus reel that gets activated once certain conditions are complied with
• As an extra reel during free spins

The presence of the sixth reel will increases the number of symbols that can be involved in creating a winning combination. The longest combination will consist of six identical pictures in a row and as the size of the payout depends on the number of symbols in a combo, the six-line slots are often characterised by larger maximum payouts.

The theoretical Return To Player (RTP) in slot games does not depend on the number of reels. The characteristics indicated for the six-reel slots are no different from the RTP ranges for five-reel slots. The probability to earn the minimum reward will not change either as your chance of landing the shortest combo (two or three pictures in a row) will depend on the slot's variance instead of the number of reels involved.

Most Popular 6-Reel Slots

There are not that many six-reel slots in the world today, so it is easy to find the most played ones. The popularity is often not determined by the theme of the game or even by the extra options. It is the developer who plays the key role in this particular case. These are the six-reel slots that can be singled out among the most popular ones:

• Sizzling 6 is a six-reel fruit slot by Greentube. The slot features only five paylines, the Wild symbol depicted as a Joker and the Scatter depicted as a star. The slot features no free spins or bonus rounds. The rewards that you have earned in a round of free spins can be played in the risk game
• Book of Ra Deluxe 6 by Greentube is a sequel to the popular Book of Ra slots. The game features six reels and one special symbol depicted as a book. The bonus symbol serves as both the Wild and the Scatter. This symbol can substitute for any other picture missing in a combo, and three, four, five or six symbols landing on the reels will trigger a series of bonus spins. During a round of free spins an extra Wild symbol will be selected, and the books that land on the reels will unfold and take up the whole reel. This is the way you will increase your chances to land a winning combo
• Raging Rhino is an animal slot developed by WMS. Combinations in this slot can be formed in 4,096 different ways. The slot features both Wild and Scatter symbols. Combos of Scatters will trigger up to 50 free spins, during which the Wilds will operate with either double or triple multipliers. Up to four multipliers can be applied to one combination
• Buffalo Blitz is a slot by Playtech that comes with six reels and 4,096 ways to form a winning combination. The game features both Wild and Scatter symbols. The Wild is represented by a diamond that will not only be substituting for the symbols missing in a combo, but will also activate extra double, triple and quintuple multipliers. Combos of Scatters will trigger up to 100 free spins in a row. The probability of landing a successful combo will increase due to the ability of the symbols to land in stacks and take up the entire reel or only a part of it
• Titan Thunder is a mythologically-themed slot by Quickspin. Combinations are formed on 50 paylines and may be complemented with the Wild symbol. The main game features five reels, and the sixth reel gets activated as a bonus option throughout the regular spins. The bonus reel will also be active during free spins that get triggered by a combo of Scatters. An extra Wild, one of the five pictures of Titans will be activated during free spins.

6-Reel Slot Developers 

The first company that developed a six-reel slot was WMS when it released the Red Flag Fleet slot. This slot was characterised by its uncommon game screen that looks like a pyramid on its side. The leftmost reel only has 2 fields, the second has 3 fields, the third has 4 fields, the fourth has 5 fields and the sixth has 7 fields. Combinations can be formed using 192 paylines.

Once the technical capabilities that arose with the introduction of the extra reel had been assessed, Greentube also released its six-reel slot Sizzling 6 on August 19th 2014. Today six-reel slots are listed in the games lists of such developers as:

• WMS
• Greentube
• Playtech
• NetEnt
• Quickspin
• Betsoft
• NextGen
• Microgaming
• Pragmatic Play

Increasing the number of reels also enables more gaming opportunities to be featured in the slots which creates diversity to the regular gameplay. These extra opportunities are attractive to both experienced connoisseurs, who would like to try something new, and a new generation of users that are used to playing dynamic video games. It is no wonder that six-reel slots are being added to the inventories of most modern game developers.

Conclusion

Six-reel slots are a relatively new invention that stand out from the regular five-reel slots. While maintaining the game's mechanics, slot games of this kind possess a number of advantages:

• The extra reel extends the number of winning combos
• Developers get the opportunity to introduce new kinds of bonuses
• Gameplay becomes more dynamic

This category of slots is added to with games from the most prominent developers, as well as those that are new to the industry, on a regular basis. The opportunities that the six-reel slots have to offer are exciting for players and allow creators to add more features and bonuses. This is why in the future the number of six-reel slot games will increase as more new slots are currently being developed. Try the range of 6-reel slots that are available in fully licensed and legal online casinos and you can receive real money winnings.