Four of the Best Chinese New Year Slots

Slots Online Published: fri 12 feb 2021 | Updated: mon 22 feb 2021 In case you hadn’t noticed, the Chinese New Year is being celebrated this week. 2021 is the Year of the Ox, so if you were born in 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961 or 1949, you might be particularly lucky over the next twelve months. Or you might not. It all depends on which Chinese horoscope you read. Whatever year you were born in, here are four of the best slots to play if you want to celebrate the Chinese New Year through the medium of online gaming…

The Golden Rat

It may be the Year of the Ox, but we’ll start by highlighting last years’ animal in a game called The Golden Rat. This was released in January 2020 by iSoftbet, and it stars a very jolly looking Rat as the highest-paying symbol. Other symbols include the playing card ranks of J, Q, K and A, Chinese coins, a money tree, a traditional drum and a golden dragon. A golden snake in the shape of the figure 8 (which is deemed to be lucky according to Chinese tradition) and a red money bag serve as scatters.

The game has a gorgeous red and gold theme and is presented against a bright blue sky where Chinese New Year celebrations are taking place. Get a golden snake scatter on the first, third and fifth reels to trigger eight Fortune Free Spins. In this part of the game, it is possible for up to five reels to spin in sync, which means that their symbols will line up perfectly.

If you get five or more money bag symbols on the reels, you will trigger three Cash Respins. Any additional money bag that lands will reset the counter, giving you another three respins. If a Golden Rat lands on the reels here, it will consume any visible money bags to keep them safe and create more room for more bags to be collected. When this round ends, the total value of all money bags landed will be paid as your prize.

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Chinese New Year (Evoplay)

This is the first of two games in our selection with the title Chinese New Year, and this one was launched by Evoplay in 2016. It is perhaps the most traditional of the slots featured here, and it’s quite gorgeous to look at. The backdrop shows picturesque Chinese buildings, and the five reels of the game are nicely framed by two ornate dragons. Symbols on those reels include Chinese lanterns, banners, firecrackers, Chinese coins, and a couple of dragons. A Chinese Zodiac symbol acts as a paying wild.

There are no free spins to be triggered in this game, but there is a Multiplier Meter. This is displayed above the last two reels, and it shows a series of five doubling values from x2 to x32. Land a win to light the first value, land another win straight after to light the second, and so on. Hit a really lucky streak of consecutive wins, and you could light all five values, which would multiply your final win by up to x32.

Traditional music plays in the background, and incidental sound effects include a nice mahjong-style clack of tiles as the symbols drop rather than spin into place. This is a fairly simple game, for sure, but it’s still very enjoyable.

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Lucky New Year

Lucky New Year is a 2018 release from Pragmatic Play. It sounds like it could be played on 1 January or thereabouts - and it certainly could - but it has a specifically Chinese style, which makes it particularly appropriate here. Symbols include the playing card ranks of J, Q, K and A, firecrackers, a drum, fruit and the head of a traditional dragon costume. A money tree serves as a scatter and appears on the first, third and fifth reels.

When you land three scatters on the reels, you will trigger a Free Spins round. This will give you five free spins. What makes these special is that the middle three reels will all merge to create one giant symbol. Land another three money tree symbols at any point, and another three free spins will be awarded.

Get six special lamp symbols on the screen, and you’ll trigger a Lucky Lantern feature, which gives you the chance to win even more. There are three jackpots that you could win here, so get seriously lucky, and you could enjoy a Minor, Major or even a Grand Jackpot payout.

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Chinese New Year

This is a five-reel game that was released in 2014 by Play'n GO. What makes it stand out from the rest is the fact that all of the symbols on the reels are animals that feature in the Chinese Zodiac. You’ll therefore see the Pig, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Sheep, Horse, Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger, Ox and Rat. The Tiger is a paying wild, while the Dragon and the Monkey serve as scatters.

Land three Monkey symbols on the reels, and you’ll trigger a Free Spins bonus game. The Monkey will take you to a wheel of fortune showing nine of the animals. When the wheel has been spun and comes to rest, the animal indicated becomes an extra scatter for the duration of the bonus round. The Monkey will then strike a gong in the centre of the wheel to show you how many free spins you get.

Get three Dragon symbols on the reels at the same time, and you’ll trigger a Fireworks bonus game. A screen will show you five giant firework launchers, and your task is to set them off, one at a time. A firework will be shot from each selected launcher and explode over the river, revealing a cash prize.

With authentic-sounding music, gorgeous graphics and plenty of personality, Chinese New Year - like all of the other games highlighted here - is a game that can be enjoyed all year round.

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