What Are the Best Pop Culture Slot Machines?
By
Jane Shaw
Senior Editor Updated: 01/05/2024
We count on Jane to inform our readers about the latest slot games in the US market. With her passion for video games and a degree in engineering, she’s our gambling tech expert. Jane’s also active in our blog section, where she tackles the curiosities and changes in the industry.
Best Pop Culture Slot Machines
- Slot Machine Themes: An Introduction
- The Top Celebrity Slots
- Music Artist-Inspired Slots
- Movie Slots
- TV Show Slots
- Board Game-Themed Slots
- Frequently Asked Questions
Slot machines have evolved far beyond simple games of chance with fruit symbols. Today’s slots immerse players in pop culture worlds they love, from celebrities to musicians, movies, TV shows, and board games. Game designers build slots around pop culture icons to attract devoted fans, and the sights, sounds, and highlights of pop culture can be beautifully incorporated into online video slots, today, alongside state-of-the-art visuals, game engines, and bonuses and features.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of the most popular and creative pop culture slot machines. From slots based on Elvis Presley to The Wizard of Oz, these themed slots capture what we love about our favorite celebrities and entertainment. With creative bonuses and familiar sights and sounds, pop culture slots offer entertainment value even beyond the game itself! So, without further ado, let’s take a look at slots bringing pop culture icons to online casinos!
Slot Machine Themes: An Introduction
This blog post explores some of the most popular and creative pop culture slot machines, and why these games have become so popular with players around the world. We’ll start by looking at celebrity-inspired slots featuring icons like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Marilyn Monroe, and Frank Sinatra.
Next, we’ll see how music artists like Elvis and Michael Jackson have launched their own slot machine empires. Turning to movies, slots let players immerse themselves in cinematic worlds from The Wizard of Oz to Star Wars – and, later on, we’ll even take a look at slots based on TV shows and board games!
If you’re looking for the best slots to play online make sure to check out our list of recommended casinos to play them at. All these online casinos have been hand-picked by our team of online gambling experts!
The Top Celebrity Slots
Celebrities have massive appeal, so it’s no surprise icons like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe are some of the most popular slot machine themes.
Take a look at IGT’s Elvis-themed slot, for example. As one of the top celebrity slots, these games play his music during gameplay and offer features like the Jukebox Bonus where players pick classic Elvis songs to win credits. WMS Gaming’s Wizard of Oz slot highlights Judy Garland’s Dorothy. Players collect characters on a journey toward the Emerald City in the bonus.
Michael Jackson slots like King of Pop showcase his music videos and moonwalking image. The Smooth Criminal bonus has Jackson animate symbols into wilds with a cymbal clash, and there’s even an Ellen slot – based, of course, around Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show – with its unique Dance Party Bonus.
While these top celebrity slots include names we may even cover again in this guide, it’s important to highlight them, as some players will go searching for games with their favorite stars and characters, rather than those themed around specific shows or music.
Music Artist-Inspired Slots
Music-themed slots have always been hugely popular in the online gambling world – and, as we’ve already mentioned him, it seems only right to kick things off with IGT’s Michael Jackson: King of Pop slot, which remains a player favorite. Elvis slots also continue to hit the online gaming world in multiple variations, including titles like Elvis Lives.
NetEnt’s Guns N’ Roses slot features vintage concert footage and the band’s biggest hits as players spin the reels – and you can even change which songs are playing as you spin the reels in the base game! The Appetite for Destruction Wild bonus shows band members as animated characters replacing reel symbols with wilds, making it not just a great looking game – but one that offers fantastic win potential, too!
Rap and hip-hop slots are also emerging in the offline and online world. The Lil Wayne slot has players collect bling in bonuses inspired by the artist’s lyrics. The I Got Money bonus is triggered when a dollar bill symbol appears. As Lil Wayne raps “I Got Money,” players select bills showing bonus values. Rock slots showcase legends like Jimi Hendrix and Mötley Crüe with graphics emulating album covers and tours.
Music slots let artists connect with fans in new ways while attracting music lovers of all genres. The slots come alive with artists’ images, videos, and songs, and it’s likely we’ll continue to see software providers releasing new artist-inspired games in future!
Movie Slots
Like music, movie-themed video slots have always been popular. Slots based on blockbuster films offer the same immersive experience. IGT’s The Dark Knight slot places players in Gotham City with Batman characters and footage from the films. The Batman Dark Knight Rises wheel bonus awards credits or access to the movie’s bonus round.
Movie-themed slot machines bring the excitement and drama of your favorite films right to the casino floor or your online gaming experience. These slots often feature iconic characters, memorable scenes, and original soundtracks from the movies, creating an immersive experience that goes beyond just spinning the reels.
One key aspect of these games is the use of actual imagery and music from the films. This adds an authentic touch, making you feel like you’re part of the movie. Imagine seeing characters from Jurassic Park or The Dark Knight spring to life on the screen, accompanied by those films’ music playlists – it adds a whole new level of excitement to your gameplay!
One thing to note with movie-themed slots is that the offering you’ll be able to play depends on which country you live in. The game developers who produce movie-inspired slots have pretty strict licensing terms – meaning their games aren’t always available in all countries.
TV Show Slots
TV show-themed slot machines are a fantastic way for fans to engage with their favorite series in a whole new dimension. These slots capture the essence of the shows, featuring familiar characters, settings, and often, their iconic soundtracks. Let’s dive into some popular TV show slots!
Starting with Family Guy, this slot is as humorous and irreverent as the show itself. Developed by IGT, when you begin playing, you’ll find the Griffin family and other well-known characters on the reels, each triggering different kinds of bonuses and features. The game often includes cutaways and sound bites from the show, adding to its authenticity and entertainment value. The bonus rounds are particularly exciting, with each member of the Griffin family offering a unique mini game that not only brings laughter but also potential big wins!
American Dad is another popular TV show-inspired slot – and, like the show, the slot game is full of satirical comedy, and you’re likely to encounter features like Roger’s Random Wilds, where the show’s favorite alien adds extra wilds to the reels.
The Walking Dead slot, on the other hand, offers a more intense experience. It’s set in the post-apocalyptic world of the TV series, filled with zombies and survival themes. The game includes clips from the show, creating a suspenseful atmosphere. Bonus features are intense – and this slot not only appeals to fans of the series but also to those who enjoy a higher variance slot playing experience.
Finally, Game of Thrones from Microgaming immerses you in this fantasy world. It’s known for being incredibly volatile and is available in 15-payline and 243-ways-to-win versions. What’s best about the Game of Thrones games is their bonuses and features; there are four free spins rounds, each tied to specific houses – and you can win thousands of times your stake if you pick correctly!
Board Game-Themed Slots
Classic board games offer ready-made brands and gameplay popular with wide audiences, and they remain some of the most famous slot machines. Monopoly slots, for example, can be found at loads of land-based casinos and online casinos, including hit titles like Monopoly: The Big Event and Monopoly: On the Money.
Snakes and Ladders is one of the most recent board game slots we’ve seen released – although it’s nowhere near all you’ll find online, as other games like Battleship, Scrabble, Clue, and Trivial Pursuit have also been made into online video slots! Just like playing board games with family and friends, board game slots deliver fun in a new format true to the original games.
Their built-in brand recognition and gameplay concepts translate well to slots features designed around player interactivity. Board game slots merge the familiarity and fun people expect from these classic brands with innovative new ways to play. In fact, these real money slots have proven so popular, the vast majority of game developers today try to get at least one board game release under their belt!
