The 20 Most Popular Online Pokies To Play In NZ?

There are so many pokies machines available to play at casinos as well as apps at app stores. But few pokies become so popular and are always there and remain in business for a long. Those who make them popular are obviously the pokies fans and why they become popular is due to their certain extraordinary features and wins. Here are 20 popular pokies to play online in NZ which you will still find at casinos to play.

Criteria for Selecting Top 20 Popular Pokies

When selecting the 20 most popular online pokies games, the following criteria could be considered:

1. Player reviews and ratings – Look for games that have high ratings and positive reviews from players. This indicates that the game is enjoyable and worth playing.
2. Return to Player (RTP) – Choose games with a high RTP percentage as this indicates the amount of money that is returned to players over time.
3. Graphics and design – Consider games that have engaging and visually appealing graphics and animations that add to the overall gaming experience.
4. Bonus features – Look for games that offer bonus rounds, free spins, and other features that increase the chances of winning big.
5. Jackpot size – Choose games that have large and attractive progressive jackpots, which can offer the chance to win life-changing sums of money.
6. Game theme – Consider games with a theme that appeals to players, such as movies, TV shows, fantasy, adventure, or sports.
7. Mobile compatibility – Choose games that are optimized for mobile devices, making them accessible and easy to play on smartphones and tablets.
8. Game mechanics – Look for games with unique and innovative mechanics that keep the gameplay fresh and exciting.
9. Availability – Choose games that are widely available in different online casinos, making them accessible to a large number of players.
10. Popularity – Consider games that are already popular among players, as this indicates that they are well-loved and enjoyable to play.

By following these criteria, you will be able to enjoy popular pokies online without any hassle or hiccups.

1. Mega Fortune

The legendary Mega Fortune is one of the popular pokies that takes you to the world of fortune with this Jackpot game. It features Scatter wins, Free Spins, Wild substitutions, and a triple Jackpot Bonus Game! Mega Fortune is a pokies game developed by NetEnt and if you’re lucky enough to spin the right symbols, this video pokies game offers a mammoth progressive jackpot, which is partly why it became so popular.

Mega Fortune comes with a heart rate-increasing Jackpot Wheel of Fortune bonus game that can get you closer to winning a massive amount of money. The lucky ones can also win up to 15 free spins that come with up to a 5x multiplier, so you can really win big in the end.

Features of Mega Fortune

• It is a 5-reel, 3-row, and 25-pay line multiple coin video pokies.
• The game is powered by a NetEnt gaming provider and hence can be trusted for safety and fun.

2. Hotline

Though this poky is not old as released in 2018, this 80s-style pokies offers a high-octane full-throttle retro experience that you won’t want to miss!

The hotline is not only packed with classic features like Wild and expanding Wild Substitutions, Re-Spins, and Free Spins.  it also offers a unique multi-level bonus bet feature: Hotline Bonus Bet.

The game’s mechanics are simple: You choose a row – a Hotline – and Wilds landing on that row expand to cover the entire reel and stick during re-spins. In Free Spins, the Expanded Wilds stick for the entire Free Spins for ultimate excitement. For an additional wager, you can activate the Hotline Bonus Bet feature and choose more Hotlines to increase the possibility to win Expanding Wilds and Re-Spins on two rows, or on a maximum of three rows for the best chance of covering all reels with Wilds. With the Hotline Bonus Bet feature, Hotline can be viewed as a multivariance video poker.

Features of Hotline Pokies

• Offers a unique “Hotline Bonus Bet” feature, allowing players to activate more paylines for bigger wins.
• Has a 1980s Miami Vice-style theme with retro graphics and an energetic soundtrack.

3. Vikings Go Wild

This pokies game was released in 2015 by Yggdrasil and come with 5 reels and 25 paylines oriented from the left to right. The game has eight regular symbols that win if three or more are lined up in sequence on a payline. Join the Vikings across the raging ocean as they slay the sea monster in Free Spin mode, which in turn changes the victorious Vikings into sticky wilds. The treasure chest offers a mystery win and a chance to trigger even more Free Spins!

• Vikings go wild is a video pokie with 5 reels and 25 pay lines.
• This game has a 96.3% RTP i.e. Return to player.

4. Battle Tanks

The Battle Tanks pokies are created by Evoplay and take place in a demolished city, with gloomy weather, and a mournful soundtrack to set the atmosphere. With action-packed pokies Battle Tanks, players plunge into the atmosphere of a real battlefield flown with tanks, machine guns, and other combat attributes.

Sophisticated design and state-of-the-art mechanics bring the gambling process to a whole new level. Battle tanks would be a good choice for both new and seasoned players.
The action starts with your first spin of this 5-reel, 9-pay line pokies. The game boasts generous features: 15 free spins, x3 multiplier and wild substitution. As this wasn’t enough to amaze gamblers, Battle Tanks provides a bonus game. In it, you shoot enemy tanks and get huge winnings! A player may multiply his prize, by playing a double game.

Features of Battle Tanks

• Offers an action-packed experience with symbols like tanks, grenades, and soldiers.
• Features a “Tank Battle” bonus game where players can destroy enemy tanks to win bigger prizes.

5. Book of Ra Deluxe

The Book of Ra pokies comes from Novomatic’s library where you discover the mighty Book of Ra™ in this 10-line, 5-reel deluxe version of a video pokies classic. Treasures and wealth lie hidden in the vaults of ancient Egyptian temples, waiting to be discovered in this thrilling video game.

BOOK OF RA substitutes for all symbols except the scattered SPECIAL EXPANDING SYMBOL of the feature. 3 or more BOOK OF RA trigger 10 free games, and open to randomly reveal a SPECIAL EXPANDING SYMBOL that expands to cover all three positions on the respective reels and pays on any position. Free games can be won again during the feature and are played at the current bet.

Features of Book of Ra Delux

• This online poky is provided by top gaming providers like Novomatic.
• It is an adventurous game which has an Egyptian theme.
• It has a 95.5% RTP i.e. Return to Player.

6. Age of the Gods

The game is developed by Playtech, one of the best software companies out there. It features 5 reels, 3 rows of symbols, and 20 paylines. The symbols are inspired by famous Greek Gods, such as Zeus, Ares, Poseidon, Athena, and so on. Any main game spin can trigger the Age of the Gods Mystery Jackpot.

This multi-level progressive mini-game guarantees a win of 1 of 4 progressive jackpots. Age of the Gods jackpots is pooled between other Age of the Gods games for even bigger payouts.

Features of Age of the Gods

• These popular pokies have an Ancient Greek Mythological theme which has 5-reel and 20 pay lines.
• The RTP for Age of the Gods is 95%.

7. The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is based on the popular Hollywood blockbuster movie of the same name, from the Batman franchise. In this Microgaming’s engaging pokies game, you will have a chance to see what it is like to be Batman for a night and fight the evil on the streets of Gotham. The layout is 5×3, with several bonus features to unlock as well, one of which lets you become Bane and destroy the city of Gotham.

There are 2 bonus features when playing The Dark Knight Rises. The first bonus feature is activated randomly on any non-winning spin. When this triggers the symbols on the reel will be rearranged to provide the highest possible payout for the player.

Features of The Dark Knight

• Based on the Heath Ledger and Christian Bale-starring film The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight is a progressive pokie game.
• Offers a “Free Spins Accumulator” feature where players can collect free spins and trigger a special Super Stacked Wilds feature for big wins.

8. Holmes and the Stolen Stones

This pokies game by Yggdrasil Gaming offers five local progressive jackpots up for grabs in this action-packed adventure with Mr Holmes. Join in the search for the missing stones across 5 reels and 20 paylines and enter the warehouse bonus game to increase your chances in the Free Spin jackpot game. The jackpot is won when five diamond stones of the same colour are collected in the Jackpot Free Spin mode.

The game has eight regular symbols that will win if three or more are lined up in sequence on a payline, beginning from the leftmost position. This intricately designed low to medium-variance game focuses on frequent jackpot wins and a Shard collection feature. You are never far away from the next jackpot free spins!

Features of Holmes stolen stones

• It has 5-reel, 3-rows, and 20-pay lines.
• The RTP for Holmes Stolen Stones is 96.8%.

9. Thunderstruck II

It seems that mythology-inspired pokies games are very popular among players nowadays, powered by Microgaming themed about Norse mythology and fight along their awe-inspiring gods.

Thunderstruck II released in 2010, showcases a huge improvement in terms of graphics, compared to the first edition. It’s played on 5 reels and 243 paylines, so there are plenty of ways to win.  It benefits from a randomly-activated Wildstorm feature where up to 5 reels can turn fully wild. It’s all about The Great Hall of Spins where you can play 4 free spins features based on Thor, Odin, Loki and Valkyrie.

They offer you 5x multipliers, Wild Magic symbols for random wilds, Odin’s Ravens for multipliers up to 6x and Rolling Reels with consecutive wins increasing the multiplier up to 5x. You can win a whopping 8,100 times your stake via the Wildstorm feature or each Valkyrie free spin!

Features of Thunderstruck 2

• Thunderstruck 2 is a game from Microgaming software provider.
• This popular pokies game has 5-reel, 3-rows, and 243 ways of winning.

10. Laser Fruit

Laser fruit is a fairly new name on the pokies industry playground. The features are far removed from simple fruit machine gameplay as well, with expanding reels giving you up to 60,466,176 ways to line symbols up across the five reels. Yes, that’s not a mis-print, you really could have over 60 million different winning combinations at once.

Basic spins play out on a five-reel 243 Ways to Win matrix, but blasts from lasers can expand the number of reels and height of each reel to give you an incredible number of winning ways. Land the right combination of symbols and you take home a prize of up to 25x the stake.

The Laser Fruit video pokies is a futuristic style game where the symbols are stylized neon versions of cherries, lemons, bells, BAR icons and red 7s. They sit against a dark, abstract background where shadowy shapes float around. It’s a slightly weird setup but looks good in a minimalist sort of way.

Features of Laser fruit game

• Powered by Red Tiger Gaming, this game has 243 ways to win the game with utmost excitement.
• Features a neon theme with symbols like fruit, diamonds, and lucky sevens.

11. Book of Dead

the Book of Dead pokies game by Plan’N GO was released in 2016, is a pure classic that was created a while ago, but a lot of players still hold it very dear.

It’s as simple as it gets, with 5 reels and 10 paylines, and just one bonus feature – the Free Spins. You can win 10 Free Spins with a chance to retrigger them, which is not too difficult to do.

Features of Book of Dead

• Features an Egyptian theme with symbols like Anubis, Horus, and the titular Book of Dead.
• Has a “Free Spins” feature where a special expanding symbol can lead to big payouts.

12. Gonzo’s Quest

If your dream as a kid was to explore the world and look for long-lost treasures, you will love this NetEnt’s pokies. In the game, you need to help Gonzo the conquistador find the long-lost city of gold called Eldorado.

The Gonzo’s Quest pokies game features 5 cascading reels and 20 paylines, so the gameplay is quite exciting. the pokies lets you win up to 20 free spins with an up to 15x multiplier. All of that translates to some pretty high wins.

Features of Gonzo’s Quest

• Has an Aztec theme with symbols like masks, animals, and ancient artefacts.
• Offers an innovative “Avalanche” feature where symbols fall into place rather than spinning, with winning symbols disappearing and new ones falling in their place.

13. Wolf Gold

Wolf Gold is the first Pragmatic Play pokies beautifully designed and colorful game played on a 5×3 layout and 25 paylines. The symbols include some of the most awesome animals in nature, such as wolves, mountain lions, eagles, buffalos, horses, and so on.

The bonus features include both Free Spins and Money Respins, which also gives you a chance to win the Mega Jackpot amount.

Features of Wolf Gold Pokies

• Features a North American wildlife theme with symbols like wolves, eagles, and buffaloes.
• Has a “Money Respin” feature where players can collect moon symbols to win cash prizes or trigger one of three fixed jackpots.

Suggested read: Wolf Treasure Review

14. Jumanji

Jumanji pokies by netent is one of the best pokies games with 5 reels and pretty non-standard 36 paylines. Awesome bonus features are oozing out of every Jumanji’s pore, so there is little to no chance that you will ever get bored playing this pokies masterpiece. The symbol distribution on the reels is quite unique as well, but we’ll leave it to you to find out more about it.

Features of Jumanji Pokies

• Based on the hit movie, with symbols featuring animals and jungle-themed objects like rhinos, crocodiles, and binoculars.
• Offers four randomly triggered bonus features and a “Board Game” bonus game where players can win free spins, cash prizes, or trigger the game’s progressive jackpot.

15. Extra Chilli

You can enjoy this Big Time Gaming’s hot pokies which  has fantastic graphics and a game window full of interesting details to keep you amused.

The Extra Chilli pokies is played on 6 reels and has a whopping number of 117,649 paylines. As you may assume, winning a round is not at all difficult in this game.

Features of Extra Chilli Pokies

• Has a Mexican street food theme with symbols like chilis, corn, and tacos.
• Offers a unique “Feature Drop” feature where players can pay to activate the bonus game instantly.

16. Fortunium

The Fortunium popular pokies game is powered by a lesser-known pokies provider called StormCraft Studios. It’s inspired by the popular art movement called Steampunk, featured in many popular Hollywood movies. Fortunium is played on a 5×5 layout, has 40 paylines, and has three awesome bonus features.

Features of Fortunium Pokies

• Offers a steam-punk-inspired setting with symbols like airships, treasure chests, and gears.
• Has a “Win Booster” feature that increases the player’s bet size but also increases the chances of triggering the game’s Mystery Symbols feature.

17. Diamond Mine

The Diamond Mine is a unique popular pokies game powered by Blueprint Gaming played on an interesting reel layout. There are 6 reels in total, but the number of symbols on each reel changes with each spin. The pokies is designed to look like a real mine, so all you need to do is start digging to find the gold. you might trigger some cool bonus features, such as Cascading Symbols, TNT Mystery Symbol, and Free Spins.

Features of Diamond Mine Popular Pokies

• Offers a mining-themed setting with symbols like pickaxes, lanterns, and gems.
• Has a “Cascading Reels” feature where winning symbols disappear and new ones fall into their place for additional chances to win.

18. Cleopatra

The most popular pokies by  IGT is Cleopatra. Based on the most beautiful Egyptian Queen is the main character in the game, so you have a chance to see how generous she is. The Cleopatra Pokies is played on 5 reels, and 20 paylines, and it gives you a chance to win the progressive jackpot. However, if you’re not that lucky, you can still increase your balance by triggering the Free Spins with a 3x multiplier.

Features of Cleopatra Popular Pokies

• Features an Egyptian theme with symbols like scarabs, hieroglyphics, and of course, Cleopatra herself.
• Offers a “Free Spins” feature where all wins are tripled, and additional free spins can be triggered by landing more scatter symbols.

19. Starburst

Starburst by NetEnt was released in 2012. The gameplay is simple as well, as it features a 5×3 reel layout and just 10 paylines. It also has a high-paying Wild-oriented bonus game activated fairly often.

The legendary popular pokies that has dominated the industry for years! Countless players the world over have developed a passion for pokies after playing this game.

If you enjoy high-paced energizing pokies, Starburst™ offers many fun features that make playing the game an unforgettable experience. And of course, the potential for huge wins is astronomical! Win anticipation is cranked up to maximum.

Arcade-like light effects follow wins, and the Big Win presentation is truly a sight to behold: blasts of light, flashing text, electrifying sounds – it’s a rush like no other.

Features of Starbust Pokies

• This 5-reel, 3-row video poky has several exciting features including Win Both Ways and the expanding Starburst™ Wild.
• Has a space-themed setting with colorful gems as symbols.

20. Planet of the Apes

The Planet of the Apes popular pokie machine made by NetEnt was released in 2017 and is based on the two movies – Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – the game takes you on a journey through the two different phases of the Ape Army leader Caesar’s life.

The game features the Rise and Dawn play areas, each with 5-reels, 3-rows, and 20-lines (fixed), the Rise and Dawn Free Spins, Bonus symbols, Scatter symbols, Wild substitutions, a Stacked Wild feature, a Dual feature and the Rise and Dawn Bonus features.

With its dual reels, the game combines elements from the two movies with the excitement of pokies gameplay to deliver a truly unique Planet of the Apes experience.

Features of Planet of Apes

• Based on the classic movie franchise, with symbols featuring both humans and apes.
• Offers two separate game areas for each movie, with unique bonus features and symbols specific to each film.

Conclusion

The top 20 popular pokie machines in the industry may also be regulated and scrutinized in NZ including titles such as Mega Fort, Starburst, and Gonzo’s Quest. The online pokies market in NZ is growing rapidly, with an increasing number of players opting to play online rather than at land-based casinos. The market is likely to continue to expand in the future, with the potential for new technology such as virtual reality to enhance the gaming experience. However, there may also be increased regulation and scrutiny of the industry to ensure player safety and responsible gambling practices.

Now simply pick your mobile and join the online casino of your choice to play these popular pokies games.