Free online casino games
Want to try the latest slots or a new blackjack strategy without risking your own money? Free online casino games (or demos) give you the exact same experience with free credits. Read our complete guide to discover the best free games, how to test their features, and why playing for free is the smartest first move you can make.
What are free online casino games?
Free casino games are a version of the games you’ll find in online casinos that you can play without using real money. In other words, they’re demos, so instead of playing with your real money, the game gives you free credits, which allows you to play the games.
You’ll find free casino games online, typically in game reviews like ours, but online casinos sometimes offer the option to play the demo version of a game, too. If you’re wondering why you’d play a game without the chance of winning real money, check out the benefits of free games below:
Test for free
You’ll be able to adjust paylines and try out budgeting your gameplay with different stakes, giving you a free understanding of how the game works in real time, without putting your funds on the line.
Build your strategy
For instance, you can build a out playing with bigger and smaller bet sizes on slots, or you can figure out which roulette betting system is the most comfortable for you.
Test features
Playing the free version of a game show, a slot or a new fish game, gives you the chance to get used to its features, giving you a better understanding of the game before you put any of your money down.
Types of casino games and why you should play them for free
You can find a free version of almost every online casino game. To help you get started, I’ve put together a list of the top games and the exact features you should test before betting real money.
Slots
By playing an online slot for free, you can verify the slot’s hit frequency, its volatility, bonus features, and bet range. Take some time to explore what kind of volatility you enjoy playing, since high and low volatility games work differently. High volatility slots, for instance, can deliver bigger wins after a long time.
The same goes for bonus features and bet ranges. High-rollers will be on the lookout for wider betting ranges, but if you’re new to the scene, you’ll be more comfortable with smaller amounts. With bonus features, it’ll help you to know what to expect, since bonus features are often triggered randomly. Sometimes there’s a bonus buy option, so it’s also good to test if the feature is worth its investment.
Poker
Playing a free game of online poker will allow you to get familiar with the different variants and to settle on which ones you enjoy playing the most. Once you’ve found your place in poker, free online games will give you the space to learn the rules and hands, without the worry of making a costly mistake.
You’ll have the time to study different strategies and develop an understanding of the odds, to set yourself up for a proper online poker game.
Blackjack
Because blackjack requires a good knowledge of the game beforehand, playing online blackjack for free will help you to develop a strategy and to memorize it.
In blackjack, it’s crucial to make the right choices for the hand you’ve been dealt. If you exceed 21, you’ll automatically lose the game, so you need to become familiar with the maths and when to hit, split, double, or stand. Eventually, these will become second nature to you, but until then, free online blackjack is the way to go.
Baccarat
Baccarat is a fast-moving game. You need to be able to make assessments and play your bets quickly, and to do that, you need to be familiar with the different betting strategies you can use.
The Martingale strategy, for instance, involves doubling your bet after every loss, with the idea that a win will recoup all your previous losses and give you a profit that’s the equivalent of your original bet. To be able to play a move like this, you need to practice it a few times. You also need to understand the banker’s role in the game. If you bet on the banker’s hand, and that hand wins, the House will take a 5% commission.
Arcade games
Arcade games are a recent introduction in the online game sphere, relying on player interaction. There are different kinds, like Crash games, where a shared multiplier climbs and players need to cash out before it crashes. Another game is Slingo, which is a hybrid game that combines slots and bingo. With Crash games, it’s all about the timing. Through playing demos, you’ll learn when it’s time to cash out and when it’s better to hold on, which trains your discipline.
Fish games
Fish games are a form of shooting game, where every bullet you shoot costs you money. Bigger bullets will also cost more, meaning you need to be strategic about when and what you fire. Before getting into fish games, you need to understand how the guns or canons work, and how strong the bullets are. If a big fish needs more hits to take it down, how much is that going to cost you, and is it worth it? Without exploring this in demo mode, you could literally be throwing your money away. Don’t waste your ammo or your money.
Quick Hit slots
Playing Quick Hit slots in free mode will allow you to understand how the exponential payouts differ between different variants of the game. For instance, landing three symbols will pay out 1x your bet, but landing nine can pay out 2,000x. You’ll learn how rare it is to get to the top of the ladder, meaning when it comes to the real-money version, you won’t chase an unlikely result.
Roulette
Online roulette wheels have a specific format, and that changes if you’re playing American or European roulette. Playing the demo version gives you the chance to get familiar with the game’s format before playing with real money that you can lose. It also gives you the chance to learn the differences in house edge between the variants, and how that will affect your strategy and outcome.
How to test online games when you play for free
I’m going to teach you what’s important when it comes to testing some of the most popular free casino games, before jumping in feet first and risking not making the most out of your experience.
🎰 Cash Eruption
Cash Eruption is a slot game that comes with two bonus rounds. It’s very common for players to burn through their budget while chasing one of the bonus features: the Hold and Win fireballs. However, it’s important to note that Cash Eruption’s base game has low average payouts without this feature, so testing the slot in demo mode first will help you to assess the frequency of the fireballs.
Test out:
- The Pattern bet: Cash Eruption has an expanding wild that appears on reels 2, 3, 4, and 5. Use your free game experience to test out this wild’s volatility: does the symbol expand frequently enough to help keep your budget level? Or is it a rare feature?
- The Fireball collection: Before chasing the Hold and Win feature, track how many spins you need, on average, to land the necessary six fireballs that will trigger the feature. Knowing if it takes 10, 25, or 100 spins will allow you to set your expectations for the real-money game.
- Jumbo symbols in free spins: During a free spins round, reels 2, 3, and 4 will merge to become one giant symbol. Use the free game to test if this giant symbol actually allows for bigger wins, or if it’s just a gimmick.
🎰 88 Fortunes
88 Fortunes is another slot game that comes with a complex betting structure. This is called the All Up system. The size of your bet will determine how many Gold Symbols are active in the game, and this will directly affect your eligibility for the four jackpots. If you run into this game without testing out these features in free mode, you risk losing out.
- Gold Symbol strategy: during a free game, play 100 spins with one Gold Symbol and then compare it to playing with five Gold Symbols. This will alter the RTP and volatility in real time, giving you a better understanding of the symbol.
- Fu Bat Jackpot trigger: 88 Fortunes has a wild symbol called the Fu Bat. Use the free game to test this symbol by seeing if the post lid closes often or not. There’s also the ‘Pick Game’ mechanic that’s worth getting familiar with, during which you need to match three babies. Learn what this is about so that when it happens in the real-money game, you know what to do.
- Poker Suit removal: during a free spins round, the low-paying symbols are all removed. You can use the free game to test how much this feature increases the average win value, if at all, when compared to the base game.
🎰 Buffalo
The Buffalo slot is well known for being a volatile slot. This game can eat away at your funds quickly, handing out dead spin after dead spin, before suddenly awarding a big payout. Getting familiar with this slot’s moves is essential so that you’ll learn how to control yourself during the dead spins and avoid increasing your bet beyond your means out of frustration, hoping to trigger a win.
Try out:
- Xtra Reel Power: Buffalo doesn’t run on paylines; instead, it has 1024 ways to win. You should test how the Cost to Cover works, and how wins in this game are awarded starting from left-to-right, regardless of their symbol position.
- Sunset Wild multipliers: in the free spins game, the Wild symbols multiply all wins by x2 or x3. Use the demo to learn how these symbols stack, since this is where the game’s real win potential lies.
- The Re-Trigger: Buffalo is known to add more free spins, since landing two scatters will award five extra spins in a free spins round. Use the free game to test how frequently this actually occurs.
🎰 Fish Catch
Fish Catch is a fish game that ditches the reels entirely for an arcade-style shooter experience. Every bullet you fire costs money (your bet), and your chosen cannon determines your bet multiplier. The goal is to destroy fish for payouts, but since high-value targets have hidden health pools and can swim off-screen before they burst, you need to figure out if chasing the big catch is actually worth the ammunition.
- The Cannon Upgrade Toggle: I recommend switching to a 5x or 10x multiplier cannon for a set time limit (say, two minutes). This will give you a good indication of your actual damage output. Does the heavier artillery reliably secure those high-value kills before they escape, or are you just draining your balance 10x faster without a guaranteed pop?
- Auto-Aim vs. Interception behavior: Observe what happens when you use the auto-target feature on a valuable fish swimming through a dense crowd. Do your bullets seamlessly track and hit your intended prize, or are they constantly being intercepted by smaller, low-paying fish that block your line of sight?
- The Boss Hunt simulation: Since you’re playing with free credits, this is the perfect time to ignore the small fry and solely hunt the hardest, highest-paying target on the board (like the Mermaid or the Shark). Taking down a boss requires a massive volume of bullets. Try focusing all your fire on the boss a couple of times to see how often the final payout actually covers the sheer cost of the ammunition you used to defeat it.
🎰 Slingo
With Slingo, the base game is cheap to play, but don’t let that fool you. At the end of the game, you might be tempted to buy extra spins to complete lines, but those spins can cost you 10x or even 20x your original bet, meaning you might end up more out of pocket than it’s worth.
Make sure to test:
- The Price per Spin inflation: during free games, watch how the price of an extra spin will increase. If you need one number to win $15, but the spin costs $20 or more, you’ll quickly realise that the maths isn’t adding up.
- Joker strategy: when you land a Joker in Slingo, which is the Wild symbol, you need to choose a number to mark off. With the free game, you can practice the best strategy for this, which is to always mark off the numbers that will complete the most lines on your grid.
- The Win Ladder: completing 1-3 lines in Slingo usually pays little to nothing. To actually make a profit, you’ll need to complete five or more lines. Through playing Slingo in free games, you’ll understand how long it takes to achieve that result.
What are the newest free online casino games to try?
Check out these casino games, fresh from the studios. We’ve recently reviewed them for you, so check them out, complete with demos, so you can find your way around.
Now that we’ve covered the gist of the game, it’s time to dig deeper into each aspect, feature, and mechanic of Apollo Pays to see if this slot is worth your time and money.
This Mighty Empire Hold and Win review takes a close look at this slot’s RTP and volatility, explores its paytable and bonus features, and digs into how its gameplay works. It also points you to the shortlist of the best US casinos that host the game, so you can test it yourself.
In this detailed Republic Empire Hold and Win review, I’ll break down the key elements of this slot. You’ll learn about its RTP and volatility, bonus features, symbols, and payouts, and how to play the game. I’ll even recommend some of the best online casinos offering the title.
Demo vs real money online games – what are the differences?
So you understand why it’s great to play online free casino games, but how do they compare against real-money games?
| Free online games | Real-money games |
|---|---|
| No chance of losing money, since you’re playing with free credits | You can win real money to take home, including jackpots |
| You won’t need to sign up or share personal information to play | Playing for real money makes the game engaging and challenging |
| You can make as many mistakes as you want to perfect your gameplay strategy | You can claim promotions through the online casino you’re playing at, which can be tied to a real-money game |
| You’ll never win real money, no matter how big your free credit wins are | There’s always the risk of losing your money, since games operate on RNGs and outcomes can’t be predicted |
| You can never claim promotions, since these require a cash deposit at a casino | You need to find a game that works with your budget, since not all games are designed for players with small budgets |
Real money online casinos with free games
| Casino Logo | Rating | Bonus | Go-to-casino button | Show more | T&C |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
|
100/100
Games rating
by Sophie P.
85%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to $1,000 Lossback in Casino Bonus + 500 free spins at Cash Eruption
|
Play now |
|
Offered by Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC. All Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credits. 24-hour Lossback period starts when player makes first cash wager on slots only. Up to $1,000 back in casino bonus if player has net loss on slots after first 24 hours. Casino Bonus credit has a 1x wager requirement and expires after 14 days. NJ Only. Bet with your head not over it. GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER |
2
|
95/100
Games rating
by Paul P.
91%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 + $25 On The House
|
Play now |
|
Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. MI, NJ, PA or WV only. Excludes Michigan Disassociated Persons. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-270-7117 for confidential help (MI), 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, PA & WV). |
3
|
91/100
Games rating
by Paul P.
94%
Playscore
based on
|
100% match bonus up to $250
|
Play now |
|
|
4
|
90/100
Games rating
by Dasha G.
80%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $100 + 100 free spins
|
Play now |
|
|
5
|
89/100
Games rating
by Denise M.
84%
Playscore
based on
|
Up to 1,000 spins on casino favorites
|
Play now |
|
Must be 21+ and physically present in MI, NJ, PA, or WV. New users only. Must register with eligible code. Initial Guaranteed Bonus Spins: granted immediately upon registering. Additional Weekly Bonus Spins: Earn at least 1 Tier Credit on eligible games each week after registering to receive 125 additional spins weekly. Additional 1st 30-Days Spins: Earn at least 200 Tier Credits on eligible games in your first 30 days after registering to receive 500 additional spins. All spins are worth $0.20 each. Must claim and use spins w/in 5 days of receiving. Spin winnings (if any) awarded as bonus. Must wager 1x bonus amount w/in 5 days to convert any or all bonus to cash. Full terms at Horseshoe Online Casino – Promotions . Void where prohibited. |
6
|
88/100
Games rating
by Dasha G.
86%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000 and 2,500 Reward Credits on a $25+ wager
|
Play now |
|
|
7
|
88/100
Games rating
by Vule P.
85%
Playscore
based on
|
Bonus Money reload up to $500
|
Play now |
|
|
8
|
87/100
Games rating
by Paul P.
92%
Playscore
based on
|
Spin the Wheel up to 1,000 Bonus Spins
|
Play now |
|
Visit Borgata.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ years of age or older to wager. NJ and PA only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit, unless otherwise provided in the applicable Terms. Please Gamble Responsibly. Gambling Problem? 1-800-GAMBLER. |
9
|
82/100
Games rating
by Jack B.
86%
Playscore
based on
|
200% up to $100 + 25 free spins
|
Play now |
|
|
10
|
82/100
Games rating
by Sophie P.
73%
Playscore
based on
|
100% up to $1,000
|
Play now |
|
How to find the best online casino with free games?
There are a few things to look out for if you want to find an online casino with free games:
- Look for sites that have the right software providers, like NetEnt, Microgaming, and Pragmatic Play, since they always have demos.
- Choose online casinos that use RNGs, since this guarantees fairness.
- Read our reviews to learn more about the casino. We only review regulated sites.
- Go for brands that have good and fair promotions.
FAQs
Do I need to download any software to play free online casino games?
You don’t have to download any software to play free online casino games, unless the online casino is only available as an app. Otherwise, you can find free games in reviews or on the provider’s website.
Can I win real money on free games?
No, you can’t. You’re not putting any money in, so there won’t be any cash wins given out. Alternatively, you can choose to play at a sweepstakes casino, where you can redeem your credits for cash prizes.
Why do demo versions seem to pay more than real versions?
It might seem that way, since you’re more likely to play more spins during a free game, but it’s not the case. At regulated sites, the demo versions won’t pay out more than real-money games. The games run on RNGs, so the outcomes will be fair and randomized, as if you were playing with real money.
What technology exists behind free games?
Free games run on the same technology as the real-money games, which is the RNG. This will determine the outcome of each spin or play, ensuring a randomized result.
What are the best free online casinos for demo play?
To discover the best free online casinos for demo play, check out our casino reviews to find the best fit for you.
What is the difference between playing free slots on mobile?
On mobile, the games might change their orientation to fit the screen dimensions, and the buttons might move around, but otherwise, the games will function in the same way. Just find the games via your mobile browser to start.
