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Modern-day casino games have come a long way from dusty machines in gaming pubs. Nowadays, when players want to enjoy premium casino gaming, they turn to their laptops and mobile phones and load cutting-edge 3D casino games.
3D casino games are casino games with 3D effects and realistic animations. The games have better technology than earlier versions of games and provide a better gaming experience to the players.
Let’s have a closer look at casino games in 3D and their influence over the internet gambling industry.
Traditional gambling is still very much alive, but progressive technological changes and leading-edge software have changed the way we perceive gaming. Online casinos have flourished over the years, and the main catalyst is the introduction of 3D casino games.
Four or five years ago, most players were not even familiar with the concept of 3D casino games. The reason is simple: not many companies were experienced in making such content.
However, as technology progressed and the players began turning to more polished-looking games, a new trend arose. Three-dimensional content became all the rage, and every company involved in game-making began upping their game.
So, what are 3D casino games?
Three-dimensional casino games are games with improved graphics, design, and immersing soundtrack. The technology behind 3D content is much better than for 2D, and the differences are most visibly seen in the visual aspect. Titles from this category sport magnificent 3D effects and animations. The result is a complete product which offers more authenticity, and a more immersed experience to the player.
Because they are more polished in looks and have sophisticated software, they appeal to a greater audience. In truth, players now want the visual aspect to match the technical parts – and because companies perfect the technicalities long ago, they are now free to focus on the design of the games.
If we are to understand the power of three-dimensional gambling games, we must look at the bigger picture. And a big part of that bigger picture is the past – as you cannot know the future without learning about the past.
The story of 3D casino games starts with the first online casino. Although InterCasino is today credited as the first digital gambling place, it was Microgaming who launched the first one. The Gaming Club was the name of Microgaming’s first-ever digital casino, a site that works to this day. Gaming Club casino appeared in 1994, and Cryptologic launched InterCasino two years later.
Microgaming was also one of the first companies who focused on creating online casino games. In 1998, Microgaming launched its first titles which went on to appear in casinos on the internet. Trick or Treat and Pharaoh’s Fortune were among the first games to roll out of its studio.
Soon after, a plethora of companies turned their attention to this type of gaming. Another key player in the game is NetEnt which started making games in 2009. NetEnt developed games on JAVA, but soon transferred to Flash technology.
Flash turned out to be quite a popular technology, and most RNG games were developed there. The so-called 2D games which we played in the early stages of online casino gaming were created using Flash tech.
Several years ago, Flash was dethroned, and the power transferred to HTML5. Since providers and casinos switched to HTML5, the industry flourished, and especially mobile gaming. The new version of HTML also gave us the power to experiment more with the games – and that’s how we got to 3D casino games.
What lies ahead? What can we expect to see in the next five years, or even the next one?
The answer is not yet clear to many of us, but we do have some theories.
The most probable thing is that the industry will keep growing further. That is not even a probability anymore, but rather a stone-cold fact.
We are also sure providers will keep pushing the envelope and continue investing time, money, and effort into creating brand-new gaming concepts. After all, the year 2020 has brought on some amazing innovations for slot games, so we don’t expect that to falter in the future as well.
Virtual reality has also been the topic of many heated discussions. VR is a relatively new concept that has already found its many uses in several industries. Gaming, for one, is an insanely good match for VR because of its visually stimulative nature. VR casinos are currently one of the most anticipated trends that are expected to launch in the next few years.
Nowadays, 3D graphics and effect exist in nearly every category of games in gambling halls. Digital content has greatly improved in the past months, and the current trend is the focus on aesthetics.
Therefore, table games like Blackjack, Roulette, and Baccarat have received noteworthy improvements in the visual department. Card dealing, the entire surface of the table, and even the ball that spins at the Roulette table are on a whole different level. And to think we had games that did not even show the wheel!
Iron Dog is currently leading the game in creating 3D table content. The provider has made an entire collection of table games which feature 3D effects and software. The most famous releases are Blackjack 3D and 3D European Roulette.
Speaking of Roulette, Playtech has also ventured in the 3D sphere and contributed to it with its releases. Our favourite is the 3D Roulette Premium which came out in 2018.
Nevertheless, the biggest progress was made in the 3D slot department. Simply put, slot games are the perfect field for three-dimensional techniques and effects. They give the companies more freedom and room for experimentation, possibly more than any other category in the entire industry.
Today, 3D slots stand as the most popular category of slot machines in the digital industry. Web-based gambling places offer them in virtually any possible shape and theme you can think of. And the players love it.
The best thing about 3D slots is that they are very easy to spot in the lobby, given their astonishing quality of graphics and imagery. Animations, top features, and more details about the storyline help players enjoy the experience more.
Nowadays, almost all games can be labelled as 3D. Sure, there is a plethora of classic slots which appear on the market nearly each month, but it doesn’t diminish the power 3D slot games have over the industry.
And although we today enjoy a range of casino games in 3D, we have Gonzo’s Quest to thank for that. It was one of the first 3D slot games in the industry, featured right next to Betsoft’s legendary games. Betsoft is also known as one of the first and most prominent 3D game providers from the 2010s, with numerous hits which will forever be remembered among avid casino players.
It is quite hard to pick five games from a library that probably spans thousands of games. We did our best to present the latest games which top the industry not only with innovative features – because features and mechanics matter a lot – but with their visuals as well.
Yggdrasil Gaming is known for creating visual masterpieces of games, so it shouldn’t surprise you that our list starts with one of its titles. Of course, we couldn’t forget Betsoft, the company credited with starting the entire genre.
There are also games from the award-winning NetEnt and Pragmatic Play, and we are confident you will love the titles as much as we did. Each game has something unique, a special trait which makes it stand out from the crowd.
Our top 5 3D slot games are:
It goes without saying that their graphics are top-of-the-shelf, and animations can put many moviemakers to shame.
We said it once, but we will say it again – Hades is probably one of our favourite releases from 2020. The game has it all; it is a full package, perhaps the fullest package of all slot games.
Its charm lies in the popular Greek mythology theme which takes you straight to the Greek Underworld where Hades rules. Right off the bat, you meet the leader, Hades himself. He keeps you company as you spin the reels and occasionally passes a comment when you hit (or miss) a winning combo on the reels. It belongs to the Gigablox collection, which is essentially a group of slots with the Gigablox mechanics. The mechanic allows you to land and form combos with gigantic tiles – hence the name – on the grid. Besides animations that are out of this world (literally), Hades Gigablox offers you 50 paylines and 11,129x the stake max payout.
Another boundary-pushing slot from 2020 is the Hive slot from Betsoft. The Hive slot is in sharp contrast with other games on the grid because it revolves around bees and honey. For the most part, it’s sweet-looking, with cute bees and a grid which looks like a hive. The grid is dripping with honey, and your task is to collect it. The bees help – they will fill the meter – and you will get to visit the Free Spins.
During Free Spins, one of your most powerful allies is the Spreading Wilds feature. Wilds that land on the grid quickly spread to adjacent honeycombs and thus carry a potentially bigger reward for you. Worker bees are there to boost the payout even more as they bring in Multipliers. When everything ties in together, the game reaches a potential of 378x the stake payout.
Zombies are a trendy theme, especially if they come in hordes and threaten to destroy humanity. Because it is quite popular, it has been seen way too many times before, which makes it difficult to use. Luckily for the players, Pragmatic Play is one of those companies who know how to handle a zombie apocalypse. At least on 3D slot game screens!
Wild Walker slot comes packed with all the gruesome details, nasty visuals, and horrifying scenes in full HD. The most important booster in the game is not the Free Spins mode, but rather the Wild. Wilds lock on the grid, and when they land, they land Expanded. During Free Spins, there is no limit to the number of rounds you can get. The feature is progressive, and the grid expands to add more reels for a better chance at payouts. Wild Walker slot can grant you a prize worth up to 4,900x the stake.
NetEnt Rage of the Seas slot is a pirate adventure loaded with 3D animations and effects. Starting from the background, the details here are exceptional. The reel grid is placed at the front of a ship. When you first load the game, you get a sense of a ship sailing across the seas during the night. Two lanterns cast light on the grim-looking scene, which only heightens the tension.
Rage of the Seas is a pirate-themed slot, but it isn’t one of the cartoonish-looking games. The pirate life is not a merry one, and NetEnt did not make it to look like one either. You get to spin the 5×4 reels and hope to trigger at least one of 5 modifiers in Free Spins. The grid expands to add more rows on the upper three reels where you can hunt for Wilds, Spreading Wilds, and Multipliers. It is a truly breath-taking slot with highly realistic animations and effects that can boost your balance over 5,000x the stake.
Betsoft is the king of 3D casino games. Its earlier releases still top the charts for 3D slots, but the newer releases push the boundary even further. Monster Pop is a great example of that. The release has nothing to do with destroying monsters – for the most part.
Monster Pop slot is a goofy arrival which takes you to another planet full of monsters that look like blobs. A variety of blobs appear on the reels, and the player’s task is to pop them. Take that literally because the monsters do pop when they form a winning cluster. They can clone themselves, and this will expand the grid up to 13×13. If you don’t manage to form a cluster on a cascade, the tiny monsters will explore through Cloner Bombs. The game also includes Flaming Free Spins. Monster Pop slot has a payout higher than most Betsoft slots. You can win up to 1921x the stake.
Many say that technology today has the power to make or break an industry. In gaming, it seems that the trend is going up, and gaming is advancing faster than any other industry on the internet.
Online gambling has 3D casino games to thank for that. The HTML5 technologies have brought with them a new wave of innovation and changes which became the new standard for casino gaming online. Slots, more specifically, 3D slots became the symbol of the entire genre – and the way we perceive gaming now.
Stay tuned for more info and updates about 3D casino games from BestCasinos.
BestCasinos team consists of online casino experts dedicated to spreading their knowledge and experience to a wider audience, all in effort to help even the most inexperienced players gain their footing in this exciting industry.