Animal Slots – The Best Animal-Themed Slots Online

Animal slots stand out with their vibrant, colorful graphics, diverse gameplay styles, and exciting, unique bonus features, making them one of the most popular slot categories.

But with hundreds of animal-themed slots available online, how do you know which ones are worth playing? We’ve tested a wide range of these games, and in this guide, we’ll reveal the top ten animal slots, why they’re so popular, and more.

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The 10 Best Animal Slot Games Available Online

After testing a variety of animal slot games, our experts have concluded that these 10 are the best based on various factors. Each of the games feature exciting gameplay, captivating wildlife designs, rewarding bonus features, and can be enjoyed on some of the best slots sites online.

Animal Slots Developer Reels Rows RTP Paylines Maximum Win Volatility
Buffalo Gold Aristocrat 5 4 96% 20 (1024 ways to win) 6,480 x stake Medium
Mega Moolah Microgaming 5 3 93.42% 25 1,955 x stake (higher win possible on jackpot) Low
Buffalo Blitz Playtech 6 4 95.96%. 4,096 10,000x stake High
Piggy Riches NetEnt 5 3 96.38% 15 2,746x stake Medium
Fat Rabbit Push Gaming 5 5 96.45% 50 10,233x stake High
The Dog House Pragmatic Play 5 3 96.51% 20 6,750 x stake High
Animal Antics Inspired Gaming 6 4 95% 50 12,500X stake Medium-High
Double Panda Cryptologic 5 3 95.44% 25 10,000 x stake Low-Medium
Great Rhino Pragmatic Play 5 3 96.53% 20 500x stake Medium
Wolf Gold Pragmatic Play 5 3 96.01% 25 2,500x stake Medium-High

How do Animal Themed Slots Work?

Animal slots work like any other slot games except for one or two minor tweaks to fit in with their thematic appeal. All slot machines use RNGs (random number generators) to determine the outcome of each spin.

These RNGs are a software algorithm that ensures that each spin is random. They are essential as ensuring spins are random keeps these games fair and makes it impossible for anyone to predict or manipulate the outcome.

When specific winning combinations are present on the paylines, the slot animal games will pay out. In traditional slots, there was only one payline that went horizontally across the reel. However, in modern animal slots, there can be dozens or even thousands of paylines, and they can follow various patterns or zigzag across the reels.

Expert Insight
When deciding which animal slot to play, you might be drawn to the cuteness of the animals and the visual appeal, but it's crucial also to consider the RTP and volatility. A higher RTP is preferable, as it improves your chances of winning over time. Volatility, on the other hand, impacts how frequently the game pays out. Low-volatility slots offer frequent but smaller payouts, while high-volatility games pay out less often but with larger potential rewards.

Top 5 Animal Slot Machines

To help you understand what makes our recommended games so exciting, we’ve provided animal slots reviews for our top 5 below.

Buffalo Gold (Aristocrat)

Buffalo Gold (Aristocrat)

Buffalo Gold (Aristocrat)

Bonus Features:

  • Free spins
  • Scatter symbols
  • Wild symbols
  • Gamble feature
  • Multipliers

Aristocrats Buffalo Gold collection is a 5-by-4 slot game with an RTP of 96%. There are 1024 ways to win, and wins can be in any direction. The maximum payout available on the game is $648,000.

The game is set in the Great American Plains, and the symbols feature a myriad of iconic North American animals, including elk, mountain lions, wolves, and buffalo. The game also features a sunrise icon, which is the game’s wild icon and can substitute any other symbol except the scatter one.

While the sunrise bonus icon doesn’t offer a payout of its own, the gold coins scatter symbol does, and it offers payouts from any position on the reels. In addition, Gold Coins also activate the free spins bonus round, where multipliers can reach as high as 27x. You can increase these winnings even further by selecting to play the gamble feature, which is available after each successful spin.

Mega Moolah (Microgaming)

Mega Moolah (Microgaming)

Mega Moolah (Microgaming)

Bonus Features:

  • Free spins
  • Scatter symbols
  • Wild symbols
  • Progressive jackpot
  • Multipliers

If you have played online slots before, you’ve probably heard of Mega Moolah. It’s one of the most famous online slots because it currently holds the World Record for the highest-ever slot jackpot payout of $20,062,600.

Mega Moolah is a 5-reel, 25-payline safari-themed slot with low volatility. As you spin the reels, you’ll encounter charming African animals like lions, giraffes, and elephants. The game has a total RTP of 93.42%, which includes a base RTP of 88.12% and an additional 5.3% from the progressive jackpots.

The game’s highlight is its Jackpot Wheel Bonus Game, which can randomly activate on any spin. When triggered, players are taken to a wheel divided into 20 segments, each linked to one of four jackpots. The pointer determines the jackpot you win, with the four colors representing different jackpot tiers and their minimum payouts.

  • 10 Red segments win the Mini Jackpot of at least $10
  • 6 Orange segments win the Minor Jackpot of at least $100
  • 3 Yellow segments win the Major Jackpot of at least $10,000
  • 1 White segment wins the Mega Jackpot of at least $2 million.
Buffalo Blitz (Playtech)

Buffalo Blitz (Playtech)

Buffalo Blits (playtech)

Bonus Features:

  • Free spins
  • Scatter symbols
  • Retriggers
  • Multipliers
  • Stacked symbols

Buffalo Blitz by Playtech is a 6-reel, 4-row slot game set against the stunning backdrop of the American Plains, featuring wildlife like wildcats, bears, raccoons, and the iconic buffalo. With an impressive 4,096 paylines and an RTP of 95.96%, the game offers a maximum win of 10,000 times your stake.

One of the best things about Buffalo Blitz is its scatter symbols, which can trigger up to 100 free spins. During the bonus rounds activated by the scatter symbols, you can retrigger further free spins, and there’s no maximum limit on the number of free spins retriggered. (except if you win the maximum 10,000x stake) payout.

The game also features wild symbols that can land on reels 2,3,4,5 and 6. The diamond wild symbols can take the place of any other symbol in the game except for scatters, and the wilds can randomly turn into 2x, 3x, or 5x multipliers.

Piggy Riches (NetEnt)

Piggy Riches (NetEnt)

Piggy Riches (NetEnt)

Bonus Features:

  • Free spins
  • Wild symbols
  • Multipliers
  • Scatter symbols
  • Bet level

In this 5-reel, 3-row slot game, you’ll join these aristocratic, high-class piggies in their mansion. The symbols in the game are all based around money and wealth and include piggy banks, bags of cash, gold credit cards, and more. The game has 15 paylines, a decent RTP of 96.38%, and medium volatility.

The maximum amount that can be won is $360,000 from the jackpot, which isn’t that high compared to some other animal slots but is still a very nice sum. Its medium volatility means it pays out more often than high-volatility games, and the payouts are usually higher than low low-volatility games.

The game features Wilds, which come in the form of the “Mr Piggy Riches” symbol, and any wins, including a wild symbol, are multiplied by three. The “Lady Piggy Riches” symbol is the scatter symbol of the game and if you land at least three of these on the reels, you trigger the free spins feature.

Fat Rabbit (Push Gaming)

Fat Rabbit (Push Gaming)

Fat Rabbit (Push Gaming)

Bonus Features:

  • Free spins
  • Scatter symbols
  • Multipliers
  • Two Wild symbols
  • Special harvest feature

Fat Rabbit by Push Gaming transports players to a quaint little virtual farm where you’ll meet the protagonist of the game, a very cute and chubby rabbit whose objective is to eat as many carrots as possible. The more carrots it devours, the better your chances of winning become.

The 5×5 slot game has high volatility, 50 pay lines, and an RTP of 96.45%. The maximum win is 10,233x your stake. The game has two wild symbols: the carrot and the rabbit and the rabbit is also worth a lot on its own, as landing 5 rabbits wins you 20x your stake. The carrot symbol also doubles up as the scatter symbol and if a carrot symbol lands at the same time as a rabbit the free spins feature is activated.

There’s also an additional special “Harvest” feature, which can trigger at random times. When this happens, the angry farmer drives his tractor across the reels, replacing many old symbols with the wild carrot symbol.

Types of Animal Slot Games Online

The animal slots theme offers a diverse range of categories, from games focused on household pets like dogs and cats to exotic creatures and even mythical beasts. Here are the top three most common types of animal slots.

  • Farm Animals – Farm animal slots feature familiar farm animals like pigs, cows, chickens, goats, and more. They include games like Piggy Riches, Chicken Burst, and Moo Moo Cow.
  • Wildlife – Wildlife animal slots take you to exotic environments, such as jungles, mountains, and grasslands in Africa. You’ll find animals like Lions, Rhinos, Monkeys, Snakes, Pandas, and more. Mega Moolah and Great Rhino are a couple of examples that feature wildlife symbols.
  • Pets – You’ll find an abundance of cute and fluffy animals like cats, hamsters, rabbits, and dogs in pet-themed animal slot machines. The Dog House and Animal Antics are great pet-themed slots.

Animal Slot Bonus Features Explained

Along with their visually appealing design, animal slots are also popular for their variety of bonus features. In this section, we’ll explore the different types of features you can find in animal-themed slot games and what they mean.

Free SpinsScattersWildsBonus RoundsGamble FeatureJackpots

Free Spins

This feature awards players with a number of spins without having to bet any money for each spin. Free spins are usually triggered by getting a particular combination of symbols.

Scatters

Scatters get the name as the symbols can appear anywhere on the wheel and don’t need to appear on a specified payline to activate their benefits. When scatters are activated, they usually trigger bonus features such as free spins and multipliers.

Wilds

Wild symbols increase a player’s chance of winning as they act as any symbol on the reels (except scatter symbols in most games). For example, if you need five Rhinos to win and you have three rhinos and two wilds, this would count as five rhinos, and you would win.

Bonus Rounds

Bonus rounds are mini-games triggered by getting specific symbols or meeting certain conditions. In bonus rounds, players stand a chance of winning prizes which could be free spins, multipliers, cash prizes, and even jackpots.

Gamble Feature

Gamble features allow players to risk their winnings to potentially win even more. They are usually a simple game of chance, and if players win, they can double, triple, or even quadruple their winnings. However, if they lose, then the money they’ve just won is lost.

Jackpots

Jackpots are where you can win big money on slot games. Some machines have a set jackpot, whereas others use progressive jackpots. In progressive jackpots, the jackpot slowly increases as a small percentage of each bet is added to the pot until someone wins it. Progressive jackpots are often the most significant prizes you can win and can offer life-changing amounts of money.

Why are Animal Slots Casino Games so Popular?

Slots are the most popular casino game, with 68% of regular gamblers saying they play slots most often. Animal slots make up a large portion of slot games in both online and in-person casinos, and there are several reasons for that. Here’s a look at three reasons players love to take a spin on animal-themed slot games.

Visually Appealing Themes

Slots with animals tend to have bright and exciting graphics and imagery that stimulate the senses. These bold and vivid images include cute and cuddly animals and unique wildlife. They also transport players to picturesque settings like the plains of Africa, the ocean depths, the Amazon rainforest, or just a quaint little farm.

Emotional Connection

Animal themes resonate with a broad audience because animals are relatable, and most people have fond memories of childhood pets and/or animal stories. Humans are hardwired to nurture vulnerable creatures and respond positively to infant-like features such as big eyes, chubby bodies, and small noses, which many animals have.

Symbolism and Storytelling

Animals carry symbolic meanings that can fit in with a game’s narrative and gameplay. For example, lions symbolize strength, rabbits represent luck, and Elephants are seen to represent good luck, prosperity, and wisdom in many cultures. These symbols add an extra element to the games for players, enhancing their gaming experience.

Developers Behind the Best Animal Slot Machines

With animal slots’ popularity so high, it’s no surprise that almost every casino slot developer has at least a few titles themed around wildlife and creatures. Here we take a closer look at the companies behind our favorite animal slot machines.

Aristocrat

Aristocrat LogoAristocrat has over seven decades of experience in the casino industry. It launched in the 1950s in Australia with the creation of Clubman. Today, it supplies retail casino hardware and online games to casinos worldwide.

They have won many accolades, including winning the best overall supplier of slot content in the EKG Slot Awards Show (2023) and triumphing in many other categories.

The company has hundreds of online slots, many of which are animal themes. Their most popular animal games are from the Buffalo series, which has around 40 games within it. The Timber Wolf and Farm Ville series are also some very exciting and popular animal groups.

Microgaming

Microgaming LogoMicrogaming is an experienced company that started making online casino software in 1994. In 2024, it changed its name to Apricot Investments, but many Microgaming casinos and games are still using the original branding.

The company has won over 60 awards, including EGR’s B2B Platform, Casino Platform Supplier, and Software Supplier of the Year. The company has released over 3,000 casino games and multiple animal-themed games. The most popular and famous is Mega Moolah, but other top titles include Pets Go Wild, Animals of Africa, and Cool Wolf.

Playtech

Playtech LogoPlaytech, based on the Isle of Man, was founded in 1999. It has won multiple awards from over 30 organizations, including taking home the 2023 Product of the Year prize from the American Gaming Association.

The company is well-known for providing Playtech casinos with its series of brand slots like Top Gun and Green Lantern, but Animal slots make up a large portion of its library. Buffalo Blitz, Heart of the Jungle, Great Blue Slot, and Animal Instinct are its top slot games with animals.

NetEnt

NetEnt LogoNetEnt is headquartered in Sweden and has been supplying casino software since 1996. In its nearly three decades of existence, the company has won numerous awards including ones from prestigious organizations like the EGR Awards, Global Gaming Awards, and International Gaming Awards.

The company has over 200 games that can be found at some of the best NetEnt casinos, of which animal slots make up about 5%. Some of its top animal titles include Cornelius, Piggy Riches, Gorilla Kingdom, Jumanji, and Jungle Spirit.

Push Gaming

Push Gaming LogoPush Gaming is a relative newcomer compared to some of the other providers on this list, having launched in 2010. Despite its young age compared to some of its competitors, it’s managed to win an array of accolades, including SlogCatalog’s Game Studio of the Year – CasinoBeat Game Developer Awards 2023.

They currently have over 40 titles that can be played on some of the best Push Gaming casino sites. The animal theme is popular with the company, as they have 20+ animal slots casino games featuring critters and creatures, which is over half of their total library. Some of the most notable are Fat Rabbit, Cats of Olympus, Boss Bear, and DJ Fox.

Play Free Animal Slots Online

Many of the best online casinos now offer most of their games in demo mode, allowing players to play free animal slots without risking any money.

It’s a smart move to try free wildlife slots first, as it lets you familiarize yourself with the game’s mechanics and symbols without spending your own hard-earned cash. While most animal-themed slots are straightforward, taking the time to understand how everything works can improve your chances of success—and doing so without any financial risk makes it even better.

What We Have to Say About Animal Slots Online

As highlighted in this guide, animal-themed slots provide a fun and potentially rewarding gambling experience, making them a favorite among players and a staple at most online casinos. While these games are widely available, some sites stand out more than others when it comes to enjoying cute and exciting animals and gambling at the same time.

We found Wild Casino to be one of the best offshore sites for animal slots. With over 500 slot games, about 10% being animal-themed, plus a variety of great bonuses and flexible payment options, it’s an excellent choice for slot enthusiasts.

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FAQ

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Responsible Gambling

Animal slots offer a fun and playful gambling experience, but it’s important to remember that they still involve risk. Practicing responsible gambling is crucial, as gambling addiction can lead to severe financial and mental health challenges.

If you believe that you or someone you know may have a gambling problem, there are many online sites that offer assistance to problem gamblers, such as the ones listed below.

Resources

About ReadWrite’s Editorial Process

The ReadWrite Editorial policy involves closely monitoring the tech industry for major developments, new product launches, AI breakthroughs, video game releases and other newsworthy events. Editors assign relevant stories to staff writers or freelance contributors with expertise in each particular topic area. Before publication, articles go through a rigorous round of editing for accuracy, clarity, and to ensure adherence to ReadWrite's style guidelines.

Joe Yarnold
Editor

Joe Yarnold joined the ReadWrite team in 2024 as a content editor and writer. He has experience writing informative and educational articles on gambling. You can find his articles across multiple sites including Basketball Insiders and SportsLens. He specializes in sports betting but has experience, and knowledge of all forms of gambling including casino games, poker, and horse racing.

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