New Slots Round Up: 9th May – 15th May 2026

This week’s new slot round up brings everything from heavy metal reels and underground street racing, to disappointing sequels and then one of the strangest themes the industry has produced in years.

We start with Dark Forge from Slotmill, which is a tumbling all ways pays title with a 4-5-5-5-4 formation. We also have multipliers above the grid, and at first you might think they’re reel multipliers – something which seems to be coming up quite a lot lately (see Artifacts and Behind Bars: Masterplan from recent weeks). But no, in Dark Forge this is the Multiplier Meter, and each tumble moves the values one space to the left, upping the global multiplier in effect. Also, if you manage to include one of the highlighted Lightning Symbols in a win, one of the upcoming multis is removed, meaning you can reach the higher numbers sooner.

It’s all very similar to Emberfall/Ragnarok from Slotmill, while the over-the-top aesthetic is pure heavy metal, both visually and aurally. So if you’re in the mood for some headbanging, Dark Forge should be one to try this weekend.

Moving on, Lucky Pack: 2026 Cup is one of the more simple slots this week. Clearly, it’s another game from BGaming designed around the upcoming soccer World Cup, but unlike the studio’s Ultras from last week, this one gets back to the players on the pitch.

It takes place on a 5 x 3 grid with 10 paylines, and there’s not much to look out for other than basic wins and Scatters. 3 or more trigger the bonus feature, and then it’s your chance to pick a trading card with a multiplier attached. More Scatters will trigger higher value multipliers in this round, but overall it’s pretty dull. I much preferred Ultras from last week.

A lot of experienced slot players say that Nolimit City has jumped the shark, and it’s easy to see why they would say so with the studio’s latest slot as an example. Tombstone Begins is the latest in the eponymous series from NLC, and it has a giant reputation to live up to. Tombstone, Tombstone Slaughter, and Tombstone R.I.P have been some of the company’s most lauded titles, particularly the latter two. This is partly for the humongous max win potentials, going as high as 500,000x – basically the highest ever recorded on a slot. The themes have also been incredibly atmospheric and macabre.

So when Tombstone Begins loads, it’s a little disappointing to see that it looks like a generic cowboy slot. This issue reminds me of San Quentin Manhunt from a different recent round up – another game in a legendary NLC series that just feels like it’s lost its balls. The gameplay in Tombstone Begins is actually pretty fun though, and there’s plenty going on. It’s easiest to describe the action as split into two main mechanics: respins when a win hits, keeping all the winning symbols on the grid, and the Revolver which can shoot various special symbols/features onto the grid. This feels similar to the Revolver idea seen in Tombstone Slaughter.

So overall, Tombstone Begins is actually a good slot, but it doesn’t really meet the expectations set by its predecessors, especially the max win, which is only 20,000x here. It’s also really hard to spin into a bonus round naturally. And it’s part of a wider pattern, making players ask whether NLC is over-recycling its strongest IPs for a quick buck.

In some ways it feels like Shady Lady has taken over from NLC as the provider with the most dark and taboo themes these days, but new slot Sheeple really pushes the envelope in a way I’ve never quite seen before. When I first saw the title for this new game, I thought it might be a commentary on people who follow the status quo unquestioningly – that’s what sheeple normally means, and this kind of topic wouldn’t be at all out of place in Shady Lady’s catalogue. But no, the word is used more literally here… To be polite about it, the theme is all about the union between man and sheep, and it’s almost left me speechless. I think it’s best you load up the game for yourself and experience the very strange world Shady Lady has created.

Moving onto the mechanics, there’s one main concept at play here, and it feels fresh. The idea is to trigger the Sheeple Merge, where a Sheep can merge with a Human. You see, each Sheep or Human symbol has a color, so when the Green Sheep and the Green Human land next to each other horizontally, they merge. Then, all other instances of the same color on the grid get split, creating the possibility for more wins in an all ways pays style. You get the hang of it pretty quick, and it’s 96.31% RTP with a high volatility rating. It’s certainly a fun, fresh slot, but whether you’ll be into the theme is another matter.

Game of the Week

Nitro Nights by Hacksaw Gaming reminds me of the Fast & Furious movies or the Need for Speed gaming series. Basically, this is all about fast cars, and it’s set in Asia, so specifically it’s based on those countries’ street racing scenes. It’s maybe the first slot I’ve seen with Korean Hangul adorning the grid.

As for the gameplay, you’ll be playing on a 5 x 4 setup with 14 paylines, with 3 or more symbols forming a win. Then, the main special feature is Burnout Mode, activated when a Nitro symbol lands. 5+ nudges are added to the Nitrous Bar, and Wilds and Multipliers are thrown onto the grid – then the nudges begin, often leading to a series of quick-fire wins.

Nitro Nights has got the typical Hacksaw rhythm, and by that I mean, a special feature which lands every now and then, but it’s just rare enough that you’ll probably want to try activating it on every spin from the bonus buy section. That’s when the fun really starts, but it will cost you 50x your base wager.

There are two levels of bonus round: Seoul and Tokyo. Seoul gives you 8 free spins with an increased chance of Nitro symbols, while Tokyo offers a progressive global multiplier from the start – that can increase by 1 with every nudge, but only once Epic Burnout mode is engaged. That’s done by landing an Epic Nitro symbol.

Nitro Nights is super colorful and fast moving, fitting perfectly with its theme. The RTP is 96.31% and, for what it’s worth, I finished up at the end of my test session. It’s another solid slot from Hacksaw with just enough creativity in the gameplay to make it feel new, and no sheep in sight!

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