New Slots Round Up: 11th July – 17th July 2026

Epic Ze Zeus from Hacksaw is a reskin of a reskin. It follows on from 2024’s Ze Zeus, which was a copy of Le Bandit, one of the most popular slots of the last few years. Has much changed in this epic redo? Not a great deal. The core gameplay is still the same with super cascading cluster pays, and the artwork is mainly the same with slight tweaks.

The main things that have changed are to do with the game’s math. Now we have higher volatility with lower hit rate but a much higher max win, going from 10,000x to 50,000x. There’s also the buyable Epic Bonus – these types of 5 Scatter bonuses are usually only available organically in Hacksaw games, but you can buy this one for 2,000x your wager. RTP has dropped a touch to 96.22%. Put simply, this slot is probably best for those who want to play Le Bandit but with higher volatility.

We stay with Hacksaw for Minted Mike, a slot that pulls from a visual theme this studio often uses – I’m talking a black and white vintage cartoon feel with pops of color, also seen in games like RIP City, Hot Ross, Rad Maxx, SixSixSix etc. The titular character hangs out in the bottom left of the screen with his spray can here – there’s an urban graffiti-type theme too. As for gameplay, it’s a step down from Epic Ze Zeus in terms of volatility and potential, as the rating is medium volatility with only a 5,000x max win.

You’ll be aiming for wins across 26 paylines on the 5 x 4 grid, but the main action comes via the Pink, Blue, and Green Stickers. This concept is reminiscent of the ‘3 pot’ mechanic, especially because these Stickers can land and not trigger anything, but when they do trigger you’ll get: 2 – 26 winning lines awarded with multipliers, a bevy of Wilds thrown onto the board, or FS Scatters to help trigger the bonus round, respectively. There’s a lot going on, and it’s better than a normal 3 pot game, but still not a Hacksaw classic.

Hacksaw has clearly been busy lately as Supernova Galaxy Orbs is the studio’s third game this week (and there’s still more to come). It’s another medium volatility outing, and one of the rare occasions where Hacksaw dips into a more traditional casino feel, leading to a game that lacks personality in amongst the thousands of other slots we have at our fingertips in 2026. Similar to Minted Mike, it’s 26 paylines across a 5 x 4 grid, but I’m sad to say the action quickly degenerates into Hold & Win and coin collection-type play. In terms of visuals, we have Red and Blue Orbs lighting the way – reminiscent of Aristocrat’s famous Lightning Link series. However, this game offers basically nothing new.

Reel of Ra comes from BGaming, taking us to Ancient Egypt for a low-medium volatility slot with only a 2,500x max win. This is all ways pays in the base game, then the bonus round offers the chance to land only Coin symbols over the course of 7 spins. The global multiplier which refreshes on each spin adds a little excitement, but it usually just lands on 1x, and this will be a little dull for most, even if the visuals are lively and bright.

Next up is Fruit Million Respin. It’s not the first in this style as BGaming released Fruit Million back in 2020, establishing the format. By the way, that slot had a chameleon icon where you could easily choose from 8 different themes/skins – rather interesting at the time! Since then we’ve seen other similar games like Royal Beellion, and these all have the same grid, 100 paylines (!) and Wild Reels in common, but Fruit Million Respin introduces…the respin. It comes when the Wild Reel lands and also attracts a random multipllier. These games do have a traditional casino feel, but for some reason I find them better than average.

Arizona James and the Lost Relics made me chuckle with its title, an obvious reference to Indiana Jones. Yes, the theme here riffs on that famous film franchise, but gameplay-wise it’s essentially a reskin of Le Cowboy. Damn, Hacksaw! 2 Le Bandit reskins in 1 week? It really does sum up where this developer seems to be heading. Le Cowboy is a great slot with its cluster pays and Revolver Reveals (called Pistol Reveals here), but us slots fans generally don’t want endless reskins, no matter how good the source material is. And, to be honest, I think I’d rather stick to Le Cowboy – the general look of Arizona James is quite dark and gloomy.

Backseat Gaming recently split from Hacksaw and its OpenRGS network, and I’m still not sure whether it was a smart move because some of these recent Backseat games have felt a bit flat. In Draw at Dusk, Wild Reels with multis can land, as can Quickdraw Carter and Deadshot Vance, 2 cartoon cowboys. When they hit together (on reels 1 and 7), they trigger a duel and the winner decides what special feature will come next: either Multiplier Wilds or full Wild Reels with Multipliers. Their appearance can also trigger the free spins round in 2 flavors. There are duels on every spin again, and if it’s a Quickdraw Carter round and he wins the duel, his special feature activates, and vice versa. It’s certainly a fun slot when these bonus features are hitting, but trying to spin into them naturally can create long dry spells if you don’t have the bonus buys activated.

The Ragnarok and Emberfall games from Slotmill are some of my very favorite slots – simple concepts that just work. I’m talking tumbling cluster pays with a progressive multiplier that doubles on every tumble. Wilds, Loki’s Trick (which can randomly increase the multiplier), and Giant symbols keep things ticking along, while the atmospheric Norse and fantasy themes really help define things. So what’s new in Ragnarok Gold? Mainly Ragnarok Surge, which can once again bump the multiplier up, and Golden Relic, which forms part of the multiplier progression meter but can also add Wilds to the grid randomly. There’s also a higher chance of landing more Giant symbols via Super Mode. Hmmm, it’s not really that different from the previous versions, but it’s still a great game. And I guess we can expect an Emberfall Gold very soon too.

Bear Patrol is the first of 2 games from Peter & Sons this week and we’re going on a bear hunt in a cartoon forest. It’s all ways pays on a 6 x 4 grid, and the main special feature is the Coins which can build up over the course of 1 spin and its tumbles. However, you will need a Backpack to collect them. In the bonus round (triggered by 3 bear Scatters), the Coins build over the course of the round, giving you a shot at collecting bigger totals. So the Backpacks really are the key, as, without them, you’ll be leaving plenty of Coins on the table, in both rounds. Bear Patrol is medium volatility with only a max win of 5,000x, while RTP sits at 96.26% – just average stats.

Cosmic Diner Deluxe from Relax Gaming takes place in a fast food truck in the sky, seemingly run by and serving aliens. It’s a ways pays slot (4,096 ways) on a 6 x 4 grid, and it also introduces a mechanic inspired by the now-familiar ‘3 pot’ concept. There are 2 layers to this, though. You can trigger 1 of 3 bonus rounds directly (Red, Blue, or Gold), but colored frames can also land on individual squares during the base game. If you’re lucky enough to activate Power Mode, those framed positions come into play. Red awards multipliers, Blue adds Wilds, and Gold gives respins on those squares only. Regular readers will know I’m pretty tired of 3 pot slots by now, and even in the hands of Relax Gaming, it’s just not enough to get me excited.

The Lord from Hacksaw is the 5th from this developer this week and the 3rd reskin. Not a great ratio, is it? This is a reskin of Secret Order, which we only covered 2 weeks ago, and I wasn’t much impressed by it then either. The idea is that Colored Frames can land at random, offering multipliers from 2x-100x or 1 of the 4 jackpot values. Of course, the symbols within these frames have to be involved in a win on the 14 paylines to make use of the multiplier or jackpot. Or there’s the Rose Collector symbol which can collect the values of the multis or jackpots. It’s just another flat game from Hacksaw, and I’m getting increasingly concerned about what seems to be the new normal for this once legendary supplier.

Game of the Week

Lucky Caiman from Peter & Sons is a simple 3-reel slot – or is it?

Set in a smoky 1930s-style casino, the titular caiman sits drink in hand while orchestral pop reminiscent of Sway by Dean Martin drifts along in the background. The art style is packed with personality and gives the whole game a distinctive vintage feel. We know Peter & Sons is known for its visual flair more than anything, but playing this slot feels like art.

And to answer my original question, there’s more going on than you’d expect from a 3-reeler. Stacked symbols create Multiplier Wilds in the middle of the reel, and a very similar thing happens when Crazy Joker Cocktails land, but now you get a respin too. Then, Golden Teeth trigger free spins, and the teeth literally move off the grid and into the mouth of the caiman sat at the bottom of the screen. The benefit in the free spins is that the Wilds stay sticky for the whole round.

Lucky Caiman is surprisingly feature-rich for a 3-reeler, but what really makes it stand out is the atmosphere. The RTP of 96.03% and max win of 5,000x aren’t that impressive, but if you’re looking for something a little different this week, this is well worth a spin.

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