Slot Machine Symbols: Standard, Wild, Bonus, and More
Slot machines need symbols, and with their history stretching back 130+ years, there is a long legacy of icons to explore. Whether you play casino games regularly or are just learning about them, you have probably seen plenty of slot symbols. But have you thought about what they mean or where they originated?
The History Behind Slot Symbols
Slot machines were first made and developed in the late 1800s. Though their format has changed substantially since then, many symbols on today's reels are the same as—or closely related to—those used more than a century ago.
Traditional icons that still appear on slot machines include the Liberty Bell, Horseshoe, Single, Double, and Triple Bar symbols, along with Red Sevens.
Fruit machines introduced several well-known fruit icons that remain popular today. Cherries, berries, watermelons, plums, lemons, oranges, and blueberries may all appear on the reels. Along with the early regular symbols mentioned above, these icons are especially common in Classic Slots.
Types of Symbols in Modern Slot Machines
Slot machines and their symbols have evolved, although many modern games still draw on icons from earlier machines. Today's slots generally feature regular symbols, usually divided into low-paying and high-paying groups.
Many games also feature special icons, including wild symbols, scatter symbols, bonus symbols, and other symbols.
Here we explain the different symbols you are likely to see in modern slot games.
Regular Symbols on Modern Video Slots
Regular symbols are the icons you see most often as the reels spin. Depending on the game's mechanics, matching symbols may need to line up on an active payline, appear across consecutive reels, form a cluster, or simply be visible in the game area. Meeting the game's requirements creates a winning combination and payout.
Keep in mind that each slot machine can work differently. The number of symbols needed and how they must land on the reels to win will vary from game to game.
Low- and High-Value Slot Machine Symbols
Standard reel icons are usually grouped into the highest-paying and lowest-paying symbols. This makes it easier to see the likely payout for matching symbols on a payline.
- High-Value Slot Machine Symbols
High-value symbols offer the biggest payouts when they land on a winning line, form a cluster, or meet another qualifying mechanic. They often have more elaborate artwork than low-paying symbols, and their designs commonly suit the slot's theme.
In a luck-themed slot, these icons might be four-leaf clovers, horseshoes, pots of gold, leprechauns, or a rabbit's foot. In a classic fruit slot, the top symbols may be the fruits listed earlier. Other games use their main characters as the symbols with the highest payouts.
- Low-Paying Symbols
These standard reel icons offer the smallest possible payouts on online slot machines. They are often playing-card symbols from 8-A or card suits, though some games use theme-based artwork for both low- and high-value symbols.
Wild Symbols
Not all slot machines feature a wild, but after the traditional icons discussed above, it is probably the best-known special symbol. In its usual role, a wild helps form symbol combinations that might otherwise be out of reach.
A wild's main job on a slot machine reel is to replace another symbol when it completes a winning combination. For instance, if a bar symbol lands on reels one and two along an active payline, a wild on that payline on reel three can complete the combination and award the payout associated with the bar symbol.
Some games also assign wilds their own payout. In those slots, landing matching wilds on the same payline 3 or more times can win a payout.
Different Types of Wild Symbols
Wilds can do more than stand in for other icons; many modern games give them additional powers. Here are some common wild variations:
- Expanding Wild Symbols
In some slots, an expanding wild grows to fill every position on the reel when it lands. This can increase the chance of forming a winning combination, and the same wild may contribute to several wins.
- Random Wild Symbols
Rather than appearing as part of the initial spin, a random wild may land in reel positions after the spin has finished.
- Stacked Wild Symbols
Some slot games feature stacked wilds. While a standard wild typically appears alone on a reel, this variation can display several wilds arranged vertically.
- Sticky Wild Symbols
A sticky symbol stays locked in place for the next spin or for the remaining spins in a free spins feature. When it's a wild, staying in place can increase the chance of winning combinations on those spins.
- Scatter Wild Symbols
Scatter symbols and their role in activating bonus features are covered later. In some games, however, one icon serves as both a scatter and a wild.
- Floating Wild Symbols
Floating wilds are less common than some other wild types, but they feature in certain video slots. Like random wilds, they appear unpredictably, move across the reels, and turn several regular symbols into wilds.
- Walking Wild Symbols
Walking wilds stay on the reels but shift position after each spin. How long they remain, how far they move, and which direction they travel depend on the particular slot.
There are many more variations, including spreading, overlay, wild duplication, and soaring wild symbols.
Scatter Symbols
Another widely used special icon in many video slots is the scatter. This bonus symbol is often among the rarest icons to land after a spin, and that rarity usually serves a purpose.
For one, scatter symbols that carry a payout—known as scatter pays—count wherever they land on the reels, rather than needing to appear on a winning line. Their other main purpose is to trigger a bonus game, which also does not depend on a payline.
In most online slots that feature them, landing a specified number of scatters activates the main bonus feature. This is often a free spins round, but could instead be a re-spins bonus, a Hold & Win bonus game, or another slot feature.
Landing extra scatter symbols during a free spins bonus may also award more free spins.
Bonus Symbols
Bonus symbols are often confused with scatters because they share a similar feature. Their specific function is to trigger bonus games, sometimes when they land three or more times anywhere on the reels. They generally have no separate payout value. Some online slots include both scatters and bonus symbols, which usually indicates that the game offers more than one bonus feature.
Multiplier Symbols
Multiplier symbols are another familiar feature in casino slots. When they land, they can boost a winning payout. Multiplier values vary by game and may be 1x, 2x, 5x, or an extremely large figure, depending on the title and how its multiplier mechanic works.
These icons may appear as standalone slot symbols, be part of a wild or scatter, or be awarded through a cascading win.
Stacked Symbols
Wilds aren't the only symbols that can appear in stacks on online slot reels. Depending on the game, regular symbols, bonus symbols, and scatters can also appear in stacked formations.
Expanding Symbols
Expanding symbols grow to cover some or all of the reel where they land. This lets them contribute beyond a single winning line. Depending on the slot, the mechanic may be available in the base game or as part of a bonus game.
Sticky Symbols
Sticky symbols are another feature to look out for when playing online slots at your favorite online casinos. Depending on the slot's rules, a symbol may stay in place for a re-spin, throughout free spins, or over several base-game spins.
Comparing Slot Machine Symbols: Which Are Best?
Al Buraq Regina's team has reviewed thousands of slot games, giving us insight into which symbols players may most want to see at online casinos.
Regular symbols can produce wins and help maintain your casino balance, but bonus symbols generally offer a chance at bigger wins. Scatters trigger bonus rounds, while wilds create winning combinations by replacing other symbols, except other bonus symbols.
Our Take on the Best Slot Machine Symbols
Every symbol has a purpose, including low-paying card icons. Still, players hoping for a chance at a larger win will generally look for special features such as wilds, scatters, bonus symbols, multipliers, expanding symbols, and the other variations described above.
We hope this guide has helped explain the different symbols used on slot machines. From the Liberty Bell and fruit icons to bonus symbols, it covers the main features you are likely to find in your favorite slot games.
