Wild symbols make online slot games more exciting. These added symbols appear at random intervals whilst you spin. Wild symbols are meant to help you match symbols on paylines, and possibly boost your bankroll.
They simply take on the value of other symbols that are in the same paylines and create winning combinations. If you have three matching symbols, for example, and two wild symbols on the same reels, they will turn into five matching symbols.
Types of Wild Symbols
Almost every slot game has wild symbols; the advent of online slots came with improvements to wild symbols. Real money online slots continue to introduce new wild symbol versions to their games to attract players.
There is now a handful of slot wild symbols, and each adds a distinct advantage to your slot game. Although each slot game will have its own wild symbols, we will explore some of the most common slot wild symbols.
Sticky Wild Symbols
Sticky wilds are the most common forms of wild symbols. Every slot game possible has this wild symbol. Sticky wild symbols are those symbols that do not spin along with the slot reels.
Other slot games offer sticky wilds as part of the free spins mode.
Shifting or Moving Wild Symbols
Moving wild symbols move around the reels with every spin you make. Since these wild symbols stick around for more than one spin, you can land more than one of them. Landing more than one shifting wild symbol at a time could lead to a pleasing payout amount.
Random Wild Symbols
Random wild symbols can substitute all symbols, except for scattering symbols. These wild symbols, as the name suggests, can appear on any reel at any random time. These wilds will have you win big prizes or even multipliers at random.
Replicating Wild Symbols
Replicating wild symbols turn other slot symbols into wild symbols. They can turn all or a selected number of adjacent symbols into wild symbols.
These wild symbols tend to appear mostly during bonus modes, and they can offer large payouts.
Expanding Wild Symbols
Expanding wild symbols are responsible for turning every symbol on the reels wild. Expanding wilds could actually have you win on a number of paylines, these wild symbols can expand in any direction.
Scatter Symbols
Scatter Symbols unlock bonus features. These symbols are limited to only expanding in a vertical direction. Scatter symbols appear anywhere on the slots screen, and they don’t even have to be adjacent to trigger bonuses.
Stacked Wild Symbols
If you place a large wager and these symbols occur, you know you could walk away with filled pockets.
You can recognize these wild symbols by a falling symbol that would usually extend to fill in other reel arrays around it. Stacked wild symbols usually come in 2 to 5 symbols.
We all like that excitement when wild symbols trigger visual effects; we know our luck is about to change. Slots games are thus more exciting because of wild symbols, and they are the best way to increase your potential casino winnings.
Slots games are however different, and you will not find each of these wild symbols in every slot game you play. There are also other wild spins that are not on this list, but these are the most common ones.
John Ford has been writing online gambling content for over 18 years. Born and raised in the heart of the Short Pump, Virginia, John’s journey through the casino industry began on the casino floor itself. He started as a dealer in various games, including blackjack, poker, and baccarat, cultivating an understanding that only hands-on experience can provide. John’s passion for writing casino guides stems from his casino experience and his passion for helping fellow punters. His articles are more than reviews; they are narratives that guide both novices and seasoned players through the labyrinth of online casinos.
