Egyptian Slot Machines
Ancient Egypt has a way of sparking our imagination, from daring explorers to graceful queens and powerful Pharaohs. Is it any wonder it’s one of the most popular online slot themes?
Ancient Egyptian slots are so plentiful that we could write whole subcategories breaking down the different eras, people, and even artefacts.
But what would we expect from an empire that started somewhere around 3100 BC and only ended with the Roman Empire invasion in 30 BC?
Thousands of years of history, culture and treasure are waiting for you to discover. And that, more than anything, is why you get so many Ancient Egypt slots online.
Here we take a look at the main sub-themes and mobile gambling games that have managed to last the test of time, and which Egyptian civilisation theme works best for slots providers.
The Egyptian Gods slots list is never ending
We are going to go out on a limb and say that one of the most famous of the Egyptian video slots of all time is the Book of Ra game, whether the deluxe version, or 6 reels, or any other combination.
And whilst we are not old enough to remember if this started the trend, we’d still put good money that it’s one of the reasons why there are so many Egypt based mobile phone slots.
It also started a trend of copycat casino games that tried to replicate the success of this Novomatic slot machine – the most successful of which has to be the Book of Dead slot by Play’n GO gaming.
The point is there are good reasons why the theme works. You put yourself in the role of the intrepid adventurer and go digging for treasure.
One spin of the reels will open up a world of golden treasures that will bring you glory and gold. So much gold.
Will Ra, Isis, Horus, Anubis, or Osiris make your wishes come true?
That said, whilst the more famous slots with Egyptian themes tend to concentrate on sacking this ancient Nile kingdom’s famous temple and tombs, if the gods are present, you could be anywhere in its history.
This is where magic and mysticism come into play. After all, none of us wants to be given a history lesson on Egyptology, slowly digging through dirt to discover a lost dusty canopic jar.
Nope. We want mummies. We want magic. We want intrepid traps. We want powerful gods with a rich history of murder and family drama.
These icons tend to feature so prominently in these Ancient Egypt mobile games, providing excitement and intrigue.
You might now know which one is the jackal-headed god or the hawk-headed god, but you can pray with all your might that these ancient beings will gaze upon the reels and look favourably at your wins.
Or, you know, curse you so you die young. That hint of danger is just as exciting as any good gambling spin.
Not that we believe in these things, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to be respectful.
Why the Cleopatra slots are more famous than the rest of the Pharaohs
Slot games with Pharaohs as part of the title are actually less common than you might think.
Mostly because no one wants to know about Hatshepsut or Thutmose III – who’s heard of those guys?
We’re not here for a history lesson. This is casino gambling, after all. We are here for a fruit machine that will spark our imagination.
And that means three main characters: Cleopatra, Tutankhamun and Rameses. Rameses is probably the best Pharaoh of the lot; he ruled the longest during the height of the empire in the Middle Kingdom, so he brings with him images of power and riches.
King Tut is famous for having that beautifully preserved tomb and all those curses. You’ve got to love a good Egyptian curse – so he is in, with his mummified remains usually making a creepy appearance.
Cleopatra is a fox in popular culture
Cleopatra was the last great Pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian empire, and she was clever, ruthless, and amazing. We are sure this is all true history.
But mostly, thanks to a little man called Shakespeare, a woman called Elizabeth Taylor and countless video games and films, she’s a crazy hot sex symbol.
She’s the woman who brought down two great Roman leaders to their knees. And as popular branded slot games like Playboy Gold show, sex sells in gambling.
The good news is that because this lady is pretty fierce, she can appeal to both sexes, meaning more gamblers willing to take a spin on a slot machine.
Even if in slots like Cleopatra’s Riches, she’s got more bosoms than body.
We can’t forget to mention the Cleopatra 5 reel slot by IGT
If you’re a newbie to Vegas or Macau, you’ve probably never heard of IGT because their slots are limited and released around the world.
You won’t find them in online Canadian casinos for example – or most of Australasia.
However, European and UK slot players should be fairly familiar with this brand because it is in most UK casinos online and offline – and their Cleopatra slot is their most famous of all.
It can be found in Vegas, and over the years, has evolved, the latest even offering a progressive MegaJackpot that can climb to over a million.
If you don’t know where to start with all the Cleopatra casino games, if you can find them in your country, this IGT classic is where you need to go.
Slots the Egyptian Empire would be proud(?) to see
Next to Cleopatra and the Gods, the third most popular Egyptian slot theme is basically… Ancient Egypt.
These themes may lack imagination, but that’s not to say that they aren’t well crafted or done well. Sometimes it means that, but not always.
Basically, you know the ones. You have a vista of the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, or Temples and Obelisks in the background, with maybe a gleaming Nile river smoothly shinning in the desert sun.
The symbols on the reels will be that of Papyrus, maybe a crook of Osiris to represent the Pharaohs of old, and plenty of blue scarabs, an Ankh, possibly cats, and a couple of amulets thrown in for good luck.
Hieroglyphics are popular low-paying slot symbols
More than any other image, these historical Egyptian characters are probably one of the first things that come to mind when you think of this ancient North African empire.
There’s something about these ancient symbols that fit the reels beautifully. After all, the first symbols on a fruit machine were fruits, but they could have been any type of symbol.
What’s a hieroglyph if not a symbol representing a word? And what if that symbol just represents a win?
It’s a simple way of replacing the traditional low-paying card symbols or the standard Ace to 10.
Are Egyptian slots more volatile than other casino game themes?
This is a common myth around slots with Egyptian themes and for good reasons.
Mostly, that’s thanks to the Book of Ra game we mentioned earlier, and whilst it’s not totally accurate, there is a grain of truth to this tale.
That’s because casino software game studios are just as prone to gambling stereotypes as the rest of us.
So when they create some very volatile mathematics, they think of this golden land of powerful leaders and gods, as such you end up with slots like NetEnt’s Pyramid’s Quest for Immortality Touch or the Legacy of Egypt slot by Play’n GO or Isis by Microgaming.
But for every high variance Egyptian slot game, we can think of an equal number of lower variance classics that would suit newcomers to the genre.
Basically, there’s a reason why we created this page: it’s so you can read the slot reviews and choose the Egyptian game that suits your playing style.
What is the best Egyptian-style slot game to start with?
So, chances are, you’ve skipped the paragraph above where we mention that a theme doesn’t necessarily reflect the gameplay.
Any theme could be good for any number of reasons, and there’s little similarity in the gameplay, necessarily.
That said, themes are important. Even the best gameplay can quickly become boring if the images on the screen don’t help create a good atmosphere.
- Book of Dead by Play’n GO is better than Book of Ra in our opinion
- Cleopatra by IGT is a classic and has to be played
- Valley of the Gods by Yggdrasil is surprising at every turn, but it is VERY volatile. So tread carefully
The above three are not the best, but if you love modern video slots with that Egyptian charm, they are the ones that we recommend trying first.
We have plenty of 4 and 5-star slot reviews in our Egyptian themed slots list that deserve your attention, especially if you are looking to escape to one of the most brilliant empires in Middle Eastern history.