From psychedelic reels with 4,096 paylines to minimalist fruit machines, skeletal mariachi bands and Russian Dolls with secret powers, slots writer Dominic Field reports back from the uniquely off-beat world of Thunderkick slots in our latest ‘best of’ collection.

Take a few minutes to look through Thunderkick’s website and you quickly get a feel for what this studio is about – original, imaginative, kick-ass content and staying true to their own vision. It really is no exaggeration to say that those principles have led them to create some of the weirdest and most wonderful slots you will find anywhere.

I’ve chosen ten of what I think are the best Thunderkick games with something for all players from this eccentric studio, including both high and low volatility, games with a 97% Return to Player, max wins of up to 20,000x, and tons of heart-stopping features. Below I’ll tell you more about each game and why I chose them for my list.

If you fancy a spin, just hit the play now links under each game to take you to a slot site with Thunderkick games.

Immerse yourself and enjoy!

Top 10 Thunderkick Slots

As you can see, slot themes don’t come much more off-beat than that! Now here’s a bit more about each of these marvellous creations and a few reasons why they appear in my list.

Pink Elephants By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.1%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 8,200x
• Reels: 6
• Rows: 4
• Paylines: 4,096
• Release Date: November 2017

Here’s Why We Love It

• Totally off-beat and unique take on the ‘Raging Rhino’-style 4,096 win ways slot
• Thrilling free spins round with symbol upgrades triggered by collecting orbs and filling meters
• The ultimate goal is to fill the screen with Pink Elephants – what’s not to love?!

More About Pink Elephants Slot

First up on our list of the best Thunderkick slots is Pink Elephants, a highly volatile game with a 6×4 grid of reels. You can spin the reels from as little as £0.10 through to £100, making it perfect for casual gamers and high-rollers alike. But it’s an ideal introduction to slots for the former, due to the simple gameplay.

The slot’s unusual name comes from the supposed symptoms of delirium tremens. This is a condition experienced by alcoholics going through withdrawal, who are said to see pink elephants, among other hallucinations. As you might expect then, one of these fantastical creatures serves as the game’s highest paying symbol. But peanuts are the key to unlocking the biggest payouts, as these scatters award up to 19 free spins

Released in November 2017, long before the trend towards massive max payouts kicked off, you can win up to 8,200x your bet. What’s more, the RTP of 96.10% is about average for a video slot release. Thanks to its playability, the game consistently remains a firm fan favourite, even despite the release of Pink Elephants 2 in 2020.

Birds on a Wire Age By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 9,000x
• Reels: 5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 17
• Release Date: December 2015

Here’s Why We Love It

• Fun version of cascading wins with electrocuted birds falling off the wires
• Inwinity spin feature gives you a guaranteed win in the bonus round
• Progressive multiplier with every cascading win

More About Birds on a Wire Slot

Even older than Pink Elephants, Birds On A Wire is another Thunderkick classic that dates back to December 2015. Under the hood, the two slots are fairly similar. For instance, this particular title has a marginally higher maximum potential payout of 9,000x. While the RTP of 96.00% is nearly identical. However, the gameplay couldn’t be more different.

There is a 5×3 grid in play, but gone are the traditional reels. Instead, 15 birds sit upon three electricity wires. With each spin, they fly away, only to be replaced by 15 more. But here’s the twist. If three or more similar creatures sit upon one of the game’s 17 paylines, they’ll receive an electric shock. And when that happens, you won’t just find yourself earning prizes, but laughing guiltily as you watch them fry.

The electrocuted avians disappear, allowing other birds to cascade in and take their place. If you’re able to cook further feathered friends as a result, the multiplier on the left-hand side comes into play, boosting your payout.

Esqueleto Explosivo 2 By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.13%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 5,000x
• Reels: 5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 99
• Release Date: January 2020

Here’s Why We Love It

• Fun atmosphere with serenading skeleton mariachi singers
• Explosivo Wild blasts up to 8 surrounding symbols off the grid
• Mucho Multiplier in bonus round goes up to 64x

More About Esqueleto Explosivo 2

Celebrate the Day of the Dead in style as you spin the reels of Esqueleto Explosivo 2. Enjoy the sound of mariachi music, fireworks and partying crowds, not to mention vibrant graphics, including a series of hilarious singing sugar skulls. There’s also a maximum potential win of 5,000x up for grabs, plus a solid 96.13% RTP.

The traditional skulls associated with Día de los Muertos serve as all of the slot’s symbols. There are eight colourfully illustrated characters in total. Six of them offer regular wins, ranging from 0.2x to 1x for matching three on any of the 99 connecting pay ways. The highest paying symbol dons a blonde wig and earrings, rewarding you with up to 5x your stake for matching five.

However, you’ll be looking for two other skulls in particular. The golden Explosivo symbol is wild, and he helps to create massive wins. While the scatter, which is the wind-up skull with the protruding key, unlocks as many as 14 free spins. During the bonus game, watch out for the redrop multipliers of up to 64x!

Fruit Warp By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.1%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 11,000x
• Reels: N/A
• Rows: N/A
• Paylines: N/A
• Release Date: August 2014

Here’s Why We Love It

• The only slot to have no reels, rows or paylines!
• High RTP at 97%
• Really simple gameplay – collect fruits to trigger the bonus round

More About Fruit Warp

Few games sum up the Thunderkick approach to game development quite as well as this 2014 release. Fruit Warp, as the name suggests, takes some inspiration from old-school fruit machines. Cherries are the lowest-paying symbol, with oranges, plums and more to be found, just like those classic slots of old. However, that’s about where the similarities end.

Most video slots adopt a 5×3 layout, but not Fruit Warp. Not only does this game dispense with such familiar features, it does away with reels entirely! Instead, you’ll simply see nine pieces of fruit floating around your screen, with each spin bringing up a fresh batch. It’s this kind of out-of-the-box creativity that keeps players returning to Thunderkick slots time after time.

Match three pieces to secure a small prize. Four-of-a-kind creates a warp “respin”, with extra fruit teleporting in to potentially create additional combos. But matching five pieces triggers Fruit Mode. Here, the aim is to keep matching further pieces in order to fill the warp meter and earn additional multipliers. 

Gods of Rock By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.05%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 20,000x
• Reels: 6
• Rows: 4
• Paylines: 466
• Release Date: September 2021

Here’s Why We Love It

• High maximum payout at 20,000x
• Alternative rock n roll slot with real gods!
• Exciting charged wilds feature charges up reel multipliers during cascades

More About Gods of Rock

This rocking 6×4 slot boasts an impressive maximum win potential of 20,000x and, at most casinos, a solid 96.05% RTP. The slot’s name implies that we might encounter the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury or Iggy Pop. But, in a classic example of Thunderkick’s wit, Gods of Rock is actually taken quite literally.

Join a band packed with deities like Anubis, Thor and Medusa, as they put on the ultimate rock show. No doubt you’ll see fans throwing the devil horns with their hands, since Satan himself is the lead singer. But this is good news, since this particular symbol also acts as a wild, substituting for others to form wins.

Sometimes, the wild appears charged, causing an explosion. Not only does this create a cascade, leading to further potential wins, but it will increase the multiplier in play for that reel. Naturally, the reel multiplier can be turned up to a maximum of 11x. That’s one for the Spinal Tap fans to enjoy.

The Rift By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.3%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 815x
• Reels: 5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 17
• Release Date: May 2016

Here’s Why We Love It

• Supernatural slot with a unique setting and atmosphere
• Low variance means regular wins and a good entry point for new players
• With Rift Spins wilds become sticky wilds

More About The Rift

With an RTP of 96.30% and, unusually for a Thunderkick game, low volatility, The Rift was released in May 2016. This mystical slot is based on the premise that a spooky-looking fracture has appeared in the pavement in a mysterious dark alleyway. This rift is drawing in all of the world’s magical artefacts, including potions and spell books, seemingly feeding off their powers.

Your task is to collect as many as possible, saving them from the rift and securing payouts along the way. The spellbook is the highest paying symbol, offering 30x for five on one of the slot’s 17 paylines. But you’ll want to aim for the bonus symbol, which is the slot’s logo, as this triggers as many as 20 free spins.

The base gameplay is fairly straightforward, and it’s really all about landing the free spin bonus. That said, it remains a really enjoyable slot to play. And with a minimum spin of just £0.10 available, it’s the perfect introduction to Thunderkick games.

Barber Shop Uncut By The Numbers

• RTP: 97%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 2,355x
• Reels: 5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 40
• Release Date: June 2017

Here’s Why We Love It

• Entertaining, fun and charming slot with an off beat theme
• Medium variance for balanced, regular wins
• High RTP at 97%

More About Barber Shop Uncut

As well as producing games with zany themes, Thunderkick has a fair number of high RTP slots in its collection. Barber Shop Uncut is a great example of both, delivering a 97.00% RTP and a very witty game.

The volatility level of this 40 payline slot is well-balanced. Coupled with the betting range of £0.10 to £100, it’s an ideal game for all kinds of bankroll. But overall it’s the fun theme, with its cute graphics and jaunty music, that really makes this game. Join Monsieur Stache in his stereotypically French barber shop, which is full of colourful characters.

Whenever you match three or more symbols on a payline, they’re held in place by a generous squirt of shaving foam. The remaining reels will respin, hopefully creating new winning combinations and increasing your rewards. Look out for the familiar barber shop pole too, as this bonus symbol supplies free spins.

Wild Heist at Peacock Manor By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.1%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 8,483x
• Reels:5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 17
• Release Date: May 2020

Here’s Why We Love It

• Lots and lots of Wilds to enhance your win potential
• Walking wilds trigger re-spins
• Add multipliers to the mix in the free spins round

More About Wild Heist at Peacock Manor

This 2018 release feels as though it might be inspired by the popular board game Cluedo. There are several colourfully-dressed characters on the reels, including an elegant lady in red, a bearded gentleman in green and a burly rogue in blue. Each one has a regular symbol, as well as a wild version.

There are many other wilds found in this game too, as you might expect from the game’s name. For example, there’s the blue wild, which walks from right to left, triggering respins as it goes. There’s also a purple random wild, which positions up to seven wild symbols on the reels.

The game’s scatter symbol is the key to success. Drop at least three onto the reels and unlock the free spins bonus, where you can choose up to five game cards. These allow you to customise your own unique free spins game, adding additional spins, multipliers and other random rewards.

Flame Busters By The Numbers

• RTP: 96.1%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 5,280x
• Reels: 5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 243
• Release Date: May 2017

Here’s Why We Love It

• Fun, retro, pixelated game design like an 80s Atari screen
• Gamified bonus round where you advance up the buliding, collecting spins as you go

More About Flame Busters

Although released in 2017, the next title on our list of the best Thunderkick slots could easily be from the 1980s. With its retro pixelated graphics, this highly volatile slot features Roasty McFry as the protagonist, a name seemingly inspired by the Back To The Future character.  

The catchy bassline of the game’s background music is reminiscent of another 80s classic, the cartoon show DuckTales. And none of the supporting characters, which make up the symbols on the reels, would look out of place in an old-school video game. Not only is Flame Busters great fun to play, there’s a tempting 5,280x top payout up for grabs.

The 5×3 grid of reels is actually a building into which Roasty and his colleagues blast their hoses whenever the Fire Drill feature randomly triggers. The fire symbol is a mystery icon, which can be replaced by other symbols to form wins. While the fire alarm is the scatter and the key to unlocking free spins.

Babushkas By The Numbers

• RTP: 95.8%
• Variance: High
• Top Win: 390x
• Reels: 5
• Rows: 3
• Paylines: 17
• Release Date: August 2016

Here’s Why We Love It

• Totally unusual game theme with Russian dolls and Wild bears
• After every win all symbols in the line upgrade as a doll is removed
• If you fill the screen with identical symbols it’s a Wipe Win of up to 100x

More About Babushkas Slot

At first glance, Babushkas seems like a classic 5×3 video slot. However, the symbols on the reels are all Russian Dolls, which naturally differ in size. Whenever you drop matching symbols onto one of the slot’s 17 paylines, there’s a prize in store. But in true Thunderkick fashion, there’s an unusual twist.

As you hit winning combinations, smaller dolls pop out from the matching Babushkas. This in turn can lead to new winning lines, triggering a chain reaction. The smaller the doll symbol, the greater the rewards. On top of that, there are other special characters that will aid you along the way.

The game’s wild acts just like any other slot, switching out for regular symbols to form wins. But there’s also a Wild Mystery symbol in this 2016 release, which contains one of three bear characters. These award additional bonus features, such as free spins and doll upgrades.

Thunderkick started out back in 2012 in Stockholm, a hotbed of online slots innovation. They have come a long way since then and now boast a portolio of more than 65 games and partnerships with 100s of big-name casino operators making their slots available to players in regulated markets across the world.

The Thunderkick team numbers more than 80 people but they have stayed true to their initial vision to ‘always stay fun and give a damn.’ Perhaps that is why they have yet to sell out to one of the many bigger studios that must surely be interested in acquiring the talent and catalogue of such a unique and talented group.

That’s just 10 of the best from Thunderkicks’s catalogue of more than 60 games. I hope that gives you a flavour of what to expect from this colourful studio’s output. Keep checking our site for reviews of their latest games as they land. And in the meantime, here are some of top Thunderkick casinos for you to play at.