When we think of a carnival, most of us think of Rio, or possibly Notting Hill. And for sure, carnival slots purists will be expecting a street celebration of colour, costumes, music and dancing.
But when it comes to carnival slots, I’m no purist – for two reasons. One, I only ever recommend slots that really stand out from the crowd, and if I limit myself to Rio carnival-style slots, it’s a pretty small pond to fish in.
Second, carnival means much more to me than Rio. As slot themes go, this one isn’t just about annual street celebrations in one city. It includes circuses, fairgrounds, fiestas, any open air party or performance where the whole community mucks in. And when you take that approach, there’s plenty of high grade games to choose from, including a few of my all-time faves.
Whatever carnival means to you, whether it’s South America, South Central or South London, I reckon we can agree it’s all about party time and feelgood fun. And by coincidence, that’s PlayOJO to a tee.
TOP 10 CARNIVAL SLOTS
Unlike other carnival slot theme reviews, I’ve played every single one of these slots and tested each one to its limits. If a slot’s on this list, that means it’s earned its invite to this particular street party.
| Name | Provider | Paylines | Volatility | RTP | DEMO |
| Buster Hammer Carnival | Yggdrasil | 3,125 | Med/High | 96.30% | YES |
| Zombie Carnival | Pragmatic Play | 4,096 | High | 94.50% | YES |
| Carnival Queen | Thunderkick | 4,096 | Medium | 96.10% | YES |
| Slingo Carnival | Slingo | 12 | Medium | 95.60% | YES |
| Animal Carnival | Relax | 10 | High | 94.25% | NO |
| Fluffy Favourites Megaways | Eyecon | 117,649 | Medium | 95.00% | NO |
| Golden Ticket 2 | Play ‘N GO | Cluster Pays | High | 91.50% | YES |
| Pay of the Dead | Slingo | 20 | Medium | 94.90% | YES |
| Esqueleto Explosivo 2 | Thunderkick | 99 | High | 96.13% | YES |
| Chilli Heat Megaways | Pragmatic Play | 200,704 | High | 94.50% | YES |
BUSTER HAMMER CARNIVAL
This is Yggdrasil’s best carnival slot in my opinion, a 1900’s PT Barnum circus themed game with a strongman character who is central to the slot’s Wild Striker feature.
After any win featuring a Wild Hammer, Buster will hammer the reels to turn more symbols wild. Spin 3 scatters and you’ll also trigger 10 Might Free Spins with an expanded reel set and 32,768 Ways. The music
CARNIVAL QUEEN
Carnival Queen has all the hallmarks of Thunderkick, one of my favourite providers when I play slots online. It’s a feast for the senses, with a neon, New Orleans cartoon vibe. I love invisible reels with floating symbols that drop down, as it makes for a satisfying spin experience. On the numbers side, this 4,096 Ways carnival slot has a hefty 22,700X max win and a fab combo of features to get you there.
Every win triggers an avalanche, plus a multiplier for the next spin. A few of those in a row and you’ll be dancing too. Free Spins that don’t involve a win will trigger a special Wild symbol that wipes out the entire reel and row, creating a new avalanche.
ZOMBIE CARNIVAL
Play ‘N Go’s fairground themed 4,096 Ways horror show is more like Fluffy Favourites meets Walking Dead then a street party.
But with its gruesome graphics, creepy soundtrack and entertaining gameplay, it is one seriously fun carnival slot. Look out for mystery symbols, roaming wilds and Free Spins feature with increasing multipliers.
SLINGO CARNIVAL
A nice, simple fairground themed Slingo slot, Slingo Carnival a great place to start if you’ve never played this bingo-slots crossbreed before.
Usually, the prize ladder has cash prizes on it, but here you get 7 carnival-themed mini games like Pick A Toy, Target Time, Bottle Toss and Log Ride with multipliers of up to 1,000X up for grabs.
ANIMAL CARNIVAL
This one’s a unique little avalanche slot with some interesting features, not least how the Wilds lined up above the reels drop down to become active, and then fill up the meter to increase the multiplier.
When the special Sparkle Wild symbol appears, it turns between 1 and 4 other symbols Wild, while the Cannon symbol triggers a Respin feature. The meter becomes even more crucial in the Free Spins bonus round, where you get 10 Free Games plus any retriggers to fill her up and get some way towards the game’s 5,000X max win.
FLUFFY FAVOURITES MEGAWAYS
As my meaning of carnival includes fairgrounds, we might as well include the ultimate fairground slot series, Fluffy Favourites. The design isn’t exactly cutting edge, but of all their massively popular slots, I prefer the Megaways version.
This game might look nice and cuddly, but with up to 117,649 Ways, an unlimited cascading symbols multiplier and a max win of over 20,000X, not to mention the iconic claw bonus, it’s a carnival slot that means business. Go for the mobile version though, as the reels are too small for my taste on desktop.
GOLDEN TICKET 2
For me, this is one of the GOATs, not just of carnival slots but all slots, period. From the primo production values to the Wild meter, Multiplier meter, cascading symbols and B-O-N-U-S feature, everything about Golden Ticket 2 says fun times are guaranteed.
PAY OF THE DEAD
Slingo Originals may be more famous for their bingo slots, but they make a mean carnival slot too. This fresh take on November’s Dia de los Muertos festival is so playable, if feels like an ELK or Thunderkick slot. It’s not short of feature, as win using Wilds get multiplied by up to 10X, and Free Spins with multipliers are potentially unlimited.
ESQUELETO EXPLOSIVO 2
Talking of Thunderkick, here’s their legendary Esqueleto Explosivo 2 slot, another from my GOAT slots list. Where to start with this unique carnival slot?
From the floating symbols to the choice of skull designs and colour, and the typically creative symbol-drop and avalanche animations, this Esqueleto Explosivo sequel is note-perfect for late night Latin fun.
This 99-line slot’s features don’t let you down either. Explosivo Wilds destroy between 3 and 8 nearby symbols to trigger symbol drops. The Mucho Multiplier below the reels increases with every win, and scatter symbols can award up to 14 Free Spins, an opportunity for all 3 of these features to combine with devastating effect. If you only play one carnival slot this year, make EE2 the one.
CHILLI HEAT MEGAWAYS
The least carnivally of my carnival slots, Chilli Heat Megaways is still a fine example of the South American street party, albeit a little on the stereotypical side. Even among a list of carnival slots with thousands of paylines on average, this game stands out with its 6 reels and 200,704 paylines.
The star (and only) feature of this spicy slot is the Money symbol-powered Respins. Absolutely no way I can explain it in the next 2 lines, and the game’s own explanation takes up 2 pages. My advice? Give the game’s demo a spin and see the Respins in action.
OUR VERDICT
Even though my take on the carnival slots theme is pretty broad, it’s still a niche category compared to genres like Asian slots, which has hundreds of elite games to choose from. Still, I reckon I’ve managed to shoehorn some fine slots into a category that ‘s rooted in everything that makes slots fun – bright colours, memorable characters, entertaining features and party vibes.
FAQS
What’s the highest payout carnival slot?
Slingo Carnival aside, all of the games in our best carnival slots list have a maximum multiplier of 5,000 coins on any given spin. But top of the tree comes Buster Hammer Carnival with a multiplier of 34,816 times your stake.
Where can I play carnival slots for free?
All but 2 of our top 10 carnival slots have demo versions, which means you can access unlimited freeplay once you’ve created your PlayOJO account.
Which carnival slot has the highest RTP?
With a theoretical return to player of 96.30%, Yggdrasil’s Buster Hammer Carnival slot has one of the highest returns within this genre, closely followed by Esqueleto Explosivo 2.
MORE SLOT THEMES
You’ve met the top slots from the carnival genre, so now it’s time to explore the top games in other categories. See if any of these takes your fancy!
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