New Casino Games January 2023 (Week 2) – 20 New Releases!

20 Fantastic New Slots! Check out our Week 2 2023 New Casino Games Report to find out more about new games debuting at the online casinos (Image from casinoplusbonus.com)

Let’s be honest, our first new casino games report of the year was a little underwhelming, even if expected. There were just 4 new titles released which is a big downturn when you consider other weeks, we saw up to 40. However, it was the festive period and even iGaming developers deserve some time off.

The good news is that they are all starting to heat up again and are back at work doing what they do best, creating fantastic new casino games for us all to enjoy. In this ‘New Casino Games January 2023 (Week 1)’ special, there are 20 titles that are now ready and waiting at the online casinos.

This week, all new games were video slots, so table game or live casino fans will have to wait for something new to enjoy. Among the developers with new content includes Red Tiger Gaming, Synot Games, Kalamba Games, Amatic Industries, and Casimi Gaming.

In this report, you will get to enjoy 5 mini reviews of some of the best titles (in our opinion) and then a list of the remaining 15 casino games at the bottom. We’re sure that among that lot is a title that suits everybody’s slot tastes.

Last Week’s Report: As mentioned, there was not too much to talk about in our last report, but there was a least a handful of new casino games to test out. Check them out if you missed that Week 1 2023 New Casino Games Report because of a hectic festive schedule.

TOP 5 Video Slot Releases – Week 2 New Casino Games January 2023

It was some of the usual suspects that released new slots throughout last week that were deemed good enough to make our top 5. Pragmatic Play is a name you will likely be familiar with with an average of 5 new game titles per month. There are also new slot titles from Elk Studios, Play’n Go, Red Tiger Gaming and a rare appearance from Amatic – we hope you are now looking forward to this one.

• Book of Sam (ELK Studios)

If you hadn’t already noticed, the team here at CasinoPlusBonus love a booked themed slot, especially when it has an Egyptian theme. Even better still, this ELK Studio production is themed on the famous Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas, which for those of you that don’t know is a land-based casino themed on Egypt. It is home to the a replica of the Great Pyramid of Giza 75% the size of the original as well as a Giza’s Great Sphinx statue, which is in fact 46 taller in size compared to the famous land-mark in Egypt. OK, so enough about the casino and more about the slot in hand!

Book of Sam is a 5×3 reel slot titles with amazing graphics, superb sound effects that will have you jiggling to the beat, and there’s tons of features. In fact, to kick off your gameplay, you can select the X-iter logo for bonus options. Super Bonus (500x), Bonus Game (100x), Expanding Symbols (50x), Electric Treat (10x) or Bonus Hunt (2x). While these features are available without having to pay any extra simply by spinning the reels.

• Sam Electric Treat: To trigger Electric Treat, you will need a win on 2 or more Sam symbols. You’ll be awarded respins and a book symbol.
• Sandra Electric Treat: With Sandra you will have respins with multipliers.
• Maggie Electric Treat: All low value symbols as well as Cat and Maggie will all be replaced by new symbols.

You can also trigger a free spins bonus by landing 3+ book symbols anywhere on the reels. 3, 4 or 5 book scatters will give you 1, 2 or 3 expanding symbols, which is quite refreshing as most book themed slots come with a single expanding symbol. It almost seems pointless mentioning the fact that you can also link up symbols with a wild to bring in wins simply because there are so many other features to concentrate on, no one would blame you if you had forgotten about them. Needless to say, if you line up Sam 5x on a pay line, he’ll dish out a mega 500x your spin bet, while the top 4 highest paying symbols dish out wins for having as few as 2 symbols on a pay line!

Is this the new best book slot around. Decide for yourself by checking these alternative Egyptian-book themed casino games.

Combination Spin Bet Multipliers: The first 4 high paying symbols will pay when you line up 2, 3, 4 or 4 on a pay line. Their 5-symbol combination payouts are – Sam (500x), Sandra (50x), Maggie (25x), Cat (10x). The lower paying symbols pay when 3, 4 or 5 hit a pay line and their 5-symbol combination wins are – A (9x), K (8x), Q (7x), J (6x), 10 (5x).

• Cash-a-Cabana (Play’n Go)

Next up we have Play’n Go’s first release of 2023, Cash-a-Cabana. A throwback slot that takes you back 80+ years. Cash-a-Cabana is a 5-reel, 3-row video slot that has 20 fixed paylines. The famous nightclub Copacabana inspires the theme. The likes of Sammy Davis Jr., The Supremes, and Barry Manilow visited this place, which opened in the 1940s,.

Cash-a-Cabana has a medium to high volatility rating. It’s not as volatile as some of the more complicated online slot machines, but it does have a high variance. Nonetheless, it is easy to enjoy. The design is well-done; the graphics are excellent, and the soundtrack is great.

During the base game, wilds and multipliers mix to create some impressive payouts. The wild symbols will expand to fill their reels and are guaranteed to create a win. Plus, they carry a 2x multiplier, which is always a bonus!

While those wilds and their multipliers help to make the base game more interesting, it is in the free spins feature that they really come to life. You need to land a scatter symbol on reels 1, 3, and 5 to trigger 10 free spins.

During this feature, you earn an additional 2 free spins whenever the ‘host’ scatter symbol lands. Effectively, you can trigger as many 30 free spins using that method. The main difference between the base game and free spins is that you can now land up to 3 expanding wilds compared to the 1 in the base game. On top of this, each expanding Copa Girl expanding wild will increase a global multiplier by 1x up to a maximum of 20x.

Aside from the game mechanics and bonuses, Cash-a-Cabana will appeal because of its aesthetics and soundtrack. This slot is themed on 1940s nightclubs and the big shows they used to put on. THe graphics look amazing and the soundtrack really helps to bring the sort of atmosphere you might expect from those days. Don’t forget that if you’re a fan of the casino content created by this leading iGaming developer, you can check out all their slots on the Play’n Go website.

Combination Spin Bet Multipliers: Cash-a-Cabana uses a traditional paylines mechanic. You need to land at least 3 matching symbols on a payline from left to right. The max wins possible from each symbol come when you land 5 of them in a winning combination. The 5-symbol payouts for each symbol are as follows: Horn Player (100x), Dining Couple (40x), Cocktail (20x), Whiskey (10x), Ace (5x), King/Queen (2x), Jack/Ten (1x).

• Dragon Hero (Pragmatic Play)

As expected, it hasn’t taken Pragmatic Play to get into the swing of things in 2023. Dragon Hero becomes the iGaming firm’s first of what will likely be at least 60 new video slots this year. By the way, if you want to find out more about this prolific provider, then check out our Pragmatic Play slot game manufacturer guide.

This game features an Asian-themed design with a dazzling set of bonus features. The game’s background is filled with vibrant colours and Oriental elements such as pagodas and dragons. It also includes a glitzy gold and red theme. A wooden frame surrounds the reels, with ornaments hanging on both sides. Besides the dazzling graphics, this game features an excellent soundtrack.

Dragon Hero offers 5 reels, 4 rows, and 20 paylines, an RTP of 96%, high volatility, and a top payout of 5,000x your stake. As for the bonus features, it is the wild symbols, super wild symbols and scatters that you want to keep your eyes out for the most. Wild symbols do what they always do but Super Wilds can which can only land on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th reels, have extra power. They will randomly throw out 1, 2, or 3 regular wilds onto the reels.

As for the scatters, landing 3, 4, or 5 of these anywhere in view will trigger free spins. The number you get depends on the spinning of mini reels. When you land 3 scatters you receive 6 mini-reels while 4, and 5 scatters gives you 8, and 10, respectively. These reels all spin and will give you 1, 2, or 3 free spins. So, essentially, you can earn anywhere between 6 and 30 free spins, depending on how many scatter symbols you land.

During this feature, the Super Wilds lock in place for the remainder of the spins. Again, they will throw out regular wilds. However, the number they throw out can increase. Whenever you collect a scatter symbol, it adds half a random wild to the Super Wilds. When that symbol has collected a full wild, it will now throw out two wild symbols on every spin. Each Super Wild can be upgraded to throw out a maximum of three wilds per spin.

Now, if you don’t like waiting to trigger that bonus feature, depending on where you are located, you may have access to a Buy Bonus feature. For the cost of 100x your stake, you can directly buy the free spins feature.

Overall, the Dragon Hero slot is a fun and interesting game. It’s not too difficult to play, and the bonus round is pretty cool. With a little luck, you can even unlock an extended bonus mode. But overall, this is a pretty typical Pragmatic Play product, with a great set of features and a solid RTP.

Combination Spin Bet Multipliers: Dragon Hero offers 20 paylines for you to find winning combinations. You need to land at least 3 matching symbols on a payline from left to right. The max wins possible from each symbol come when you land 5 of them in a winning combination. Sycee (40x), Frog (25x), Fish (15x), Urn (10x), Scroll (7.5x), Coins (5x), Ace/King (2.50x), Queen/Jack/Ten (1.25x).

• Pinatas & Ponies (Red Tiger Gaming)

Celebrate in Mexican fashion on Red Tiger Gaming’s latest release, Pinatas & Ponies. This 6-reel video slot has you smashing pinatas to reveal a ton of multiplier treats. The tasty treats traditionally found in pinatas represent the symbols on the reels and as you spin away, pinatas above the reels can deliver delicious multipliers of up to 15x your stake.

During the base game, you just need to land 10 or more symbols anywhere in view – then once those symbols disappear, new ones can drop in to create chain reaction wins. Plus, if the pinatas randomly trigger, that is when your wins can really multiply. The blue (2x – 5x), purple (6x – 10x), and pink (11x – 15x) pinatas offer random multipliers that will apply to your spin bet wins. They reset at the end of the spin but there is still the chance to trigger more as you continue to play.

On top of that, there is a Sweet Spins bonus feature that triggers when you land 3 scatter symbols. You will earn 10 free spins of the reels that this time have even more benefits. For a start, you collect winning symbols and when you reach the milestones above the reels; you get to smash the pinatas yourself. They will each hold magnificent multipliers that this time do not reset.

Finally, you have the option to buy straight into that bonus round. It will cost you 80x your stake, which means you have some work to do to break even. Alternatively, you can purchase the small (5x), medium (10x), and large (15x) pinatas in the base game.

All in all, Ponies & Pinatas is another good example of the quality that Red Tiger has a reputation for creating. If you find you love this title – why not check out our Red Tiger overview to find other great video slot titles?

Combination Spin Bet Multipliers: You need to land 10 or more matching symbols anywhere in view to create winning combinations. 25+ combinations offer the best payouts and they are as follows. Caramel-filled Chocolates (20x), Strawberry & Ice Cream Candy (10x), Swirly Candy (7x), Peach Candy (5x), Watermelon Candy (3x), Lemon Candy (2x), Blueberry Candy (1.5x), Raspberry Candy (1.2x).

• Diamond Staxx (Amatic)

Sometimes the simple things in life are the best, and that is certainly the case with Amatic video slots. The brand is well-known for its fast pace, smooth rolling, simple to play game titles, and Diamond Staxx is the latest release from the software provider to attract the attention of slot players online.

There are 5×3 reels and 10 pay lines, and features include a wild symbol, sticky wilds, scatters, scatter multipliers, free spins, and a bonus buy. The highest paying symbols are the wild symbol, which is a diamond, the red bars, green bars and the bells. These pay when 2, 3, 4 or 5 land on a pay line. Melons, grapes, plums, oranges, lemons, and cherries pay when 5, 4 or 3 line up on a pay line. What stands out about these combination wins is that the payouts are high compared to most other slots. You can see the value of these below in the highlight box.

While you are spinning in winning combinations with the help of the wild, you’ll be on the lookout for the ‘Bonus’ symbol, which is a star. It is only present on reels 1-3-5. Roll in 3 in view on any spin, and you’ll earn 10 free spins as well as 20x your spin bet. While the bonus is active all wild symbols that hit the reels will hold in position throughout the entire free spins round. With this sticky wild feature in place, you can expect to accumulate some decent size wins, especially over the course of the last few free spins. Also, just as an FYI because most you are probably already asking the question – you cannot retrigger free spins.

If you prefer not to wait for the scatter to grace the reels and trigger free spins, there’s an option to buy your way into the bonus round. This will cost you 81x the total spin bet. I did a couple of test runs, and I really like the fact that you get to press the spin button for your free spins. As for my success, the first time I bought the bonus game, I only won back 73x my bet, probably because I had just 3 sticky wilds. The second attempt I did better and had 6 wilds by spin 6. Needless to say, every spin came with a long delay, which was the Diamond Staxx slot counting my huge winnings every spin. My total win from that round was 124.5x my spin bet (see the screenshot).

For more information about video slots and the software provider, feel free to get our take on its slots and tech via the Amatic Gaming analysis here.

Combination Spin Bet Multipliers: You will see the explanation covering the number of symbols needed to trigger a pay out in the mini review about, while the 5-symbol combination pay outs are as follows – Diamond Wild (100x), Red Bars (50x), Green Bars (25x), Bells (25x), Watermelons (15x), Grapes (15x), Plums (10x), Oranges (10x), Lemons (10x), Cherries (10x)

Another 15 Fresh New Casino Games

While they are the 5 slots we consider among the best, there were plenty of others that just missed out. In fact, there were another 15 new casino games launched in the second week of January. 3 Oaks Gaming, Spinomenal, Mancala Gaming, and Northern Lights Gaming were among the iGaming developers that launched new casino content.

This Week: The number of new releases has really picked up now and we expect that to continue in the next few weeks. This week I can tell you that there are big launches planned. Wazdan will release Power of Sun™: Svarog, BGaming will debut its Dominator’s Treasure slot, Quickspin will launch Scatter Monsters.