Aristocrat is the second biggest producer of casino slots in the world – second only to IGT. They have come a long way since their start in 1953. Under the control of Len Ainsworth, Aristocrat would go from a regional niche player in their native Australia to the global slot powerhouse they are today.
This company is best known for its live casino slots. Games include the Buffalo series, Lightning Link, Dragon Link, Walking Dead slots and many more. More recently, Aristocrat slot games became available online. Classic games from their extensive library have made it online. You can play them in states with regulated gambling, and at online casinos around the world.
You’ll find everything you need to get the best from Aristocrat slot machines on this page. Information on their best games, jackpot systems and options for playing online can be found below. You’ll also find a detailed history and FAQ section at the bottom of the page.
Aristocrat slot reviews and demo games
- Aristocrat developed free spins bonuses which help keep these games varied. These variations are shared with the Dragon Link and Lightning Cash games. The amount of free spins you win varies by game, with a minimum of 3 bonus symbols needed to trigger.
- Flip the switch and get charged up for an electrifying new slots games journey with Lightning Link Casino slots. The most exciting new slot games from Aristocrat is now available in Google Play Store!
- More Chilli slot is an Australian slot with a Mexican theme. It comes along with stunning graphics and outstanding sound effects, these are just two of the reasons why the machine is loved so much among AU slot machine players.
- Aristocrat Lightning Link Pokies Peculiarities. Aristocrat is one of the most innovative companies that create safe and funny games for people to have fun. Aristocrat has created Lightning Link to be more active rather than passive. It has tons of different fun features that make this game not only enjoyable but active and full of different.
Where to Play Aristocrat Slots Online?
Aristocrat is a game development and technology company founded in 1953. Based in Sydney, they’ve been publicly traded on the Australian Stock exchange since 1996. Started out creating machines for land casinos, developing the first poker machine with lit reels and a scorecard.
The only Aristocrat title available at legal online casinos is Buffalo. This game is available at the Hard Rock Online Casino and is exclusive to NJ.
Other casinos offer games similar in design and features to Aristocrat titles.
Chumba and Luckyland Slots offer a Buffalo game called Buffalo Rush, while the Golden Nugget Casino in NJ features three Buffalo titles including two versions of the Thundering Buffalo.
If you are new to online casino games, make sure you familiarize yourself with the bonuses and incentives available before you sign up. In regulated states, competition between the brands means that there are no-deposit bonuses available. These allow you to spin for real money without making a deposit. If you like what you find, there are matched welcome bonuses on offer too.
If you don’t live in a state with regulated online casinos, you’ll need to travel to your closest brick and mortar casino to enjoy the latest Aristocrat slot machines.
Aristocrat Slot Games: The Lightning Link and Dragon Link Games
There are few recent innovations in slot gaming that have proven as popular as the Lightning Link format. These games have varied themes, sharing a ‘Hold and Spin’ bonus feature and progressive jackpot system. Dragon Link slots have the same bonus, using a range of colorful Asian themes and flaming balls as graphics.
Hold and Spin bonuses are triggered when you get six or more special symbols on the same spin. These symbols show numbers (the number of coins won) or the names of jackpot bonuses. Themed symbols are now greyed out. You get three spins to add more special symbols. Any time you hit new ones, the number of spins resets to three.
If you fill all 15 positions on the reels, the ‘Grand’ progressive jackpot is coming your way. Lightning Link games also include wilds, scatter prizes and free spins (which come with various extras and twists to the gameplay).
Popular titles include High Stakes, Mermaid’s Pearl, Wild Chuco, Peacock Princess and Happy & Prosperous.
Aristocrat Slots: The Iconic ‘Buffalo’ Slots Series
The first Buffalo slot machine series stood out on the casino floor. With all-ways gameplay, multipliers and a theme based on Native American wildlife, these games proved hugely popular.
Over the years, Buffalo has become a family of slots. It is rare to see a live casino without the latest titles. Sound effects, graphics and free spins are a staple in all Buffalo titles. Aristocrat has since added unusual reel setups, jackpot wheels and unique features to this range.
Here are some of the most popular games:
- Buffalo Grand: You can spin a huge bonus wheel to win jackpot prizes in this version. Some prizes allow a second wheel spin for a multiplier.
- Buffalo Gold:The unique feature of this game is a collection element to the free spins. As you accumulate gold heads, extra symbols turn into the high paying buffalos.
- Buffalo Stampede: This game has jackpots, though the unique gameplay involves herds of buffalo. They run up the reels, expanding them – or across the top of the reels, adding extra buffalo symbols.
- Buffalo Diamond: A new title that has a progressive element to the number of free spins you can win (with multipliers). There is also an unusual diamond-shaped reel setup.
Other titles in this range include Buffalo Gold Revolution, Buffalo Xtreme – and titles with mechanical reel setups.
You shouldn’t have any issues finding the original Buffalo slot machine at your local casino. For online players, the only regulated state offering a Buffalo slot machine is NJ, where you can find it at the Hard Rock in the live games section.
Aristocrat Slot Machines: The Walking Dead Series
These live casino slots are based on the massively popular TV series. Big screens and amazing animations and clips (many involving zombies) bring these games to life. There are now three, each based on different series.
The original Walking Dead slot machine involved a huge bonus wheel. This paid progressive jackpots and accessed free spins bonus games. Wilds literally oozed down the reels, linking multiple win-lines.
Walking Dead 2 took the popularity of these games to a new level. This game had special zombie sequences including an entertaining ‘Wild Horde’. That saw zombies tumble over the reels. There are also entertaining picks games for jackpots and free spins. Walking Dead 3 has wider reels, which zombies can walk across.
Other Popular Live Casino Slots from Aristocrat
Aristocrat has developed many casino slots based on TV and movie franchises. These include two different slots based on Game of Thrones, plus Zorro, Ted, Sons of Anarchy, Big Bang Theory, and an entertaining game featuring Elvira – mistress of the dark.
Music acts are also featured heavily in the Aristocrat games list. Popular slot machines include Britney Spears, Madonna, The Rolling Stones and the B-52s.
Regular slot themes include a range of Asian titles. Choy Sun Doa, 5 Dragons (including the new 5 Dragons Gold) and 88 Fortunes can be enjoyed in addition to the long list of Dragon Link titles.
The list goes on, with Miss Kitty, Big Red and many other titles waiting to be tried. Look out for the ‘double click’ sound effect when the reels stop, plus the electronic ‘circus’ tunes which are triggered for your big wins.
History of Aristocrat
When Aristocrat got started back in 1953, today’s spectacular multi-media slots were the stuff of science fiction. Instead, the games were fully mechanical. They were housed in solid metal frames to prevent tampering and operated by pulling a lever. Original games included the iconic ‘Clubmaster’ series.
Aristocrat started in Australia by Ainsworth – where they are still headquartered today. They first came to the USA in 1961, when Aristocrat Nevada was opened. This company produced the first all-electronic slot. This was called ‘Wild West’ and debuted in 1979.
Innovation continued for the next decades, with electronic machines taking over from mechanical ones. Networks of slots with linked jackpots were made possible by the 1990s. Aristocrat’s ‘Hyperlink’ was an early example.
Lightning Cash Aristocrat
Aristocrat has made acquisitions as they expanded operations online and to new geographical locations including Macau. A separate slot company, named Ainsworth, was started separately. This is also chaired by Ainsworth – and has a separate list of beautifully designed slots.
Play any of the six themed pokies games in Lightning Link Slots with either 50 lines or 25 lines, depending on the real money stakes you want to play. For one-cent and two-cent games you’ll play the maximum 50 lines, while for five- and 10-cent games you’ll play 25 lines.
Bonus amounts that appear on the reels will be proportionate to the coin amount. Nevertheless, the jackpot payouts remain the same whichever denomination you use. Each of the casino slots titles has a max bet amount of 500 credits if playing for one or two cents, and 250 credits if playing for five or 10 cents.
Bonus Rounds & Fun Bonus Features
The same designer who created Cash Express Slots designed the Lightning Link slot machine. Available in the popular Helix game cabinet, Lightning Link Slots has two progressive jackpot features and the Hold & Spin bonus feature. The Lightning Link emblem displays the jackpot amounts, while an LCD topper enhances the casino game’s overall presentation.
Each of the four games has its own reel symbols. These are esthetic choices, because game mechanics and payouts are the same most of the time. The High Stakes Las Vegas game is a bit different, as you’ll see below.
- Happy Lantern Reel Symbols: Auspicious turtles, firecrackers, happy lanterns, Chinese emperors, lucky cats and dragons.
- Sahara Gold Reel Symbols: Scorpions, belly dancers, pyramids, camels, oasis icon, palace.
- Magic Pearl Reel Symbols: Mermaids, starfish, sea turtles, angelfish, dolphins, treasure chest, pearl.
- High Stakes Las Vegas Symbols: Showgirl, sports car, royal flush, golden briefcase, roulette wheel, ‘Welcome to Las Vegas’ sign, poker chips.
A key reel symbol in Magic Pearl is the treasure chest. So is the pearl symbol, which substitutes for the coin in other Lightning Link Slots games.
New Lightning Link Slots: Tiki Fire and Heart Throb Slots
Aristocrat Lightning Link
Aristocrat added other games to Lightning Link slot machine after the first release: Tiki Fire Slots and Heart Throb Slots. Here are these games’ reel symbols:
- Tiki Fire Reel Symbols: Parakeet, butterfly, tiki mask, exotic flower and a woman wearing a lei.
- Heart Throb Reel Symbols: Box of chocolates, red rose, gift box, dove, diamond.
Players in land casinos in 2021 or later will find a certain number of Lightning Link Slots games that use the Tiki Fire and Heart Throb themes. The older versions of the game still exist side by side with the new themes.
Bonus Feature: Multi-Tiered Progressive Jackpot Bonus
Lightning Link Slots has a multi-tiered jackpot: the Mini, Minor, Major or Grand Jackpot. Trigger six coin icons and you’ll win the jackpot feature. When you collect 15 coins during the Lightning Link Slots bonus game, you’ll win the Grand Jackpot. The bigger your bet, the larger the coin values are.
Bonus Feature: Hold & Spin Feature
The Hold & Spin feature allows you to retain coins over multiple spins when playing Lightning Link Slots. Play continues until three consecutive spins occur without locking in a new coin (or pearl).
Bonus Feature: Free Spins Bonus Round
On each of the four Lightning Link Slots themes, you’ll need to land three scatter symbols to activate the free spins bonus round. In this round, you’ll receive just six free spins. Nevertheless, you’ll notice one big difference, with ‘big’ being the operative word.
During each of the free spins, you’ll see that reels 2, 3 and 4 will be completely taken up by just one giant symbol. This means that should the same symbol appear on reel 1, you are guaranteed a 50 or 25 four-of-a-kind win (depending on what setup option you went for).
Aristocrat Lightning Link Online
Lightning Link Slots by Aristocrat are described as medium to high volatility casino slots. This effectively means that you may have to wait a little longer than usual to land a big win in comparison to other slots, but when you do hit, the wins will be on the larger side. This is especially true when it comes to the jackpot round, where you’ll find yourself winning many of the prizes each time you enter.