The modern iGaming industry continues to grow, with new innovative games entering the market. Technological advances in recent years have enabled the creation of crash games, which deliver interactive gameplay that other iGaming titles cannot. These crash games operate on multipliers, with them increasing the longer a player stays active. These games have a unique twist that differentiates them from online slots: the gameplay does not end once the reels finish spinning. These crash games can abruptly end at any time, discarding the current multiplier. During the gameplay of these crash games, players can choose to ‘cash out’ on the multiplier before it crashes. If the cash out button is pressed before the game randomly crashes, the current multiplier value will be added to the total bet stake. In this article, we will explore some of the best crash games available at online casino platforms.
The Origins of Crash Games
Crash games have redefined the iGaming industry, sharing similarities in their impact with live casino games, which increased interactivity to similar levels. The pioneering crash game that prompted a change in the industry was MoneyPot, launched in 2014. Despite the game being much simpler than many modern crash games available in the online casino industry today, the MoneyPot title laid the foundations. Following the success and potential of this title, many development studios followed suit, creating their own crash games.
How to Play Crash Games
Unlike most online slot games, which feature payline counts that power their gameplay, these crash games feature no paylines, as there are no symbols on the reels. Almost all crash games will begin with the press of the ‘start’ button, which will begin the gameplay. Once gameplay starts, a multiplier will be displayed somewhere on the screen, showing a value relative to the multiplier and the current bet stake. At this stage, the multiplier will increasingly grow until the game inevitably crashes. There is no way for players to predict when the multiplier count will crash, leaving it purely down to instinct. If players cash out before the multiplier crashes, the multiplier value at the time the cash-out button is pressed will be applied to the total bet stake.
In many games in this genre, there is typically an object that travels along the x- and y-axes, with the multiplier increasing as it travels.
Big Bass Crash
To showcase the growth of the crash genre, notable development studio Reel Kingdom has adopted the mechanic in the widely recognised Big Bass series. The title was released to screens later in 2023, using the same fishing theme as seen across the industry’s range of online slots. As with other releases in the Big Bass series, the gameplay will take place in an aquatic environment, with a boat visible. The boat will travel across the view, against the mountainous backdrop, collecting fish visible under the water. As the boat travels across the blue waters, the multiplier will increase, though it can also crash at random, ending the game.
Aviator
Aviator is one of the most popular crash games in the online casino industry, which was developed and released by Spribe. The Aviator title is an old-fashioned release, featuring a range of simplistic visuals designed around a plane. During the gameplay, a plane will travel across the x-axis and y-axis, with a multiplier growing the more it travels. Just like in all crash casino games in the industry, the gameplay can end at random, though in this title, it happens when the plane travels off the screen.
JetX
SmartSoft Gaming is the developer to credit for the JetX crash casino title, which was released to screens in 2019. The JetX quickly became one of the most recognisable crash titles in the online casino industry, with visuals based around a fighter jet. Upon pressing the start button, the plane will fly into the skies until it randomly comes to a stop. On its flight, it can travel out of space, passing a range of planets.
Final Thoughts
Crash games are redefining the online casino industry, providing new and unique gameplay that is different from more traditional games like live roulette. All games in this crash genre begin with players pressing the start button, which starts the multiplier’s growth. The multipliers will increase throughout gameplay until they randomly crash. The innovation of these crash games has transformed the industry, much like the advent of live casino games. There are different strategies for playing these crash games, with some preferring a more calculated approach using automated cash-out features, and others letting the gameplay extend. The mechanic is niche in the online casino, making itself a genre in their own right in the online casino industry.
