Innovation and cutting-edge technology are at the forefront of Yggdrasil gaming games, which are very popular with iGaming fans. Yggdrasil is one of the top software developers in the gaming industry, with over 70 slot titles to its name.
Aside from innovative features, breathtaking visuals and engaging gameplay are staples of Yggdrasil games. Players from multiple countries can enjoy playing these games in their preferred language since they're multilingual games.
Yggdrasil Gaming's unusual name links back to Scandinavian mythology, and it means a huge ash tree. It's all part of the allure that gives the software company its air of mystery and exclusivity.
Lots of Yggdrasil casino games are available to South African players in legit online casinos that have these games. In these reviews, we'll go into the features and technology of your favorite Yggdrasil games and also show you how to find casinos where you can play these titles.
By Adiela de Bruyn - Updated 2024/04/23 - Estimated reading time: 10 minutes.
Launched in 2013 by the former CEO of NetEnt, Yggdrasil didn't release its first game, the Christmas-themed Winterberries slots, until later in 2014. In its first two years of existence, the developer used iSense technology to drastically improve loading times, enabling a smoother gaming experience.
Yggdrasil originally started out with a Malta Gaming Authority license, but in 2016, they went on to acquire a Gibraltar Regulatory Authority license, a UK Gambling Commission license, and two internationally recognized licenses in Romania from the National Gambling Office and one from the Isle of Man.
Over the years, the developer has gone on to launch several innovative solutions, including Yggdrasil White Label Studios, Yggdrasil Dragons, and YGS Masters in its business arm. In its gaming technology arm, Fusion Realms and GEMs announce the uniqueness of their games. Although Yggdrasil Gaming started with slots, they added table games and bingos to their portfolio in 2017.
In recognition of their impact on the iGaming software industry, Yggdrasil Gaming has received over 14 international gaming awards and recognitions that consolidate its place as one of the best in the game.
Yggdrasil Gaming Games Portfolio
At the heart of Yggdrasil games are innovations and pioneering mechanics that make them the top choice of both iGaming operators and players alike. They're constantly pushing the boundaries of casino games by incorporating cutting-edge technologies into their gaming platform. Let's take a look at some of the game categories they have.
Slots
Yggdrasil gaming slots cover everything from jackpot games and megaways to cluster pays. The slots have lots of fun themes like mythical worlds, fantasy realms, history and mythology, branded slots, and classic fruit-themed slots.
Whether you're a high roller or prefer to take moderate risks, you can have your pick of games based on their volatility levels, from low and medium to high volatility rates. The video slots at Yggdrasil are characterized by high-quality visuals and soundtracks that make for a truly immersive experience.
Some of the best Yggdrasil casino slots are:
Vikings Go Berserk
The Valley of the Gods
Ozwin's Jackpots
Holmes and the Stolen Stones
MultiFly
Golden Fish Tank
Jackpot Raiders
Vault of Fortune
Raptor
Vikings go Wild
Yggdrasil Gaming also offers mega jackpot games like Empire Fortune and Joker Millions, which paid out €7.8 million (158 million ZAR) and €3.1 million (63 million ZAR) as their biggest wins in the past.
Table games
Table games are a newer addition to Yggdrasil, so understandably, the titles here are much fewer than the casino slots titles. However, their table games boast high-quality graphics and a smooth gaming experience.
Currently, the company is focused on classic table games, including baccarat, roulette, and blackjack. There are a few titles available in their table games portfolio:
French Roulette
Punto Banco Baccarat
Golden Chip Roulette
Classic Blackjack
European Roulette
Live casino games
At the time of writing this, Yggdrasil gaming games are still solely focused on quality slots and the new addition of table games. The company doesn't have any live dealer games in their portfolio, but that may change in the future.
Overview of Yggdrasil games from their website.
Yggdrasil Gameplay and Innovative Features
Yggdrasil's Game Engagement Mechanics (GEMs) are a unique element of their games that players use to recognize them in any online casino. There are 10 mechanics in this collection that bring different changes to the reels. Let's take a look at them.
GigaRise: This GEM utilizes special symbols in-game to increase the height of any reel it lands on. These symbols trigger the release of free spins and bonus rounds when a reel reaches its maximum height.
GigaBlox: It's all about large-sized bloxs with this GEM, which can trigger massive wins if you're lucky to line them up on the reel.
TopHit: Slots with the TopHit GEM have a separate horizontal reel with a unique symbol across the top of the horizontal reels. Players who land symbols that occupy the horizontal reel stand a chance to win big.
FastPot5: This GEM is characterized by five quick-hit jackpots. Big jackpot wins are triggered when a player completes all five collections.
DoubleMax: DoubleMax GEM uses a single global multiplier to double the multipliers on a cascading win. It can go from x2, x4, x8, x16, x32, x64, and even into the hundreds with no limits.
DuoMax: Slots that feature DuoMax have multipliers on both sides of the reel, causing both the left and right paylines to pay with every win.
MultiMax: This GEM creates a win multiplier by taking all the winning symbols on the reels after a win and applying their respective multipliers to the win.
WildEnergy: WildEnergy Wilds each have a certain number of lives, and when they land on any reel, they turn sticky and trigger a re-spin round that lasts as long as their lives last.
Wild Fight: High-paying symbols in Wild Fight slots have the potential to become wild when they land on the reels by fighting another character. Whether these symbols win or lose the fight determines whether they turn wild.
Splitz: The goal in Splitz games is to land split symbols that give you more ways, longer lines, bigger clusters, or wilds. The more splits you land, the higher your chances of winning big.
Mobile Optimization
Yggdrasil gaming software is highly mobile-optimized and functions smoothly on all mobile devices and desktops. The company uses HTML 5 technology to ensure that their casino software fits every screen size and is adaptable to every device.
Their iconic iSense technology not only enabled faster loading times but also brought about sleeker stop frame/stop motion animation techniques and particle animations, which led to smoother transitions in their casino software.
RNG and Fairness of Yggdrasil Gaming Games
Given that Yggdrasil holds several gaming licenses, their games adhere to strict fairness policies. All their slots fully incorporate RNG software to ensure truly random outcomes.
Independent auditing bodies like eCORGA and GLI regularly test and certify Yggdrasil's RNG software, ensuring that it remains free of manipulation or bias and that it continues to meet international standards.
RTP rate of Yggdrasil casino games
The return-to-player rate of Yggdrasil slots starts at 80.6% and is currently capped at 96.8%. While these are decent rates, they aren't the highest in the industry. Some slot providers have games with up to 98.0% RTP rates.
However, you can still make big wins from playing Yggdrasil online casino slots since 96.3% is right there with the highest RTP rates in the industry.
The Best Yggdrasil Games to Play
Some of the best games to play at Yggdrasil Gaming are from their slots collection. Typically, these games have the following features:
Bonus play
Free spins
Jackpot
Dropdown wins
Custer pays
Wild multipliers
Bonus buy
The best Yggdrasil casino slots feature varying themes and volatility rates, and each of them utilizes one or more GEMs that set them apart as Yggdrasil games. Let's take a look at some of their best titles.
Vikings go Wild
Vikings Go Wild is one of Yggdrasil's iconic video slots that was released in August 2015. With an RTP rate of 96.3%, it's one of the games that has the highest RTP rates in the software company. The slot features 25 paylines across five reels.
As the name already implies, this slot explores Nordic mythology with its fierce Viking characters, symbols, and soundtrack. It uses eight unique symbols that range from Viking runes to famous Viking characters.
The most popular feature of Vikings Go Wild is its Treasure Chest bonus, which can award additional wilds, multipliers, and mystery symbols during free spins. However, the maximum win is €380,000 (7.7 million ZAR), which is okay given that it's a low- to medium-volatility game.
Thousands of players worldwide continue to enjoy playing this Norse mythology-themed game.
The Valley of the Gods
Valley of the Gods is another visually stunning slot game from Yggdrasil Gaming with a high RTP rate of 96.2%. Featuring 5 reels and 3 rows, the slot has 3,125 winning ways.
This slot also utilizes multiplier free spins and re spin features. Thanks to Yggdrasil Gaming MultiMax mechanics, you can trigger a cascading win whenever a winning combination lands. The slot is a high-volatility slot, with its maximum win capped at €580,000 (11.7 million ZAR).
In terms of themes, Valley of the Gods takes players on an adventure through an Egyptian mystical valley dotted with majestic pyramids, ancient hieroglyphics, and mystical scarab beetles. The soundtrack and symbols used further cement its magical Egyptian feel.
Holmes and the Stolen Stones
One of the earlier slots launched by Yggdrasil Gaming in 2015, Holmes and the Stolen Stones, is a fast-paced adventure that features characters from the famous Sherlock Holmes series. The slot has a classical feel to it thanks to the playing card symbols and its orchestral soundtrack.
A progressive jackpot slot, this game has 5 reels and 20 paylines, offering players the opportunity to make frequent and decent winnings with its medium volatility.
Also, Holmes and the Stolen Stones has a high RTP rate of 96.8%, which makes for high winning potential. The max payout for this game is €30,000 (670,000 ZAR).
How to find Yggdrasil Gaming online casinos in South Africa
When it comes to Yggdrasil gaming sites, there are over 180 operators worldwide that feature this slot provider in their games lobby. However, it's not advisable to play at every casino that offers Yggdrasil gaming slots.
In South Africa, the key to finding Yggdrasil gaming online casinos to play in is to look for regulated casinos offering these titles. Please note that when we talk about the best Yggdrasil casinos, we aren't referring to casinos that offer only titles from Yggdrasil gaming. Rather, casinos that are worth playing Yggdrasil games at.
Here are a few pointers to guide your choice of casinos:
Check for the licensing details. Online casinos that have internationally recognized licenses from bodies like the Malta Gaming Authority, the GB Gambling Commission, or Curacao, among others, are more trustworthy
Bonuses are also a great indicator of whether an online casino is worth your time. If the offer is too poor or looks too good to be true, it's best to avoid such casinos
Look out for casinos that feature quality titles from other top providers and not just Yggdrasil Gaming.
The best Yggdrasil casinos have an active and responsive customer support team
Pros and Cons of Yggdrasil Gaming
Pros
Unique and innovative mechanics
Engaging and immersive gaming experience
Highly optimized for mobile devices
Integrates RNG and fairness policies
Cons
No live dealer games
Conclusion
Yggdrasil Gaming Company remains one of the best when it comes to all kinds of slot games. Their video slots are a delight to play because of their eye-catching graphics and innovative mechanics, which make for thrilling gameplay.
As a global brand, there are many Yggdrasil gaming online casinos in South Africa where you can play their iconic slots, including jackpots. The high RTP rates of the games give you a higher winning chance, which is a plus.
Give Yggdrasil casino slots a trial if you're looking to experience something thrilling and boundless in your gaming.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yggdrasil Gaming
Are there any dedicated Yggdrasil gaming casinos?
No, there are no Yggdrasil casinos that focus only on games from the provider. Legit casinos offering their games also offer games from other notable casinos.
Do Yggdrasil games have a minimum deposit requirement?
The answer is no. Deposit requirements to play casino games are usually left to the discretion of whichever casino you're playing at.
Do Yggdrasil gaming slots have special bonuses?
It depends on where you play. Some Yggdrasil gaming casinos offer free spins on selected Yggdrasil slots as part of their welcome offer or regular bonuses.
