Online casino developers release dozens of themed slots every December. They typically dress their biggest slot hits in red and introduce a couple of themed symbols, while other providers replicate their standard features to a typical festive design.
Online casinos, on the other hand, attach Christmas-themed games to massive tournaments, free spins bonuses, and reload deals. Here at Pokies Bet, we only like to spend our precious funds on the best games available, and this article focuses on the best Christmas-themed game based on our experience.
Hacksaw Gaming’s Xmas Drop was released on November 30, 2023, and has managed to top the ‘popular pokies’ charts since now. The game does the Christmas theme well, and its stats are superior to most slots: 12,500x max win, 96.22% RTP, and medium volatility. It’s a perfect game for every casino player, I am sure you’ll come to appreciate the moment Santa drops his tongue to fill the whole reel with wild multipliers!
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves and take everything in order.
What’s Special about Xmas Drop?
| Developer | Hacksaw Gaming |
| Release Year | November 30, 2023 |
| Bet Levels | 0.10 – 100 |
| Gameplay | 5 reels, 3 rows, 19 paylines |
| RTP | 96.22% |
| Volatility | Medium |
| Bonus Features | Wilds, Expanding Wilds, Wild Multipliers, Free Spins, FS Retriggers, Stacked Expanding Wilds, Bonus Buy |
| Jackpot | 12,500x |
Xmas Drop was the first Christmas slot ever developed by Hacksaw. The company has also released Snow Slingers since then, but their original take on this niche is my preferred option.
This slot packs the best aspects of Hacksaw games without extremely high volatility, making it suitable for everyone. The 12,500x max win is great, especially if you pop it near the holidays.
The Xmas Drop standard free spins round might seem mediocre, but even two or three expanding wilds can bring massive wins in this game. And they really appear during the bonus round, not like in the Dead or a Wild free spins bonus.
If you actually manage to enter the advanced bonus round, you are in for a treat. It’s just amazing how the reels activate and Santas keep dropping their tongues for multiple line combos. Some might find this animation creepy, but I love the quirky nature of the provider’s slots.
The cool thematic integration with high-value special features and still playable base game make Xmas Drop my top pick every December.
Base Game in a Nutshell
The snowy background and cute fat Santa on the right make up the surroundings of the Xmas Drop interface. Christmas trees, shocks, and hordes of presents are the symbols you will encounter while spinning the 5×5 grid.
Watch out for the gift box, it is the wild that often pops up to uncover multipliers of up to 200x. And finally, the wild Santa symbol is the game’s expanding wild. It makes a huge difference here because it does not only expand to cover the rows beneath it, but it also merges with any available gift boxes to claim their multipliers.
Wild symbols in Xmas Drop pay the most, up to 25x for five on a line.
Bonus Buy Options
The above is how Hacksaw has set up the base game of Xmas Drop. Things get juicy with the several bonus buy options:
- Pay 3x your stake per spin for 5x more chances to trigger the free spins round.
- Get 2 or 3 guaranteed Wild Santas on the next spin for 20 or 50x your bet, respectively.
- Pay 110x or 200x your stake to instantly get 3 or 4 scatters on the reels.
Although some Hacksaw Gaming slots are impossible to play without bonus buys, the medium volatility of Xmas Drop means that entering the bonus round organically is entirely possible. It is one of the main reasons that made me fall in love with this Christmas slot in the first place.
Free Spins Features: Night Before Christmas & Santa Claus is Coming to Town
The Night Before Christmas free spins round is triggered by landing 3 scatters anywhere on the reels. You are awarded 10 free spins with increased chances to land wilds.
The 4-scatter bonus is way better – how it works is you activate each reel by landing at least one Wild Santa symbol on them. From there, a Santa Wild is guaranteed to land, so you only pray that it appears near the top to expand and cover the full reel.
Activating the reels early can result in huge wins, especially if the Wild Santa pops a Wild Gift symbol with multipliers. A full screen with multipliers is how you can reach the Xmas Drop 12,500x jackpot.
Another cool aspect of this game is that you receive +4 spins each time you land 3 scatters. Also, it is possible to upgrade the bonus by landing 4 scatters during the Night Before Christmas free spins round.
Online Casinos to Play Hacksaw’s Xmas Drop in 2024
Hacksaw Gaming doesn’t partner with just any casino. The studio holds licenses from all reputable authorities, so only the best gambling sites in Australia manage to secure its games, including Xmas Drop. The following are reviewed casinos that rank highly across all areas and host our top pick for Christmas slot gaming this year.
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Use our links to secure free spins and 100% bonuses on your first deposits. Check out the promo calendar for time-limited offers running throughout December.
Other Popular Christmas Slots Alternatives
I instantly discard all Pragmatic Play slot remakes that pop up every Christmas. Gates of Olympus X-Mas 1000, Christmas Big Bass Bonanza, Sugar Rush Xmas, and Sweet Bonanza Xmas are all great pokies to play all year round. The remakes simply come with revamped symbols and animations, which shows a lack of effort.
Other Christmas-themed slots that popped up this year include:
- Diamond Link Mighty Santa Boarded Up by Novomatic
- Three Wishes by Playtech
- Jingle Coins Hold and Win by Playson
- Wolf it Up Christmas by Inspired Gaming
- Golden Crown Christmas by Fazi
- Naughty Nicks Book by Play’n GO
- Jingle Spin by NetEnt
Honestly, I’ve tried them all and they are nothing special. Of course, there are exceptions; the following two new games are two worthy alternatives to Xmas Drop.
- Jingle Balls by Nolimit comes with extremely high volatility, 96.1% RTP, and a 12,250x max win. The stats are slightly inferior to Xmas Drop but the gameplay lives up to the studio’s name. You get up to 614,656 ways to win by activating the xWays, xNudge Wilds, and xSplit Wilds during the free spins round.
- Fat Santa by Push Gaming is another excellent festive slot. The man dressed in red becomes a sticky wild during the free spins, expanding every time more scatters drop on the reels. He can eventually fill up the full screen and pay up to 10,223x. The game is similar to Pragmatic’s Sky Bounty, which we love here at Pokies Bet.
If you find yourself at RTG-powered casinos, you can try your luck on the company’s classic Christmas slots: Santas Reel Wheel, Sneaky Santa, and Santastic. We cannot compare them to Xmas Drop though, since RealTime Gaming doesn’t publish official data about its games.
- About the Author
- Affiliate Disclosure
Michael has reviewed and verified all information on this page. Having worked in the iGaming industry for over 8 years, he is the most capable person to help you navigate online casinos, pokies, and the Australian gambling landscape.
