About Book of Dead
Released in 2016 by Play’n GO, Rich Wilde and Book of Dead, commonly shortened to Book of Dead quickly became one of the most recognisable slots online, starring the now-iconic explorer Rich Wilde on his quest through ancient Egypt.
It’s also become a regular fixture of casino welcome bonuses, helping keep Rich Wilde’s chiselled face firmly in front of players whenever they’re browsing for somewhere new to play.
The 5×3 slot keeps things relatively simple, with 10 paylines and a 96.21% RTP, but its Expanding Symbols feature is where the magic happens. During Free Spins, one of the game’s high-paying symbols is randomly selected to expand and cover an entire reel, creating those all-important big win opportunities.
This is a formula and idea that Play’n GO, and many other studios, have returned to as a repeat read, making Book of Dead one of the defining games in the wider Book genre.
Best Slots Like Book of Dead
Legacy of Dead
Widely considered as the sequel and spiritual successor to the OG Book of Dead, there’s Legacy of Dead, also by Play’n GO.
It maintains all the charm and pull of the original with a higher RTP of 96.58%, but with a few plot twists here and there, like the unlimited amount of retriggerable Free Spins as new special symbols are added to the mix, with the possibility of nine expanding symbols active at one time.
Book of Ra Deluxe
From Novomatic, Book of Ra is the game that started the entire Book movement, released back in 2005 and modernised into a Deluxe edition in 2008. It was, and still is, something of a holy scripture for the Book-themed slots that followed.
As to be expected of the Book genre, the theme is obviously ancient Egyptian, with striking golden hieroglyphics and atmospheric SFX. The standout is, obviously, the Book of Ra symbol, which acts as a Wild and Scatter for the Free Spins, where a randomly-selected expanding symbol expands to cover the entire reel.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways
If Rich Wilde’s good looks are the main reason why you load up Book of Dead, let us introduce you to John Hunter, Pragmatic Play‘s intrepid archeologist.
While the Egyptian presentation makes it feel instantly familiar, what keeps John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways from feeling like your average Book slot is, obviously, the Megaways engine. Under licence from Big Time Gaming, it offers a dynamically-changing 117,649 ways to win with a maximum potential of 10,000x bet.
Book of Power
Don’t judge this Relax Gaming slot by its cover – while it may look slightly dated in terms of its ancient Egypt presentation, there’s a lot going on between the pages of Book of Power.
This game is aptly stuffed with powerful mechanics, including two free spins features and re-triggers, which award more free spins plus additional expanding symbols. Power Book symbols can also turn the reels golden, with expanding symbols helping to build towards its 15,000x maximum win potential.
Le Pharaoh
Taking a quick break from the TBR list, there’s Le Pharaoh from Hacksaw Gaming, starring the most well-travelled bipedal raccoon the world has ever seen – Smokey.
Le Pharaoh isn’t a book-type slot but earns a spot on this list due to its ancient Egyptian theming and engaging gameplay around Sticky Redrops, Golden Riches and Bonus Choices between Luck of The Pharaoh or the Lost Treasures rounds. Plus, Smokey suits the Tutankhamen look quite well.
Book of Time
From one Hacksaw favourite to another, we’ve got Book of Time, starring Canny the Can. It has a charmingly whimsical rubberhose artstyle that feels refreshingly different for this genre, paired with the standard Book-of mechanics we know and love.
Where Book of Time shines is the dual bonus approach. There’s the standard expanding symbol for purists, and a multiplier-driven experience in the What Time Is It? Bonus, with spreading wild multiplier clocks on reels 2, 3 and 4 – the multiplier is set by the time shown on the clock face.
Book of 99
While most Book-inspired slots take place on the golden sands of Egypt, Book of 99 swaps that for a Grecian vibe instead, playing more into mythology by featuring Cyclops from The Odyssey as one of the high-paying symbols.
One of the standout stats from Book of 99 is, of course, its potential return rate. As the title suggests, it sits at 99% RTP, making it one of the highest RTP slots available online. There are two different ways to trigger Free Spins, either by landing three Scatters or by collecting Book Wilds into the Collection Meter to progress along a treasure map.
Book of Shadows
Not ones to play by any rulebook, Nolimit City offered their own dark tale with their 2020 release, Book of Shadows leaning away from the traditional Egyptian theme and replacing it with an occult twist and black magic.
The game’s standout feature is Shadow Rows, an adjustable row system where players can determine their own risk level for an additional cost. Free Spins stick to tradition, triggered by a Grimoire symbol, with a golden expanding symbol selected at random, but there’s also the option to reshuffle for a better one – or a worse one.
Book of Wild West
Saddle up, this next slot is well off the beaten track and perfect for those craving high-stakes cowboy drama. We have Book of Wild West, offering a gritty prairie way out west away from your average Egyptian book slot.
This favourite from 7Rings Gaming goes nuclear in the free spins round, thanks to the locked reels at the top or bottom of the 5×3 grid. This is where the Book mechanic comes into play, as matching symbols opposite each other can expand to fill the entire grid, putting that wanted 10,000x max win well within reach.
Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter
It feels fitting to end this list on Play ‘n GO’s Rich Wilde successor – both literally and figuratively – as he passes on the baton (or flashlight, in this case) to his daughter, Cat Wilde and her various explorative escapades.
Cat Wilde and the Lost Chapter flips open the pages on the standard ‘Book of’ formula with its 10,000x win potential, with Cat herself as a high-payer awarding 1,000x for a line of five and copious expanding special symbols during the Pyramid Spins and plenty of opportunities to extend the round.
Final Chapter
While Book of Ra was the original, Book of Dead was the one that really helped turn the Book formula into a genre of its own. Since then, we’ve had everything from direct spiritual successors like Legacy of Dead and Lost Chapter to wildly different takes like Book of Shadows and Book of Wild West.
If you’ve already squeezed every last expanding symbol out of Rich Wilde’s Egyptian adventures, there’s no shortage of other books waiting to be checked out, with a Book-inspired slots for pretty much every taste.
Not sure which one to try first? Read our slot reviews for a closer look at the features, RTPs, and mechanics, or head over to our slot demos hub to see exactly how these games spin before you play for real money.
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