- Demon Poker is a fun, free card game that you can play online with friends or family.
- Knight Hit is an action-packed mobile game suitable for all ages.
- Blackjack Roller Coaster Typing offers a unique twist on blackjack and typing.
The . And while there’s plenty of fun to be had inside their walls, sometimes you just want to kick back and relax without spending any money. Maybe you had a bad day at the tables or you simply enjoy playing casino games in moderation. Whatever your reason may be, free casino games are a great way to get your fix without reaching for your wallet.
Today, we explore some of the many free titles out there that let you experience a little bit of the casino from your own home. We’ve got slots, video poker, table games, and even some unique casino hybrids that will make your mouth water.
So if you’d like to sample some top-notch casino fun without risking anything, then read on as I show you where to find the best free casino games online.
Best Sites for Free Online Casino Games
Before we look at specific games, it’s worth noting that some online casinos offer demo versions of their games.
This gives you a chance to try out slot machines, table games, and other casino fare before signing up and depositing.
Although most reputable casinos have these demo modes, only a few stand out when it comes to ease of use and software quality. The three below are my top picks for trying free online casino games.
1. Ignition Casino – Top Site for Free Casino Games
Ignition Casino is one of the best online gaming sites around, and it has a great selection of free casino games to boot. Their interface is sleek and easy to navigate, and they feature software from Rival Gaming and Bodog, among others. This means that you get a wide range of slot machines and table games to choose from, all with slick graphics and smooth animations. If you’re looking for a top site for free online casino games, Ignition Casino is a great place to start.
To try out a game for free at Ignition Casino, simply create a free account (no deposit required) and browse their virtual chip section. Here, you’ll find all of the chip-based games that you can play with “play chips” instead of real money. The selection is good and includes popular titles such as A Night With Cleo, Money Magic, and Gushers Bayou Bucks.
When you’re ready to graduate to the real money stuff, then you can use a to help bolster your bankroll.
2. BitStarz – Great for Crypto Gamblers
If you prefer to gamble with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, then BitStarz is the site for you. Not only does this online casino have one of the best bonus schemes for crypto players, but it also features a large library of free casino games that you can try out.
To access the freebies, simply register for a new account (which takes mere seconds). Then browse over to the “Demo Games” section, which features more than 140 different titles. Here, you’ll find everything from slots to roulette to video poker, giving you a nice cross section of the casino floor.
BitStarz is definitely one of the , but it’s also a top choice for those who just want to play for fun.
3. BBQ Bingo – Best Social Media Casino Game
While the previous two entries are full-service online casinos, BBQ Bingo is a Facebook application that lets you play free games of bingo. It’s a simple premise but a good one, and BBQ Bingo has a lot going for it.
For example, not only can you play bingo for free, but you can also earn points and exchange them for more cards. There are mini-games that you can play between bingo rounds to earn extra points, as well as a farming element that lets you grow crops that result in additional points.
Best of all, there is no grind. You gain points fast enough that you rarely, if ever, have to spend any. This makes the BBQ Bingo experience entirely free yet rewarding. I consider this social casino game the best free casino game on Facebook.
Facebook recently shut down a number of gambling-related applications, but as of now, BBQ Bingo lives on. Head over to Facebook to add the app.
Free Slots You Can Play At Home
Slot machines are the lifeblood of any casino, online or off. Fortunately for us, there are dozens of free slot machine games that let us experience the thrill of spinning and winning without opening our wallets.
Below are five great choices for anyone seeking slot machine action from the comfort of their living room.
Mega Joker
If you’re looking for free casino slot machine games, it’s hard to beat Mega Joker. This retro fruit machine was produced by the late, great Hans Theorin, more commonly known as Has.teb, in the netent arts.
Mega Joker is a faithful homage to the slot machines of old, complete with a simple fruit symbol setup and a superb jazzy soundtrack. It’s so authentic that you half expect Clint Eastwood to appear on screen and demand to know, “What do you want?”
Of course, this is no ordinary recreation of the one-armed bandit. Mega Joker has a couple of tricks up its virtual sleeve. For starters, it has a jackpot that can pay out more than 20,000 coins. It also has a mini game that triggers whenever you get two jokers on the bottom panel. In the super game, you have a chance to win free coins as well as the big jackpot.
Another trick to note is that this slot pays out according to a different scheme. Wins occur on both the top and bottom panels, but jackspecks and jokers pay out on the bottom panel only. To maximize your chances of hitting the jackpot, be sure to bet max coins.
All things considered, Mega Joker is the best free online casino slot game you can play. No download or registration is needed; simply load up the game and spin to your heart’s content.
Uncharted Waters
is another great flash game that lets you do a little virtual gambling. In this classic SCUMM game, you can visit various ports and try your hand at three different casino games: roulette, blackjack, and slot machines.
The slot machines are the most plentiful, as there are nine different ones to try. Each ship has its own machine, and they all have unique symbols and sounds. Some feature the expected fruits and sevens, while others have pirates, skeletons, and other nautically themed images.
Unlike Mega Joker, none of these slot machines offer huge jackpots or bonus games. Instead, they stick to the basics, asking you to line up three matching symbols to win. Still, there’s something endearing about these old-school slot machines, and playing them in the context of the game world adds a nice touch.
instant withdrawal casino usaNote that you don’t actually have to gamble to play these slot machines. Simply visit the onboard casino (if your ship is so equipped), and then select the game you wish to play. You can bet and spin, or you can use the handy “test mode” to just spin for free.
Either way, Uncharted Waters is a great game that belongs in every classic adventure gamer’s collection, and the free slot machines are just an added perk.
Simcity: Cities of Tomorrow – The Simslot
If you’re going to include a slot machine in your city simulation game, then you might as well make it unusual, right? That seems to be what EA was thinking when it created .
Found in the downtown expansion pack, the simslot is powered by threeSimOilers and features a transluce blue case that glows ominously. Instead of the usual fruit, flowers, and sevens, the simslot uses SimCity landmarks such as the Space Dome, the Monorail Station, and the Robot Factory as its reel symbols.
And instead of coins, the simslot pays out chunks of glowing green XP Caps that explode upon contact.
Sadly, the simslot is one of the game’s many features that were cut due to the infamous Origin fiasco. However, if you already owns the Cities of Tomorrow expansion, then you already have everything you need to experience the simslot. Just grab the , and you’ll be rolling in XP Caps in no time.
Want more free pc games with gambling? Check out our list.
Best Free Slot Machine Games to Play Online (2023)Simpsina
The Simpsina is a slot machine found in the Kang & Kodos’ Time-Space Hospitality Pad in The Simpsons episode “Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment.”_ Like many slot machines of its era (the early 1950s), the Simpsina features the typical fruit symbols along with a few others, such as a dollar sign and a small beer mug.
What makes the Simpsina notable is that it has voice actors Harry Shearer (who voices Mr. Burns, among other characters) lending his talent to the announcer’s voice, and Yeardley Smith (who voices Lisa) providing the laugh track.
Due to sampling rights, the Simpsina is not included in the Simpsons box sets, which is a shame because it would certainly draw some laughs if some hapless Springfieldian spun the reels and heard Mr. Burns cackling with glee as he lost all his money.
However, an animated GIF of the machine, complete with sound, is available online, meaning that you can get a taste of Homer’s favorite pastime without having to pay a dime.
Thundercades
Thundercades may not be the flashiest arcade game in Fallout: New Vegas, but it’s one of the most interesting.
As described in the game, the Thundercades are “a failed attempt at arcade entertainment” that can be found throughout the Mojave Wasteland. The machines feature an oversized bowling shirt–wearing man with a giant thunderbolt bolt affixed to this chest, and they offer a variation on the slot machine theme.
Rather than standard reels, each Thundercades machine features a rotating metal wheel with various symbols on it. There are the usual wasteland icons such as Death Claws and Super Mutants, as well as some more interesting choices, such as “Insta-Male,” “Increased Carry Capacity,” and everyone’s favorite, “Good Luck!”
Each play of the Thundercades costs you two steel bottles, and each play has a chance of improving your luck, decreasing it, or leaving it alone. Increased luck allows you to receive better loot when you kill creatures or discover hidden treasures.
I’m surprised no one has tried to create a virtual Thundercades machine, but until someone does, you can get a nice look at the machine itself via the .
Free Video Poker Games You Can Play Online
Video poker combines two of the most popular casino games into one, offering players a chance to test their skills against the computer. Unlike slot machines, video poker machines give you some input into the outcome, as you get to decide which cards to keep and which to toss.
As a result, video poker is immensely popular both online and in brick-and-mortar casinos. So it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of free video poker games you can play online.
Below are five great options for anyone looking to exercise their poker muscles without risking any cash.
Jazz Piano Wild Multi Hand
Jazz Piano Wild Multi-Hand is a free video poker variant that adds a wild card jam session to the traditional video poker setup. Based on jazzmusicman123’s ?Free 4 Players Multihand 9/6 Bonus Poker? video, this Flash game offers four separate screens that allow you and three friends to play together.
Each player has ?four sheets? to the wind, which explains the occasionally nutty draws you?ll receive. Of course, the extra dose of randomness fits in well with the improvisational nature of jazz music.
Keep an eye on the bottom left-hand corner of your screen, as that?s where the wild cards enter stage left to join your new piano-playing friend.
One thing to note: Even though this game is based on the ?Free 4 Players Multihand 9/6 Bonus Poker?, the pay table here is actually for 8/5 Bonus Poker. The difference between the two is that the former pays out 90 coins for four Aces (with all Aces being altered), while the latter pays out 80 coins.
Regardless, Jazz Piano Wild Multi is one of the few multiplayer video poker games around and a must-try for fans of the genre.
Joker Poker
Joker Poker is a video poker variation that uses a 54-card deck (i.e., a standard 52-card deck plus two jokers). This addition of those wild jokers makes Joker Poker one of the more giving forms of video poker, as four Aces, including at least one joker, pay out 800 coins (at one coin wagered).
Five of a kind (again, with at least one joker) pays out the jackpot, which is set at 20,000 coins (at five coins wagered).
There are several paid versions of Joker Poker, but Microgaming’s offering is arguably the best. Graphically, it stacks up well next to other recent releases, and the gameplay is smooth and intuitive.
As with all Microgaming online casino games, a quick registration will let you play to your heart’s content without spending any money. And since Joker Poke is one of the featured free games, you can try it out straight away without having to download anything.
2023's Best Pennsylvania Online CasinosDeuces Wild
Deuces Wild is one of the oldest video poker variations, dating back to the very beginning of the game. As the story goes, one Si Redd – a national sales manager for Bally Technologies – came up with the idea of adding a bonus game to the top of a slot machine. When Bally wasn’t interested in pursuing the idea, Redd took his prototype to Roger Shripso, who was working on microchip technology that could make the game a reality.
Together with Shripso, Redd formed Company Engineering Technicians (CET) and developed Fortune Coin Company. In 1978, Fortune Coin introduced the first video poker game, which used the Deuces Wild video poker variant.
In a standard deck of cards, twos (deuces) are wild, which means they can be used to substitute for any rank you need to make a stronger hand. For example, if you have an A-2-3, there are eight different hands you can make with a deuce making up the final card: 234A, 2342, 2343, 2345, A345, 645, 754, and 765.
Deuces Wild is a “low” video poker game, meaning that the highest paying hand is four of a kind. A royal flush – the highest possible hand in other video poker games such as Jacks or Better or Tens or Better – is only worth 200 coins (at one coin wagered). Four deuces is the actual high roller hand here, as it pays out a whopping 1,600 coins.
Of course, the real goal is the four deuces with a fifth card, as this hand pays out the elusive video poker jackpot: a mighty 4,000 coins (at one coin wagered).
Microgaming also hosts a free version of Deuces Wild, so be sure to drop by and live out your Si Redd fantasy.
Jacks or Better Full Pay
Jacks or Better is the granddaddy of all video poker variants, the baseline from which all other games evolve. In fact, the name Jacks or Better refers to the lowest qualifying hand in any video poker title. If you can’t form a hand of Jacks or Better, then you don’t win anything.
Despite its ubiquitousness, not all Jacks or Better games are created equal. The key variable in any Jacks or Betters installation is how much each winning hand is worth. These pay tables can vary significantly, from crappy machines that pay less than 95% all the way up to fantastic models that return more than 99%.
Knowing the differences between these various pay tables is important for serious video poker players, but for those of us who just want to have some virtual fun, any old Jacks or Better machine will do.
Enter the Full Pay Jacks or Better video poker game, which can be found at PrettySimpleGames.co.uk. This Flash game has a simple, clean layout that lets you focus on your cards rather than flashing lights and other distractions.
Best of all, this is the true “full pay” version of Jacks or Better, meaning it pays out 99.54% when played perfectly. In other words, if you master the optimal strategy for this game, the house edge is only 0.46%, which means you’ll win in the long run. And isn’t that what gambling is all about?
Joker’s Wild
Joker’s Wild is another video poker variation that uses a 54-card deck (i.e., a standard 52-card deck plus two jokers). The difference between this game and Deuces Wild is that that in the former, only the aces are wild, whereas in the latter, all deuces are wild.
Other than that small distinction, Joker’s Wild plays out very similarly to Deuces Wild. Again, the best payout is five of a kind with at least one joker (2,500 coins at one coin wagered). The jackpot – found by dealing five jokers – is also the same in both games (progressive jackpot at five coins wagered).
So why include two similar games in my list of free video poker games? Simple: Variation is a spice, and Joker’s Wild provides just enough of it to tickle your gaming taste buds.
Incidentally, there is a paid version of Joker’s Wild, but I haven’t been able to locate a free online version of the game. Still, you can always fire up your copy of and enjoy this classic Konami video poker variation until some online casino decides to host a free demo.
Speaking of Castlevania, did you know that it also has a gambling minigame? Find out more.
Free Blackjack Alternatives
Blackjack is perhaps the second easiest casino game to understand (after slots, obviously). Still, there are times when even the simplest rules become tiresome without some variation.
Luckily, there are several excellent free blackjack alternatives that offer just enough tweaks to make things interesting. Below are five of the best free blackjack games you can play online.
Blackjack 21 Featuring Blazing 777
Like Thundercades, Blackjack 21 Featuring Blazing 777 suffers from having sampling rights to a specific piece of audio. Specifically, the blackjack dealer, known only as “Bella,” is voiced by Huellas del Purgatorio, the death metal band fronted by video game composer Jeremy Soule.
As a result, the blackjack game itself – which is based on the ?Stripmall Blackjack? Flash game – cannot be distributed freely, as it contains the copyrighted audio tracks. However, the core blackjack game can still be enjoyed via the .
In addition to the amusing dealership of Bella, the ?Stripmal Blackjack? game features some unique wrinkles, including Surrender, Doubling after Splitting, and the option to take partial insurance. Best of all, the game displays all the proper proportions, allowing you to truly appreciate the low-cut blackjack dealer tops.
You’ll have to supply your own death metal soundtrack, however.
Blackjack Redux
Blackjack Redux updates the classic game of twenty-one with several innovative rules changes, including these highlights:
- Up to five hands per turn
- Double Down after Splitting
- Late Surrender
- Dealer Stands on All 17s
- Hole Card
- Reshuffling
- Insurance Pays 2:1
Additionally, Blackjack Redux keeps track of your score and lets you compete for the top position. You can also reset the board to wipe out all previous scores, although where’s the fun in that?
Overall, Blackjack Redux is a slick update to a timeless classic, offering just enough innovation to make blackjack feel fresh again.
Mini Blackjack
is a DOS shareware game that was released back in 1995. Created by David Brimstone and published by Bobby Tables Software, Mini Blackjack is a minimalist take on the classic card game that nonetheless captures all the necessary elements.
What makes Mini Blackjack special is its presentation. Rather than a series of static screens showing the dealer and your own hand, Mini Blackjack features animated dealers who shuffle, cut, deal, and tally the cards. Sure, the animation is rudimentary by modern standards, but seeing actual moving pictures made me forget, momentarily, that this was a free game coded nearly 20 years ago.
Even better, Mini Blackjack supports multiplier side bets. Before receiving any cards, you can opt to wager between one and three additional units. At the end of your hand, your side bet is multiplied according to this chart:
- 1-3 Cards: Lose
- 4-6 Cards: x Unit
- 7-9 Cards: 2x Unit
- 10-12 Cards: 3x Unit
- 13-16 Cards: 4x Units
- 17-21 Cards: 5x Units
A perfect 2-card hand (Ace and 10) pays out 5x your side bet, while a perfect 3-card hand (Ace, 10, and Ace) pays out double that amount.
Unfortunately, you cannot save a multiplier game, so you’ll have to memorize your results. Speaking as a forgetful sort, I found this rather annoying, but I guess it’s a fair tradeoff considering you’re getting this classic game for free.
Blackjack 21: Trial by Fire
Blackjack 21: Trial by Fire adds just enough danger to the classic game of twenty-one to make it interesting once again. Set during the Viking Age, this Shareware blackjack game by David Schroeder and Reality Softworks puts your cards in peril from marauding monsters.
At the beginning of each round, you must pay a tax to the local chieftain. If your total tax payments exceeds 200 silver marks, you lose all your gold and must start anew with 50 silver marks.
It gets better: Every time you bust, a monster steals some of your gold. Thankfully, victories over the beast result in him returning some of your stolen wealth.
Blackjack: Trial by Fire also features several rule variations, including doubling down only on 10 and 11, no resplitting, and deals 21st century casinos would be smart to adopt: No hole card and the dealer doesn’t check for blackjack until all players have finished their turns.
Blackjack Hero
Final Fantasy is probably the greatest video game franchise to feature gambling minigames. Both Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VIII have games within the game that let you win rare and powerful equipment… if you’re lucky.
In Final Fantasy V, the game within the game is called Blackjack Hero, an instance of blackjack that follows the basic rules of that game, except that you can have up to five hands at a time, and you earn Experience Points for winning hands.
Earn enough Experience Points, and you level up, gaining access to higher levels and – importantly – better equipment.
Get a Flower Card (Jack or higher) in the first three hands, and you’ll earn a rare Ultimate Hero Card. Get three Ultimate Hero Cards, and you’ll obtain the most powerful armor in the game: Ultima Armgauht.
Best Tipico Casino Games You Should Play OnlineGambling minigames are a great way to inject some chance into an otherwise deterministic medium, and Blackjack Hero is a prime example of how to do it right. Unfortunately, the only way to play Blackjack Hero is to finish Final Fantasy V, which can easily take 30 hours or more.
But hey, nothing good comes easy, right?
Free Poker Games You Can Play Online
Poker is probably the most complicated casino game to understand, but that added difficulty leads to immense rewards for those savvy enough to master the craft.
From the simplicity of video poker to the depths of Texas Hold’em, poker-based games offer a wide variety of experiences for players, and there are even some free poker games you can enjoy without laying down any dough.
Check out my picks for the best free online poker games below.
Video Poker
As I mentioned earlier in this guide, video poker offers players the chance to apply some skill to an otherwise purely random situation. Unlike slot machines, where the player has no control over the results, a careful video poker player can improve his or her odds of winning simply by knowing which cards to hold and which to fold.
Since video poker is a subset of the broader poker category, it’s only natural that there are several excellent free video poker games you can play online.
As detailed in Section 2 of this guide, there are several excellent free video poker games hosted by various online casinos.
My personal favorite is Microgaming’s take on Jacks or Better Full Pay, which lets you practice your optimal strategy without worrying about losing real money. After all, the best way to improve your video poker game is to simply play your video poker game, so head over to Playtester.com and fire up that app: It’s the next best thing to carrying around a Deuces Wild machine in your pocket.
Triple Play Poker
Triple Play Poker is a flashy poker minigame featured in the Mafia II single-player campaign. Like Blackjack Hero in Final Fantasy V, Triple Play Poker drops you into a game within the game that lets you win rare weapons, vehicles, and clothing for your character.
Unlike Blackjack Hero, however, Triple Play Poker is pure Texas Hold’em, with no special twists or rules changes. On the other paw, developer Rockstar Vienna’s implementation of Hold’em is quite solid, featuring crisp graphics, smooth gameplay, and some sharp AI opponents.
In fact, some folks think the Triple Play Poker game is so good that they’d like to see a full retail version of it. So far, no luck, but maybe if enough people ask really nicely, Rockstar Vienna will oblige.
Until then, you can satisfy your Triple Play urges by firing up Mafia II and heading to your safehouse’s poker table.
Video Hold’em Poker
Based on the popular bar game, Video Hold’em Poker offers players a chance to put their knowledge to the test against electronic opponents.
Unlike regular poker games, where you must make the best 5-card hand you can from two sets of cards (your own and the community), Video Hold’em Poker uses a unique system whereby you must choose which 5 of your 7 cards to advance to the final showdown.
As you can imagine, this simple change adds significant amounts of strategy to the mix, forcing players to balance the potential improvement of a hand versus the strength of the current hand. Additionally, unlike regular poker, suits matter in Video Hold’em, with the following hand rankings:
- Royal Flush: 250x Ante
- Straight Flush: 50x Ante
- Four of a Kind: 20x Ante
- Full House: 9x Ante
- Flush: 6x Ante
- Straight: 4x Ante
- Three of a Kind: 3x Ante
- Two Pairs: 2x Ante
- Pair: Even Money
- Less Than Pair: Ante
Thanks to the Flash platform, you can reload the page as many times as you like, enjoying endless Video Hold’em Poker action without spending a single nickel.
Poptoplay’s Poker Games
PopTopLAY is an educational website that uses casual games to teach children a variety of subjects. One of the more popular sections on the site is the Poker Area, which offers several different poker games that kids (and adults) can enjoy without any fear of financial loss.
There are three games in the Poker Area:
- Bluff ‘n’ Stuff. In this Texas Hold’em game, you must teach your virtual uncle a lesson in sportsmanship. As the site notes, “He never throws in the towel, he never says ‘alf,” and he always thinks he’s “killing it.” Of course, every card you get seems to make his hand even worse than yours, leading to repeated accusations of cheating. Finally, you challenge him to a series of five poker games, with the winner taking his cousin’s prized stuffed kangaroo, Fluffy. As you might expect, the game focuses on teaching beginners the basics of poker etiquette, such as throwing in the towel (to signify folding), saying “check” when you don’t want to bet, and recognizing when your opponent has a clearly superior hand. Once you’ve mastered these concepts, it’s on to the felt table … and maybe even the .
- Poker Run. In this solitaire-style game, you’re dealt five cards face-down, with one card face-up in the middle (the flop). You turn over additional flop cards, trying to make the best three-card hand possible. If your hand beats the face-down center card – represented by the ace through king in the upper-right corner – you win that rank, adding it to your score area at the bottom of the screen. Your goal is to collect all six ranks of hands. Despite its simple presentation, Poker Run has just enough depth to entertain repeat visits.
- Texas Hold’Em. This two-player game pits you against an AI opponent in a full game of Texas Hold’em. Unlike most free poker games, which limit you to play only when the pot is below a certain threshold, you can sit and play as long as you like. Of course, since this is an educational game, there’s no real money involved, so feel free to stay at the table until you get bored or go broke. Either way, you’re guaranteed to learn some valuable Texas Hold’em lessons.
Best of all, these games are totally free and require no sign-up or registration. Just head to the Poker Area and click “Play Game” under whichever title you wish to try. Enjoy!
Free Casino Games that Aren’t Slots, Poker, or Blackjack
OK, OK, I know I said that I was going to give you the three best free gambling games that don’t require you to stake any cold, hard cash. I lied.
There are just too many excellent casino games that don’t fit neatly into the slotbox, poker deck, or blackjack table. To be more precise, there are at least five such games, and I’m loath to leave any of them out in the cold just because I already promised their warm bed and dinner in my mickey soft glove.
So, fine print time: While the three games above are certainly fantastic examples of free casino entertainment, this section contains additional titles that deserve mention in any discussion of gambling games you can play for funza.
DemDER
DEATH.DAT.ER is a 2002 DOS puzzle game created by Australian indie developer David Schroeder. In spite of its morbid title, DEATH.DAT.ER is a lighthearted exploration game that uses casino metaphors throughout.
Upon entering the game world, you find yourself in an ante chamber filled with elevators leading down to various casino floors. Each floor contains a specific type of gamble, ranging from Russian Roulette (risk of death) to pick-a-box (relatively safe).
Your goal is to reach the Casual Fallacy, a room deep beneath the main casino containing a paradoxical object that defies logic and common sense. Along the way, you’ll accumulate a variety of casino-themed objects, including a top hat, tuxedo, cane, and fake mustache.
According to the author, the main character is a “casino entity” who has existed inside the game world to provide amusement for the main program. Upon completing the game, the entity thanks the player for providing “a brief, though welcome, diversion,” and the whole edifice collapses in on itself.
It’s a wonderfully meta game that’s way ahead of its time, with themes and concepts that didn’t become mainstream until the advent of indie gaming. Best of all, you can still download DEATH.DAT.ER today and relive its quirky charms.
Demonopoly
has to be one of the weirdest ideas Hasbro ever greenlit.
After all, the original Monopoly was created by a British woman as a criticism of the classist nature of the English estate system. Hasbro tried to tone down these capitalist critiques for the mass market, but Trouble, Sorry! (aka Swapoloy), and The Fast Track didn’t exactly set the world on fire.
So, when Hasbro execs heard that GT Interactive was developing a video game version of the popular board game, they saw an opportunity to correct the company’s mistake.
And what a correction it was.
In Demonopoly, players begin their journey in the Infernal Chambers, where they draw cards that determine their initial resources, status, and location. From there, they must battle their way through various levels, facing off against iconic demons (CEOs, politicians, etc.) and attempting to topple Lucifer himself.
True to the game’s roots, Demonopoly features property acquisition and resource trading, albeit in a much darker context. Additionally, the game introduces several new elements, including Minions (hirelings who perform tasks for you) and Infamy Points (used to gauge success in demonic conquest).
Predictably, critics and consumers panned Demonopoly, citing clunky gameplay, poor AI, and a lack of coherence with
