TOP-10 fruit machines in history
Introduction
Fruit machines have gone from 19th-century mechanical straws to modern HTML5 games. Their recognizable cherry, lemon and BAR symbols remain "timeless classics." Below are the ten most significant and popular fruit slots in chronological order.
1. Liberty Bell (1895, Charles Fey)
Provider: Fey's San Francisco Mechanic Works
Mechanics: three drums, five symbols (horseshoe, bell, diamond, heart, pica)
Historical significance: first commercially successful assault rifle; gave rise to the entire slot industry; subsequently, the symbols were replaced with fruity ones to circumvent the laws of gambling.
2. Bell-Fruit Gum Company (1907, Mills Novelty Company)
Provider: Mills Novelty
Mechanics: the same three drums, on the symbols - chewing gum covers (cherry, lemon, plum)
Meaning: the birth of a fruit theme - chewing gum instead of money was issued for winning, hence the "fruit" as a symbol of slots.
3. Double Diamond (1989, IGT)
Provider: IGT
Mechanics: three reels × one line, Wild-symbol "Double Diamond" doubles the win
Why in the top: a simple interface, frequent payments, a powerful Wild multiplier, is still popular in terrestrial and online versions.
4. Triple Diamond (1996, IGT)
Provider: IGT
Mechanics: similar to Double Diamond, but the Wild symbol "Triple Diamond" triples the win; built-in local progressive
Contribution: for the first time a combination of the classic three reels with the features of a progressive jackpot.
5. Sizzling Hot Deluxe (2009, Novomatic)
Provider: Novomatic (Greentube)
Mechanics: 5 drums × 3 rows, 5 paylines, five fruits + "7"; turbo mode
Features: Clean retro design, accelerated backs, balanced average volatility
6. Fruit Shop (2011, NetEnt)
Provider: NetEnt
Mechanics: 5 × 3, 15 fixed lines, Scatter-freespins; in free spins, each Wild fruit multiplies the winnings by × 2
Significance: a combination of classics with a modern bonus round, one of the highest RTP in the genre (96.84%).
7. BerryBurst (2014, NetEnt)
Provider: NetEnt
Mechanics: cluster payout on field 5 × 3; symbol cascades; central Wild expands to full drum
Innovation: abandoning lines in favor of clusters, the effect of "fruit rain" creates payment chains.
8. Fruit Fiesta (2013, Microgaming)
Provider: Microgaming
Mechanics: 5 × 3, 15 lines; bonus round with selection of bingo balls, multipliers from × 1 to × 10 for each win
Role: Implemented pick-and-click mechanics in fruit slots, keeping things simple and adding interactivity.
9. Fire Joker (2016, Play’n GO)
Provider: Play'n GO
Mechanics: 3 × 3, 5 lines; Re-Spin of Fire function: with three identical characters, the drums are fixed, the rest rotate again; fire Wild-multipliers up to × 5
Significance: return to the three-bar with a dramatic modern feature respin.
10. Fruit Warp (2017, Thunderkick)
Provider: Thunderkick
Mechanics: no drums: from a field of 7 fruits, the player chooses 1-3 for the "back"; random transformations and multipliers up to × 20
Innovation: Breaks the mold of the classic by offering unique UI and logic while still maintaining a fruity theme.
Conclusion
From the mechanical Liberty Bell to the digital Fruit Warp, fruit slots have evolved, retaining the key character set and simplicity of mechanics. Each of the listed ten games contributed: the appearance of Wild-multipliers, bonus rounds, cluster payouts and progressive jackpots. These machines form the genre's gold fund and continue to draw fans anywhere in Australia.
