After a scorching hot summer, winter is finally on our doorstep. Not everyone likes the cold weather, but some still enjoy it more than the leisurely summer. Fans of slots will find numerous icy/winter slot bonanzas, including Relax Gaming’s Winter Champions.

The name implies a slot where you can win some kind of medal. This sports-themed slot features animals in the lead role, including polar bears, Bengal tigers, penguins, and icy walruses. Each competes in a different category, and it’s your goal to pair as many as you can to get them closer to the gold medal.

Specs-wise, the Winter Champions slot has medium variance and 1,024 ways to win. The action occurs on an icy slope where the winter games take place. Several animals are vying for ski jumping, curling, or ice hockey trophies. The game uses a rolling reels mechanic to deliver win after win, with wilds stepping in to help.

If this sounds intriguing, I invite you to read my Winter Champions review below. Then, try the free demo slot on this page and see if it’s worth playing at the best online casino with real money.

Relax Gaming has established itself as a key slot developer in recent years. Its slots are full of outstanding and rewarding features, but more importantly, they also look like video games. Winter Champions is no exception to that rule. The animals are full of character, making them charming additions to the grid instead of silent protagonists.

It’s the same with the audio. The soundtrack will put you in a champion mood as soon as you hit a string of wins. As for the layout, the 5x3 grid is located in the center, with the controls on the right side. You can easily access the guide and paytable or start spinning the slot on any device.

If you’re ready to start playing, follow my lead. The first thing you should do in Winter Champions by Relax Gaming is place a bet. Choose from 10c to $150 per spin and click the big spin button on the right. As usual, you need three matches on the reels for a win. Wilds can link wins with an additional feature attached to them – more on that later.

With 1,024 ways to win and rolling reels, every spin can start a string of wins. Winning symbols are removed, while new ones are added to the top of the grid. The rolling reels are infinite, meaning they’ll continue as long as you keep landing winning combinations.

Apart from the rolling reels, the base game is straightforward. There are no multipliers or other modifiers for bigger wins. The slot’s main attractions are the three championship games, which are triggered in an unorthodox way.

Instead of scatters, you need three wilds to trigger the bonus feature. As soon as you land them, you’ll have to choose between three bonuses – curling, ice hockey, and ski jumping.

• Ski jumping - This feature starts with six rolling respins. As long as you keep winning, the number will stay the same. Losing spins subtract one spin from your tally. The ski jump trail has 29 spots, with six holding cash prizes up to 1,000x. Wilds boost your progress on the trail and may further boost the prizes you get. The feature ends when you run out of respins or reach the 5,000x max payout.
• Curling - The curling bonus starts with six rolling respins, too. It only contains blockers and coins with cash prizes. You begin with three coins that move one position down per spin. If there are no new coins, you lose a respin. Reels filled with coins boost prizes up to five times.
• Ice hockey - This feature plays similarly to the ski jumping bonus. Coin pucks with prizes up to 500x the bet are attached to regular symbols. The collector has multipliers between x2 and x10, boosting all coin puck prizes.

You can buy your way to the bonus picker for 50x the total bet. The Bonus Buy feature will provide three wilds on the reels instantly.

Winter Champions is a great slot for everyone in love with winter sports. These are much different than football or basketball, yet equally, if not more rewarding. I had loads of fun with Winter Champions, especially with the ski jumping feature, which offered the best winning potential.

I started the slot with bets of $1 per spin. The base game’s rolling reels mechanic performed solidly, and I hit a few wins over 5x the bet. Getting to the bonus round wasn’t easy, so I ended up buying the bonus round and choosing the ski jumping feature. It paid well and was fun to play, with a haul of 72x at the end.

Not long after, I also managed to trigger the curling feature naturally. It didn’t pay as much as the ski jumping feature, but it was fun to play, nonetheless.

Winter Champions is a medium volatile slot game with an RTP of 96.10%. No surprises there, to be honest. The maximum possible win is 6,000x, which is decent for a slot of its kind.

Relax Gaming hasn’t made a lousy slot recently, and Winter Champions is proof of it. You’ll be fighting for gold in the three innovative bonus rounds, making the slot so exciting. It may not be stacked with as many special features as the other slots in the developer’s portfolio, but that simplicity is just what I needed, which ranks this slot high in my book.

If you’re into the winter theme, I suggest trying Ice Joker by Play’n GO. It’s not a sports-based slot, but it’ll do for fans of the coldest season. You can also try IGT’s Siberian Storm with the patented MultiWay Xtra technology at the top online casinos.