The demand for skill-based slots in casinos has been growing for a few years.

Improvements in technology have led to a new wave of video slots that feature immersive bonus rounds and multi-player action.

You can play some online slots with skill-based bonus rounds.

Offline casinos in the US are really seeing the benefit of this new technology. Let's take a closer look at five of the best recent and new skill slots to watch out for in 2018.

Seinfeld
Developer: Scientific Games
Released: September 2016

Released for land-based casinos, Seinfeld is based on the hit '90s sitcom.

Like all good TV-themed slots, Seinfeld features actual footage from the hit show, as well as bonuses based on the four main characters.

Players can trigger free spins and instant win bonuses based on famous moments from the show.

The skill element is introduced via the Festivus Bonus. Based on an infamous made-up alternative to Christmas that appeared in an episode of Seinfeld, Festivus lets players shake the Festivus pole for cash prizes.

The difference here is that players can use their skills to shake a virtual pole in order to win money. 

Beat Square
Developer: Konami
Released: October 2017

Video gaming legends Konami have been making moves into the gambling industry for a few years.

They have taken technology from popular games like Ubeat and added a gambling element for casinos. Beat Square may be the developer's most audacious slot yet.

The game is played on a 4x4 grid featuring 16 buttons. Like an arcade game, the buttons light up in time with a beat. Players must hit the buttons in sequence in order to win points and real cash. A dance track pumps out while the game is played.

Like the best video slots, Beat Square features progressive jackpots that are linked across multiple casinos. The machines can also be connected in order to host Beat Square tournaments.

Wrecking Ball
Developer: IGT
Released: November 2017

Konami aren't the only developer keen to tap into a video game-savvy millennial crowd.

US giants, IGT (International Game Technology) incorporate traditional slots play with joystick action in the Wrecking Ball slot.

Wrecking Ball is played on four different-sized reels in a unique 830-ways-to-win format.

While the game plays like a regular RNG slot, the Smash Bonus feature gives the player control over an animated wrecking ball. Using a joystick, the player moves the ball, destroying the building in order to win cash.

Arkanoid
Developer: Next Gaming
Released: January 2018

Winning points for nostalgia is Arkanoid from Next Gaming.

Based on the timeless arcade game, the object in Arkanoid is to move the bat at the bottom of the screen and deflect a ball against a wall of coloured bricks. The more bricks you destroy, the more cash you win. It's also possible to hit special bricks and earn bonus rounds.

Arkanoid has been a popular computer game, arcade, and more recently tablet app, for decades. A move into skill-based gambling is the most natural evolution. 

Safari Match
Developer: Synergy Blue
Released: April 2018

New laws in the US have opened up the possibilities for skill-based games in casinos. These games are a mix of skill and chance to provide a completely new way to gamble.

Synergy Blue already has a real money first-person shooter on their books - ZOMBIE$. But a more traditional slot with cascading reels and a skill element - Safari Match - hit casinos in 2018.

Built on Synergy's HAWG (Hybrid Arcade Wager-based Gaming) platform, Safari Match rewards players who match coloured tiles on an 8x8 reel grid.

Using a controller, the player gets to move the symbols around rather than rely on pure chance. In that regards, Safari Match works like popular apps such as Candy Crush or Bejeweled.

The game features a bonus wheel that triggers every time more than three tiles are matched. It's possible to win up to 250x the entire bet via the bonus prize wheel.