Unusual Suspects slot
Unusual Suspects is a Northern Lights Gaming slot that Games Global put on general release on 13 September 2023, after an exclusive period. It has 5 reels and 20 paylines. Its defining feature is the sticky wild frame: every wild that lands marks its position, and the detective symbol turns all the marked positions back into wilds. In the Big Boss Free Spins, each detective also moves an upgrade trail on towards the bosses.
Editorial note: this guide explains how Unusual Suspects works. Rules, features and payout figures are set by the studio and can differ between operators and game versions, so check the game’s information panel before you play. Slots are games of chance, and nothing here predicts results. Availability at Fortune Games can change.
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Unusual Suspects: key facts
| Studio | Games Global, developed with Northern Lights Gaming |
|---|---|
| Released | 13 September 2023, after an exclusive release period |
| Reels and paylines | 5 reels, 20 paylines |
| Top line payout | Wild: 10x stake for five on a payline |
| Premium symbols | Handcuffs, dynamite and a case full of cash are among them |
| Sticky wild frames | Every wild that lands leaves a frame on its position; another wild landing in a frame adds a multiplier there |
| Detective | Turns every wild frame in view back into a wild |
| Exploding Wilds | Golden wilds that burst into more wilds, either standard ones or more golden Exploding Wilds |
| Step-down respin | Two scatters can set off a respin in which the scatters step down the reels |
| Big Boss Free Spins | 10, 15 or 20 for 3, 4 or 5 scatters; the wild frames stay in place until the round ends |
| Upgrade trail | Each detective that lands in the free spins moves it on one position; every boss captured adds a multiplier and more spins |
| Bonus buy | Not offered in Great Britain |
| Autoplay and turbo | Not available at sites licensed in Great Britain; UK rules require at least 2.5 seconds between the start of one game cycle and the next |
| Stakes | UK rules cap online slot stakes at £5 a spin, or £2 if you are 18 to 24 |
| RTP | Shown in the game’s information panel |
| Series | Unusual Suspects; this is the first game in the series |
All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to this slot game are subject to change at any time.
How Unusual Suspects plays
The reels carry the crime story. Handcuffs, dynamite and a case full of cash are among the premium symbols, and the wild has the top line pay in the table above. Wins are paid on 20 paylines across the 5 reels. Much of the base game is built around the wild: each one that lands leaves a sticky frame behind, and a detective landing later turns the framed positions back into wilds. A golden version, the Exploding Wild, bursts into more wilds when it lands, and those can be standard wilds or further golden ones.
The scatter has two jobs. Two of them can set off a step-down respin, in which the scatters move down the reels, and three or more start the free spins.
Detective Wilds and the sticky frames
Northern Lights Gaming calls its main base-game feature Detective Wilds. Any wild that lands in view leaves a sticky wild frame on that position, so the reels keep a record of where wilds have landed. If another wild lands on a position that already has a frame, a multiplier is added to it. The detective is the symbol that brings the frames back into play: when he lands, every wild frame in view turns back into a wild on that same spin.
Big Boss Free Spins and the upgrade trail
Three or more scatters start the Big Boss Free Spins: three give 10 spins, four give 15 and five give 20. The wild frames stay sticky for the whole round, so a frame made on the first free spin is still in place on the last. Every detective that lands during the round moves one position up the feature upgrade trail, and each boss captured on it awards a multiplier and more spins. The studio describes the trail as solving the clues to put the Big Boss behind bars.
Unusual Suspects compared with Cops ’n’ Robbers Big Money
Cops ’n’ Robbers Big Money (December 2022) tells a cops-and-robbers story from the other side of the chase, and its bonus also runs on a trail. There, a robber adds multipliers along the trail during unlimited free spins while a cop closes in, and the bonus ends when he is caught, unless the ID Parade lets it resume. In Unusual Suspects the law leads: detective symbols move the trail on, and each boss captured adds a multiplier and spins. The line counts differ too, with 20 paylines against 10 on a 5x3 grid.
| Game | Released | Grid and lines | The bonus trail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unusual Suspects | September 2023 | 5 reels, 20 paylines | Each detective moves it on one position; every boss captured adds a multiplier and more spins |
| Cops ’n’ Robbers Big Money | December 2022 | 5 reels, 3 rows, 10 paylines | The robber adds multipliers along it in unlimited free spins until the cop catches him |
All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to this slot game are subject to change at any time.
Unusual Suspects at Fortune Games
You can find Unusual Suspects among the slot games in the Fortune Games lobby (18+), along with several later games in the series, which fill the other tiles above. The UK caps in the table apply to every player. There is no autoplay or turbo mode, as at every site licensed in Great Britain. Fortune Games has an app on the App Store and Google Play.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a sequel to Unusual Suspects?
Yes. More Unusual Suspects followed in March 2024 as the sequel, again from Northern Lights Gaming. It keeps the Detective Wilds and their sticky frames, and plays on 5 reels and 4 rows with 20 paylines. Before its free spins you pick from a line-up of suspects to add perks, and gold bars collected in a vault can start a jackpot bonus.
What is Wanted Unusual Suspects?
It is the September 2024 game in the series, moved to the Old West. A sheriff takes over the detective’s job, and gold coins rather than wilds leave the sticky frames. Before the free spins begin, you pick outlaws to upgrade the round. Like the sequel before it, it has 20 paylines.
What is the Unusual Suspects slot about?
It is a cops-and-robbers story told from the detective’s side. Games Global set it in a busy city in the dead of night, where seasoned criminals try to escape a wily detective who wants to bring them to justice. In the free spins the hunt moves on to the bosses, who are captured one by one along the upgrade trail.
Related guides
- Cops ’n’ Robbers Megaways slot
- Cops ’n’ Robbers Bigger Big Money slot
- Free spins rounds explained
- More real money slots
Checked on 14 November 2026 against Northern Lights Gaming’s game pages for Unusual Suspects and its two sequels, Games Global’s launch announcement, the SlotCatalog, casinos.com and Gambling.com game records, the launch announcement and the SlotsJudge and Slot Gods records for Cops ’n’ Robbers Big Money, and the Gambling Commission’s guidance and technical standards. How we research and check our guides: our editorial policy.