Megaways slots

Reels That Change Height Every Spin

On a Megaways slot the number of symbols on each reel changes from spin to spin, and so does the number of ways to win. Wins count from left to right on neighbouring reels in any position, and the ways are simply the reel heights multiplied together, which on a six-reel game tops out at 117,649.

Big Time Gaming invented the engine and owns it, and it licenses Megaways to other studios. That is why Red Tiger and Pragmatic Play have Megaways games of their own, each with its own extras on top. The studio’s full catalogue is on our Big Time Gaming page.

Five Megaways Games Compared

The figures come from each studio’s own game pages, ordered by top prize. A dash means the studio’s page does not give that figure.

Bonanza Megaways

The gold-mine game that Evolution credits with transforming the slot industry has Reactions that let the reels cascade in both directions. Four scatters spelling GOLD start 12 free spins, each extra scatter adds 5 more, and the win multiplier starts at 1 and climbs after every reaction, with no upper limit. Evolution, which owns Big Time Gaming, rates it very high volatility, with a top prize of 26,000x. Our Bonanza Megaways guide has the full detail, and more digging games are on our mining slots page.

Gonzo’s Quest Megaways

Red Tiger’s 2020 remake moves NetEnt’s explorer onto Megaways reels. Its Avalanches carry on until no more wins land, with a multiplier that goes to x2, x3 and then x5 within a spin, wilds that stay put when they take part in a win, and a random Earthquake that clears out all the low-paying symbols. Three Free Fall symbols in a win way start the free round, and the top prize is 20,972x. The falling-symbol idea it comes from has its own page, avalanche slots.

Extra Chilli Megaways

Big Time Gaming’s 2018 chilli market game starts 8 free spins with three HOT scatters, plus 4 for each extra one, and then offers a gamble on a wheel that can raise them to as many as 24. The first gamble is at even odds, and later ones lean 60 to 40 in the player’s favour. In the free spins the multiplier rises by 1 on every win reaction, and the top prize is 16,877x. Our Extra Chilli Megaways guide walks through the gamble.

White Rabbit Megaways

This 2017 Wonderland game runs on five reels, so its base game has up to 16,807 ways. In the free spins, Cake symbols add two extra symbols to a reel, and fully extended reels give 248,832 ways, the most of any game here. It returns 96.42%, and Evolution rates it high to extreme volatility. Our White Rabbit Megaways guide covers the Rabbit Hole free spins.

Power of Thor Megaways

Pragmatic Play’s take adds its own touches: the Hammer lands across the top row and turns the symbols beneath it into wilds, and spelling THOR with scatters starts the free games, where a multiplier grows with every tumble. Pragmatic lists 96.55%, the highest return of the five, but no top prize. More games from the Norse myths are on our Norse and Viking slots page.

What Happens After a Megaways Win

Almost every Megaways game pairs the changing reels with cascades: winning symbols vanish and new ones fall in, so one stake can pay several times. Big Time Gaming calls these Reactions, Red Tiger calls them Avalanches and Pragmatic Play calls them tumbles. The multiplier attached to them is where the games differ most. Bonanza and Extra Chilli add 1 for every reaction in the free spins with no ceiling, while Gonzo’s Quest Megaways uses fixed steps of x2, x3 and x5 within a spin, then resets.

Games with cascades on a fixed grid are compared on our cascading slots page.

What a Lower Return Costs per Hour

The five games return between 95.77% and 96.55%. Over 600 spins at £1, that is about £25 an hour on average for Gonzo’s Quest Megaways against about £21 for Power of Thor Megaways. At the £5 limit for players aged 25 and over the gap is about £127 against £104, and at the £2 limit for those aged 18 to 24, about £51 against £41. With volatility this high, a single session can land far from either figure.

White Rabbit’s Feature Drop, a buy price that falls each time a BTG coin lands, belongs to other markets. Slots in Great Britain cannot sell their free spins, so here the Rabbit Hole and every other Megaways bonus have to be reached through the reels.

Megaways Questions Answered

What does Megaways mean? It is Big Time Gaming’s engine in which the reel heights change every spin. The ways to win are the heights multiplied together, up to 117,649 on six reels.

Which Megaways slot has the biggest top prize? Of the five here, Bonanza Megaways, at 26,000x the stake, ahead of Gonzo’s Quest Megaways at 20,972x.

Which has the highest RTP? Power of Thor Megaways, at 96.55% on Pragmatic Play’s page, with White Rabbit Megaways next at 96.42%.

How many ways does White Rabbit have? Up to 16,807 in the base game on five reels, and up to 248,832 in the free spins once the Cake symbols have extended every reel.

Does the multiplier have a limit? In the free spins of Bonanza and Extra Chilli Megaways, no: it goes up by 1 with every reaction. Gonzo’s Quest Megaways uses fixed steps instead, going to x2, x3 and x5 within a spin before it resets.

Keeping Megaways Sessions in Proportion

Thousands of ways and an uncapped multiplier make each spin look full of chances, but the return stays the same over time. Fix a budget and a stopping time before you start, and lock them in with the deposit limits and time reminders in your casino account.

Registering once with GamStop is free and blocks every UK-licensed gambling site in one step. GamCare runs the National Gambling Helpline, where you can talk in confidence for free on 0808 8020 133 around the clock. Gambling on slots in Great Britain is for those aged 18 and over, with online spins capped at £5 for players aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24.