Starburst is NetEnt’s jewel-and-space classic, released in 2012 and still a staple of UK casino lobbies. It keeps things simple: ten lines that pay from either side, and a Starburst Wild that fills its reel and brings a free re-spin. NetEnt lists a 96.08% return, an 800x top win and a hit rate of 23%, and Evolution, which owns the studio, calls it a low-volatility game, so wins come small and often. A few spins in the demo here show the rhythm.
Free demo
What NetEnt Lists for Starburst
| Spec | Starburst |
|---|---|
| Studio | NetEnt, part of Evolution |
| Released | 2012 |
| Grid | 5 reels by 3 rows |
| Lines | 10, paying in both directions |
| Return to player | 96.08% |
| Volatility | Low (Evolution also lists it as low to mid) |
| Top win | 800x the bet |
| Hit rate | 23% of spins pay something |
| Feature | Expanding Starburst Wild with re-spins |
| Stakes in the UK | From 10p a spin, up to the £5 slot limit, or £2 under the age of 25 |
Wilds That Fill the Reel and Spin Again
Everything in Starburst turns on one symbol. The Starburst Wild lands only on the three middle reels, and when it does, it stretches to cover the whole reel and stays there while the rest of the grid spins once more. A new wild in that re-spin expands and holds as well, earning another re-spin, until as many as three wild reels stand side by side. With all three in place, every line runs through a solid wall of wilds.
The win-both-ways rule is what makes those wilds pay so readily. A line of matching gems counts from the left edge or the right edge, so a wild reel in the middle can finish combinations in two directions at once. The symbols are five coloured gems, a golden bar and a lucky seven, with the bar and the seven at the top of the paytable.
Starburst has no free-spins round, scatter or multiplier. That is the point of the game: each spin settles in moments, with no long feature to wait for.
A Gentle Game With a Modest Top
A 23% hit rate means roughly one spin in four pays something, and many of those wins return less than was staked, which is how a low-volatility game keeps a balance moving without big jumps. The trade is the ceiling. At 800x, Starburst’s top win sits well below that of most modern slots.
That shape suits short sessions, a first look at slots, or a few spins while waiting for something else. Players who want long bonus rounds and far bigger tops will find more of that elsewhere in NetEnt’s range, set out further down.
What a Session Costs at 96.08%
Over a long run Starburst keeps an average of 3.92 for every 100 staked. In practice, 200 spins at 10p put £20 through the game and cost about 78p on average, while 200 spins at £1 cost about £7.84. Because the game is so even, a single session tends to stay closer to those figures than it would on a high-volatility slot, though any session can still finish well above or below them.
Some casinos run a lower-return version of the game, and one UK site lists 94.05%, which keeps 5.95 for every 100 staked. The game’s own help screen at each casino shows the figure in use, and it takes a moment to check.
Starburst Next to NetEnt’s Other Classics
| Slot | Top win | RTP | What it does differently |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starburst | 800x | 96.08% | One wild that expands and re-spins, on two-way lines |
| Twin Spin | 1,000x | 96.55% | Neighbouring reels link on every spin and show the same symbols |
| Gonzo’s Quest | 2,500x | 95.97% | Avalanche reels: winning symbols burst, new ones fall, and a multiplier climbs |
| Dead or Alive 2 | 111,111x | 96.82% | Three free-spins modes built on sticky wilds, with the top win in High Noon Saloon |
Twin Spin is the nearest relative, a retro-styled NetEnt game with its own simple trick, while Dead or Alive 2 shows NetEnt’s wilder side, with long waits that can end in very large wins. For the highest return in NetEnt’s range on SlotRover, Mega Joker reaches 99% in its Supermeter mode. Other calm games, from Ugga Bugga to Four Leaf Fortune, sit on our low-volatility slots page. NetEnt’s storybook trio, Fairytale Legends, runs low to medium as well, and it shares a page with Jack and the Beanstalk among our fairy tale slots.
Frequently Asked Questions
NetEnt lists 96.08%. Lower versions exist at some casinos, so the help screen of the game you open is the place to see which one is running.
800x the bet on NetEnt’s own page. Older sources often quote 500x or 600x, but the studio’s figure is 800x, which at the UK top stake of £5 comes to £4,000.
Not as a separate round. Its extra spins come from the wilds: each Starburst Wild that lands expands and gives a free re-spin, up to three in a row.
Yes. This page’s demo needs no sign-up or deposit, and its credits have no cash value, so it is a simple way to see the wilds at work.
Short Sessions, Set Limits
Starburst’s quick spins make it easy to play far more rounds than planned, so it helps to fix a spending amount and a finishing time with your casino’s account tools ahead of the first spin. A free GamStop registration stops play at every British-licensed gambling site for the period you pick. Calls to 0808 8020 133, GamCare’s National Gambling Helpline, are free and answered every hour of the day. Starburst is a game for adults over 18, as every slot is.
