Megaways – win ways that change on every spin of the reels
If you’re familiar with online slots, chances are you’ve come across the Megaways slots category.
However, if you’re new to online slots or you tend to stick to traditional slots with standard paylines, the term “Megaways” might be a mystery to you.
Regardless of how aware or not you are of Megaways games, in case you’ve never played them before or are seeking a refresher on what they’re all about, below I’ve provided fundamental facts and info covering:
- What they are (and how they differ from standard slots)
- How they work
- What types of features you can expect in these games
- Examples of popular games
- Pros and cons
- If they’re worth playing for real money
- Where you can demo games free
Hopefully, with the knowledge I provide you in this post about Megaways online slots, you’ll gain a better understanding for what they’re all about and can decide if they’re something you’d like to try.
What are Megaways Slots?
Megaways slots are equipped with a unique random reels modifiers mechanic. This trademarked mechanic, officially known as MEGAWAYS™ (sometimes spelled MegaWays) offers players a wide range of ways to win on every spin.
Megaways do not have traditional slot paylines. On each spin of a Megaways game, the number of ways to win randomly change anywhere from less than a hundred ways β to hundreds of ways β to thousands of ways β to tens of thousands of ways β to hundreds of thousands of ways to win.
Where did Megaways come from?
The Megaways mechanic was introduced in 2016 by Australian casino game software developer Big Time Gaming (BTG). It first appeared in BTG’s online slot Dragon Born. According to the company, at the time, the mechanic was a “world’s first in math design”, with Dragon Born featuring a changing number of symbols on the reels for each spin, offering up to 117,649 megaways to win.
However, while Dragon Born was the first Megaways game, it failed to be popular. It wasn’t until later that year when BTG launched its mining-themed online slot Bonanza (which featured an additional horizontal reel), that the whole Megaways model really took off.
After 2016, Megaways gained widespread popularity. In the years that followed, Big Time Gaming (now owned by the Sweden-based Evolution Gaming Group), not only released more Megaways slots, but set a new industry standard by licensing the mechanic to various developers, including Pragmatic Play and Blueprint Gaming. This has resulted in the release of hundreds of Megaways online casino games, with new Megaways games continuing to be released today.
πFun Fact – Many providers release Megaways versions of their top slots. For instance, Blueprint’s popular Fishin’ Frenzy slot has a Megaways version, NetEnt’s award-winning Gonzo’s Quest has a Megaways version, and Pragmatic’s famous Big Bass Bonanza has been Megaways-ed too.
π©π» Mia’s Note: Although Megaways slots offer multiple ways to win, they are different from traditional Ways to Win slot machines, such as 243 Ways to Win Slots, 1024 Wasy to Win slots, and so on. The main difference is that with Megaways slots, the number of ways to win changes with each spin, while with 243 ways to win slots, for instance, the number of symbols on the reels do not change β there is always 243 ways to win on each spin. To learn more about Wasy to Win slots, how they work, and how they differ from Megaways slots, check out my post β Ways to Win Slots – What They Are and Are They Worth Playing.
How do Megaways slots work?
The Megaways design features a variable number of symbols on each reel, for every spin. This is the key difference between Megaways slots and standard payline slots and Wasy to Win slots, which have a fixed number of symbols on each reel.
The typical reel set up for Megaways slots are as follow:
π°6 vertical reels that can have anywhere from 2 up to 7 symbols landing on each spin.
π°6 vertical reels with one additional horizontal reel above or below the standard 6-reel set. This additional row spins independently from right to left and usually has 4 symbols, with each symbol added to the reels directly above or below it. Anywhere from 2 up to 8 symbols can land on the reels in a spin (depending on the game).
Since each reel on a Megaways online slot can have anywhere from 2 to 7 (or more) symbols on any given spin, this is how it’s possible for the number of ways to win to change at random with each game round. In most games, you can see the number of possible winning combinations for each spin in the top middle, top right, or top left corner of the game screen.
To put this into clearer visual perspective – the following is a screenshot of Pragmatic Play’s Thor: Power of Megaways slot. It’s showing 24500 Megaways for that spin. This number is calculated based on the number of symbols on the reels— 5x7x5x5x4x7 = 24,5000.
However, on the next spin, the number of Megaways is 8064— 6x4x7x4x3x4 = 8,064.
To land the maximum 117,649 possible ways to win for this game, you would need to land 7 symbols on all 6 reels — 7x7x7x7x7x7 = 117,649.
How do you win at Megaways slots?
Aside from luck, wins occur when you land a minimum of one matching symbol on adjacent reels (reels with matching symbols must be side by side), starting with the leftmost reel.
Winning combinations are awarded from left to right with the total possible ways to win capped up to a certain number. Traditionally, the number of win ways for Megaways slots is up to 117,649 different possibilities. However, there are games that use the mechanic which offer fewer or more ways to win. For instance, Blueprint’s Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways has up to 15,625 win-way possibilities while BTG’s White Rabbit Megaways has up to 248,832.
Regardless of the max number of win way possibilities, wins in Megaways slots are achieved based on multiplying the number of matching symbols (including Wilds if present) on adjacent reels from left to right, by your total bet.
π©π» Mia’s Note: The above information is based on the traditional Megaways slots design. However, just like how Megaways slots can have less or more than the traditional up to 117,649 ways to win, they can also have a different reel design— with more or fewer than 6 reels and more or fewer than the standard 2 – 7 symbols per reel landing on a spin. Remember to check a slot’s paytable to learn the precise details and rules of the games you play.
What about betting, RTP, volatility, and features?
Megaways slots betting
As is the case with standard Ways to Win slots, with Megaways, you bet per spin, not per payline. While the minimum and maximum bet amount will vary from game to game, it’s a flat rate per spin that’s applied to a bet multiplier.
Minimum bets can be as low as $0.10 for some games. However, in my experience I’ve more commonly seen the minimum bet for these games to be $0.20. As for the maximum bet, this can be anywhere from $25 β $100+. For instance, at PlayOJO Ontario, the minimum and maximum bet amounts that apply to Thor: Power of Megaways is Min $0.20 and Max $40.00.
Megawys slots RTP
It’s common for Megaways slots return to player (RTP) percentages to be around 96% or higher, which is the norm for modern day slots.
It’s important to remember that RTP is only the theoretical return, which is calculated over millions of spins over time and is represented as a percentage. It does not mean that if you bet $1 you’ll get 96 cents back. Results are 100% random.
Additionally, keep in mind that even though there are multiple win way possibilities in Megaways slots, this doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily win more often playing these games than you would another type of slot. Remember to set your limits and play responsibly.
Megaways slots volatility
Megaways games tend to be high volatility slots. In short, this means that they have a low hit frequency, but payouts tend to be higher when they land. This also means that it can take many spins (sometimes over hundreds of spins – believe me, I’ve been there) before you trigger a game’s bonus feature.
Long dry spells mean you’ll need to 1– have patience, and 2– budget accordingly to be able to withstand them if you’re goal is to play for the long haul (a.k.a trigger the bonus).
Due to how long it can take to trigger bonus features, some slot providers include bonus buy and ante bet features in their games. A bonus buy gives you the option to buy the free spins bonus feature outright (e.g., 100x your current bet— it would cost $20.00 if your bet is $0.20). This gives you direct access to it instead of taking your chances triggering it organically via spins. The ante bet feature lets you increase your current bet by a small amount (e.g. $0.50 extra) per spin to boost your chances of triggering the bonus feature in the game.
Not all games offer bonus buy and ante bet features. Even for those that do, availability depends on your jurisdiction. Also, having experienced both features myself, keep in mind that buying the feature doesn’t guarantee you’ll win more than you paid for it or break even, and using the ante bet doesn’t guarantee you’ll trigger the bonus feature quickly. I personally avoid both features because they quickly eat through my bankroll.
Megaways slots features
In addition to the Megaways mechanic, the majority of these games are equipped with other features too. Examples of features include (but aren’t limited to):
- Free spins bonus round
- Win multipliers
- Tumble/Avalanche/Cascade reels
- Wilds
- Expanding Wilds
Also, if you’ve played the non-megaways version of an online slot (e.g. Madame Destiny), more often than not the features from the original game (e.g., the Madame Destiny free spins wheel of fortune modifier – see screenshot below) are maintained and simply combined with megaways.
Examples of popular Megaways slots
Bonanza
Provider: BTG
Max Win Ways: 117,649
Max Win: 26,000x
Gonzo’s Quest Megaways
Provider: Red Tiger
Max Win Ways: 117,649
Max Win: Over 20,000x
Holy Diver
Provider: BTG
Max Win Ways: 586,971
Max Win: 20,000x
Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways
Provider: Blueprint Gaming
Max Win Ways: 15,625
Max Win: 10,000x
Big Bass Bonanza Megaways
Provider: Pragmatic
Max Win Ways: 46,656
Max Win: 4,000x
Buffalo Blitz Megaways
Provider: Playtech
Max Win Ways: 117,649
Max Win: 20,000x
Madame Destiny Megaways
Provider: Pragmatic Play
Max Win Ways: 200,704
Max Win: 5,000x
Monopoly Megaways
Provider: BTG
Max Win Ways: 117,649
Max Win: 14,700x
Divine Fortune Megaways
Provider: NetEnt
Max Win Ways: 117,649
Max Win: 25,000x
White Rabbit
Provider: BTG
Max Win Ways: 248,832
Max Win: 13,000x
Should You Play Megaways Slots? Pros & Cons
If you’ve never played them before, they’re certainly worth a try – even if you start off with demoing games free.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the main pros and cons of Megaways games.
Megaways Slots Pros
- There can be hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of ways to win on each spin.
- These games usually have lots of extra features like Wilds, free spins, cascading reels, multipliers, and more.
- There is a wide variety of Megaways games, making it easy to find a theme you like or games with features you enjoy.
- Most games are suitable for just about any size bankroll, with bets often starting as low as $0.20.
Megaways Slots Cons
- The volatility of Megaways slots is usually high. This means you could play hundreds of spins before you hit a sizeable win or trigger the bonus feature.
- Lack of originality β many Megaways games are similar in gameplay and features, especially those that are copies of an original slot, just with Megaways added.
- It’s easy to think that if there are more ways to win that this means you will win more compared to playing a normal slot – this isn’t true.
Bottom line: Megaways slots can be exciting to play, but their high volatility and low hit frequency require a lot of patience and smart bankroll management. Megaways means there are more ways to win, not that you will win more often.
Megaways Slots FAQ
π° What is a Megaways slot?
Megaways slots don’t have traditional paylines. They feature a unique random reels modifiers mechanic that allows for different ways to win on every spin. The number of ways to win changes (at random) which could result in anywhere from hundreds up to hundreds of thousands of ways to win on any given spin.
π° Is Megaways better than normal slots?
No. They are simply different from normal slots in that they don’t have traditional paylines. Whether a player finds Megaways titles better than other slots without this mechanic is entirely subjective.
π° What was the first Megaways slot?
The first Megaways game was Dragon Born. It was released in 2016 by Big Time Gaming and features up to 117,649 ways to win. However, it wasn’t until BTG released Bonanza Megaways that this slot mechanic took off in popularity.
π° What is the best Megaways slots game?
There are hundreds of Megaways slots from various providers, all with different themes and features. Examples of popular titles in Canada include Bonanza, Gonzo’s Quest Megaways, Divine Fortune Megaways, the Dog House Megaways, Buffalo Blitz Megaways, Madame Destiny Megaways, and Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways.
π° Is there a Megaways slot demo?
Yes. Many game providers welcome players to try their Megaways slot demo. Sometimes free demos can be accessed directly from the casino where you play, while other times they may be available directly from the provider’s site. For instance, you can demo Bonanza Megaways from Evolution’s official game’s site here.
π° What is the best Megaways casino?
The best Megaways casinos in Canada (or wherever you might reside) is any one that is legal (licensed and regulated by a legitimate and reputable governing body), offers the payments you like/trust, has same day withdrawals, provides clear and concise terms and conditions, enforces responsible gambling measures, and has an array of Megaways games (100+).
Mia’s Final Thoughts on Megaways Slots
Ultimately, I do like Megaways games, and I get why many other players do too. Over the past year, I’ve played a variety of Megaways slots, and my current favourites of the bunch include:
- Madame Destiny Megaways (Pragmatic)– In addition to the tumbling reels, I really like the free spins bonus round because of the wheel of fortune feature that occurs before the round starts. This feature randomly picks the number of spins you get and the associated multiplier.
- Bonanza (BTG) – This game is a lot of fun to play, mostly because BTG did such an excellent job on the theme throughout. Plus, it’s a lot of fun trying to blow up the mine during the free spins feature.
- Power of Thor Megaways (Pragmatic) – Beyond the Tumble feature (and the fact that it’s a Norse mythology themed game), I really like the Hammer Feature in this slot. If it activates, all symbols below it on that reel turn wild.
- Holy Diver (BTG) – This branded game gives off serious old school RPG vibes and is highly engaging and interactive, with a variety of bonus features, including free spins (where Dio’s Holy Diver song plays – hence the name of the slot), three different game levels, and up to a possible 586,971 Megaways to win.
Usually, I prefer Megaways titles that include a tumble feature, because I like having an extra shot of potentially increasing a payout when I’ve only paid for one spin. That said, I personally think the best Megaways slots are those developed by BTG because there Megaways games are the most original in terms of themes and design.
Still, even though I do like these games, I will admit that I don’t play them often. That’s because pretty much all Megaways slot games are highly volatile. I’m the type of slots player who prefers a lower volatility with a higher hit frequency rate, even if that results in tinier wins.
On the whole, I prefer to play standard Ways to Win slots more that I do Megaways. That said, if you’ve personally never tried a Megaways slot before, I highly recommend that you take a demo for a spin to experience them firsthand and decide if this type of game is fun for you.
Already a Megaways fan? What are your favourites?
Until next time, good luck and have fun.
Mia π©π»
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**All links and images are for informational purposes only.
***All opinions are my own. If you choose to gamble, please play responsibly.
