What Are Megaways Slots?
Megaways slots use a game engine created and patented by Big Time Gaming, where there is no pre-determined number of paylines. On each reel, the number of symbols and ways to win changes randomly with every spin.
If you take a 6 reel, 117,649 Megaways slot, for example, each reel can contain between 2 and 7 symbols each. If each reel displays 2 symbols, the number of Megaways will be 324. Having 7 symbols on each reel, however, will give you a maximum of 117,649 Megaways:
- 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x2 = 324 Megaways
- 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649 Megaways
A winning combo is formed by getting matching symbols on adjoining reels in any position. For example, you would need to land identical symbols on reels 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 as opposed to on reels 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6. There’s no matching symbol on reel 3 in this example.
There are a few different types of Megaways slots available that offer up to 15,625, 16,807, 46,656, 248,832, 100,832, 531,441 and 586,971 ways to win or Megaways. They offer a varying number of reels and symbols per reel but the concept remains the same in all slots. Due to the popularity of Megaways, many of them feature in our Best Slots section.
Best Megaways Slots
One of the biggest developments in the world of online casinos over the past couple of years has been the rise and rise of Megaways slots. Hundreds of slots that use the innovative game mechanic exist today.
With so many slots to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin.
Look at the table below, which summarises each of the top 10 Megaways slots. If you click on the slot name, you will taken to the appropriate section, which gives a short description of each iconic Megaways slot:
Slot | Max Megaways | RTP | Max Win |
Bonanza Megaways | 117,649 | 96% | 26,000x |
Blood Suckers Megaways | 117,649 | 97.66% | 20,521.9x |
Rasputin Megaways | 2,985,984 | 96.68% | 68,180x |
Max Megaways | 117,649 | 96.37% | 139,200x |
White Rabbit Megaways | 248,832 | 97.24% | 17,420x |
Holy Diver Megaways | 586,789 | 96.54% | 23,306x |
Extra Chilli Megaways | 117,649 | 96.19% | 20,000x |
Who Wants to be a Millionaire Megaways | 117,649 | 96% | 70,000x |
Wheel of Fortune Megaways | 1 Million | 96.46% | 82,700x |
King of Cats Megaways | 117,649 | 96.72% | 56,620x |
For more details on how we rate and review slot games on our website, check out our How We Rate page.
Bonanza Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
Many slot developers like to build up hype for a new release by calling a slot revolutionary. In the case of the Bonanza Megaways slot, that description is more than justified. This is the game that got the Megaways gold rush rolling. Created by Big Time Gaming, it’s a mining-themed title played using a 6 reel machine where the number of ways to win can reach a massive 117,649.
Blood Suckers Megaways (Red Tiger Gaming)
Fancy slaying vampires? Red Tiger Gaming has taken on NetEnt’s Blood Suckers and Blood Suckers 2 and incorporated BTG’s engine to create Blood Suckers Megaways. Featuring female demon Succubus, vampire Nosferatu and 15th-century warlord Vlad the Impaler, it comes with 6 reels and up to 117,649 ways to win. You can spin away, on all devices of course, from just 10p per spin.
Rasputin Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
Join the Russian mystic/self-proclaimed holy man in Rasputin Megaways. Powered by Big Time Gaming, it has a disco feel and uses the Rasputin song from Boney M as its soundtrack. With 6 reels, there are up to 1 million Megaways/ways to win in the base game. You can spin away from 10p a spin on all devices.
Max Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
Release your inner Austin Powers/James Bond in Max Megaways, a Big Time Gaming spy-themed production. With 6 reels and up to 117,649 ways to win, you can play from 20p per spin across mobile, tablet and desktop devices. Set on a villain’s island, the visuals are top-notch.
White Rabbit Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
If you think that a slot that offers an enormous number of ways to win means a drop in return to player rate, then think again. A prime example of a game that offers great RTP rates and potentially enormous action is BTG’s White Rabbit Megaways. Taking inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s surreal stories, join Alice in Wonderland and chums in this 6-reel slot that offers up to 248,832 ways to win.
Holy Diver Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
If you like slots that come with a great backstory, you won’t be disappointed with what Holy Diver Megaways has to offer. The action in this 6-reel slot, which offers up to 15,120 ways to win in the base game, centres on a mediaeval knight who travels on a path beneath the reels.
Extra Chilli Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
Known affectionately as Bonanza 2, Extra Chilli Megaways is the sequel to Bonanza (Megaways). With 6 reels and up to 117,649 ways to win, this Mexican street food-themed title can be played on all devices from as little as 20p a spin.
Who Wants to be a Millionaire Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
The first branded slot to use the Megaways mechanic was this 6 reel classic that’s based on the hit TV quiz show Who Wants to be a Millionaire Megaways. In the base game, you can expect the usual formula of ‘Reaction’ wins and reels that offer up to 117,649 Megaways.
Wheel of Fortune Megaways (IGT)
Big Time Gaming has partnered with IGT to create Wheel of Fortune Megaways. Based on the TV gameshow, it comes with 6 reels and 117,649 ways to win. Playable from 20p per spin, this is a high-variance game. It comes with a Wild Megastacks feature where the wild randomly transforms into a Wild Megastack. This sees the wild fill the whole reel, giving you up to 7 wilds.
King of Cats Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
With a big cat theme, King of Cats Megaways is from Big Time Gaming and is essentially 2 slot games in 1. Each offering 6 reels and up to 117,649 ways to win, you choose from the Lion or Puma game. This is known as the PLAYERSELECT mechanic. Each with their own extras, let’s claw a little deeper.
High RTP Megaways Slots
One important aspect of any online slot is the Return to Player rate (RTP). This is the amount of money wagered on a casino game that is paid back to the player, on average. With most of these games being high variance, the Megaways RTP is very important.
With the average being just over 96%, Megaways RTP rates tend to be higher than normal video slots. Anyway, here are the top 5 Megaways RTP slots:
Slot | Provider | RTP |
Blood Suckers Megaways | Red Tiger Gaming | 97.66% |
White Rabbit Megaways | Big Time Gaming | 97.24% |
Gorilla Gold Megaways | Blueprint Gaming | 97% |
Queen of Riches Megaways | Big Time Gaming | 96.9% |
8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways | Microgaming | 96.86% |
Megaways All Action Slots
In some territories, like the UK, bonus buy slots are prohibited. This feature allows players to buy their way into the main bonus feature, normally the free spins, for a certain stake (i.e. 50 x your total stake). A way around this is by playing Megaways All Action slots.
All Action Megaways slots remove the base game leaving just the Free Spins feature. Coined by Blueprint Gaming, you have Diamond Mine All Action Megaways and Buffalo Rising All Action Megaways.
With the All Action mechanic available on these 2 games, you can play the free spins feature for a minimum of £20. You go straight into the free spins, allowing players with deeper pockets to go straight into the action.
Megaways Bonus Features
Megaways slots don’t just come with the shape-shifting reels and 117,649 ways to win. You can expect the usual array of features you might find in standard slots. Here are the most commonly found yet exciting Megaways bonus features:
Tumbling/Cascading Reels feature
When you get a winning combination, the contributing symbols disappear to make way for new symbols. This allows for new winning formations to be created for consecutive wins. This continues until no more new wins are formed. Some Megaways games see cascading wins boosted by an increasing multiplier. Most titles offer cascading reels.
Free Spins feature
This is pretty standard in most slots these days. However, many Megaways slots offer you the chance to win unlimited free spins with infinite retriggers, like Red Tiger Gaming’s Mystery Reels Megaways. Some games also offer a certain number of free spins with a minimum number of Megaways.
Mystery Symbols feature
Lots of Megaways slots come with a Mystery Symbol feature. All instances of the mystery symbol will transform into a randomly chosen symbol for a better chance of forming a winning combination.
Unlimited Win Multiplier feature
This is found in the slot’s Free Spins feature. Each cascading win will increase the multiplier by 1. With no limit to how high the multiplier can reach, a losing free spin won’t see the multiplier revert to 1x. It can only get bigger, meaning unlimited multipliers.
Max Megaways feature
Some games, like Moriarty Megaways, now have a Max Megaways element. Normally randomly triggered, the maximum number of symbols per reel will be displayed, giving you the maximum number of ways to win on that spin.
Wild Multipliers feature
Many slots offer wild multipliers of some sort. If you take Primal Megaways by Blueprint Gaming, you can get wild multipliers up to 6x on each reel. If 1 appears on every reel, they will be multipliers by each other to give you a potential 7,776x multiplier!
Bonus Buy feature (not available in the UK)
This allows you to buy your way into the main bonus feature (the Free Spins feature) for a set price (normally 100 or 200 times your stake). Big Time Gaming’s White Rabbit Megaways slot was the first to use this. Some Megaways slots see the price drop when you see special coins appear on the reels. If the Bonus Buy balance reaches zero, the feature is played automatically. This isn’t available in the UK, though, due to the UK Gambling Commission’s regulations.
Megaways Slot Providers
Due to Megaways’ overwhelming popularity, Big Time Gaming have licensed the game engine to various other software providers, including:
Blueprint Gaming | NetEnt | Red Tiger Gaming |
WMS | NextGen Gaming | Fantasma Games |
iSoftBet | Barcrest | Bally |
Relax Gaming | Iron Dog Studio | Stakelogic |
Playtech | Skywind | Quickspin |
If you take Blueprint Gaming, for example, the Megaways mechanics have allowed them to rejuvenate old and popular games like Genie Jackpots to now offer an enhanced and exciting mechanic to a winning formula. There’s even a NetEnt Megaways slot, as they teamed up with Red Tiger Gaming to deliver Piggy Riches Megaways.
More providers will also be developing games in the near future, and you can find many of them at the best online casinos in the UK. Check back for the new Megaways slots. Most of them will come with 117,649 ways to win.
Megaways Slots Summary
The popular mechanic has certainly taken the industry by storm. The ever-changing number of reels, ways to win and more and more bonus features being thrown in make for an exciting combination. With the risk of too many Megaways slots online being available, more innovations are required to take this revolutionary phenomenon to the next level.
As a result, creator Big Time Gaming has created other engines/mechanics which have also gained popularity. Check out our Megaclusters and Megaquads pages for more information.
Other slot developers, like ELK Studios and NextGen Gaming, have developed similar concepts. The good thing is that this brings innovation and pushes the boundaries for online slots in general.
FAQs
Megaways slots are games using the Megaways mechanic which was created by slot provider Big Time Gaming. It allows for a random number reel modifier that changes how many symbols appear on each of the reels. The more symbols per reel, the more Megaways and potential ways to form winning combinations.
If you take a 6 reel, 117,649 Megaways slot, it can contain between 2 and 7 symbols on every reel. If all reels display 2 symbols each, there’s 324 Megaways in play. If all reels contain 7 symbols each, the number of Megaways increases to 117,649. The number of symbols and paylines is randomly determined on each spin. Traditional online slots have a fixed number of paylines or ways to win on every spin.
The good news is that Megaways slots can be found at most online casinos (due to its success) and we only expect this section to grow substantially. All reputable and trusted casinos will offer Megaways games.
Yes – Megaways free play slots are available here at Online-Slot.co.uk, where you can try them before going on to play real money. This allows you to try the revolutionary mechanic and familiarise yourself with how Megaways slots work.
Max Megaways is a feature where you’ll get a spin with the maximum number of ways to win possible in play. You’ll get a spin with the maximum number of symbols on each reel. Megaways games like Moriarty Megaways offer this.
The first game to use the Megaways mechanic was Dragon Born Megaways from Big Time Gaming. It was Bonanza Megaways though that put Megaways on the map.