Megaways™ slots shaped how online slot players consume gaming content and why are they popular? Join us as we uncover their secrets in this guide.
Big Time Gaming an Aussie company invented the slots mechanic with ground-breaking features. Each slot has Cascading symbols, an unusual reel structure, and high-paying bonus rounds.
The Megaways™ reel setup is unique with a jaw-dropping 60,466,176 ways to win! They have 6 reels and an additional horizontal reel with 4 to 7 symbols.
There are Megaways™ slots with 117,649 ways to win starting with 15,625 lines up to 46,656 paylines.
The standard slots have fixed pay lines but not the Megaways™ slots. Big Time Gaming is the brainchild of the Megaways™ system. Above the reels, they display a Golden Box.
The box multiplies the number of symbols on the reels. Let’s say 6 symbols pitch on reel 1. On reel 2 another 6 symbols and on reel 3, 4 symbols pop up.
The formula looks like this: 6x6x4=144. This is the amount of Megaways™ you’ll see in the box. The number is never the same on every spin.
Therefore, Megaways™ slots can reach an impressive 531,431 ways to win. So, how do they calculate winning combinations? They calculate winning combinations on reel 1, and from there on end, they calculate it from left to right.
Another top feature about the Megaways™ slots is that they have a buy option. What the Buy Feature does is that it allows players to skip the base game entirely.
You can click the buy option and jump straight into the Free Spins. The buy feature costs anything from 71x to 7,500x your stake. We’re talking to you Deadwood.
Is It Expensive to Play Megaways™ slots for real money? No. You can play them from $0.20 to $100 per spin. As you can see the entry-level is cheap!
Big Time Gaming usually caps the jackpots of Megaways™ slots to $250,000. However, some jackpots pay more than one million quid!
If you want to give Blueprint Gaming’s progressive jackpot slots a go Mighty Griffin is a good start.
Now that you have an idea about the Megaways™ slots’ reel structure. The time has come to look at their bonus rounds. Each slot offers free spins with progressive multipliers.
Jackpots of up to 80,000x your stake, mystery symbols, a buy feature, re-spins, and wilds. You can trigger their free spins features when 3, or matter scatters appear.
Alternatively, you can use the Buy Feature we talked about earlier. The number of free spins you receive can be 10, 15, up to 25 with the possibility of re-triggers.
Each free spins feature is different. Some have progressive win multipliers and others have an expanding or sticky wild.
The Cascading or Tumble reels trigger during a winning combination of 3 or more matching symbols. This is where the magic happens!
The winning symbols disappear from the reels and new ones drop in from the top to replace them. It’s possible to score multiple wins on the same spin.
Moreover, each cascade contains progressive multipliers that increase the multiplier by 1+ during the free spins. The multipliers can combine to give you a top multiplier of 60x!
Initially, Big Time Gaming had the patent for the Mystery Symbol. However, it appears that Blueprint Gaming is now the official Mystery Symbols ‘champion’, and rightfully so.
When a Mystery Symbol appears, it transforms into any symbol including low-value symbols. Plenty of them on the reels offer amazing payouts, especially if it has an unlimited Multiplier.
Next time you play a Megaways™ slot machine check if it has a Mystery Symbol feature.
Deadwood from Nolimit City deserves a shout-out. Yes, it’s also a Megaways™ slot! It has the usual toppings such as free spins, progressive multipliers, and a Buy Option.
The theme of the game tees off in the Wild West. The symbols on the reels complement the Western theme. The game gives you a choice between two Free Spins options.
The first option is the Gunslinger Spins or the ultra-volatile free spins. If you fancy your chances you can sink your teeth into the big wins.
Or, you can go home straddling your horse into the nearest saloon. The other free spins option is the Hunter Spins. It is the less volatile option of the two free spins.
Beetlejuice Megaways derives its title from the 1988 cult Hollywood film of the same name. It’s the first time Microgaming pitched a ride on the Megaways bandwagon.
The slot is chockablock with progressive win multipliers. Consequently, it has 248,832 ways, an RTP of 96%, and a jackpot of $250,000.
We like the free spins feature not only because of its unlimited multipliers. You can gain extra free spins when more scatters re-appear.
Legacy of The Gods is one of Relax Gaming’s finest slot releases. The Greek mythology theme resonates well with players.
Yet, it’s the Megaways mechanic that ropes in players like ourselves like bees to honey. The Cascading System offers repeat wins and a buy option for the high rollers.
The Buy Feature also triggers the Free Spins costs 100x your stake. It gives you a choice between 4x Free Spins options.
Each Free Spins feature has varying levels of volatility namely medium, high, or ultra-high. In addition, each free spins feature has progressive win multipliers.
Want some explosive fun? Look no further than TNT Tumble another Megaways™ slot machine with a Cascading or Tumble Reel mechanic.
TNT Tumble’s main selling point is its jackpot of 12,278x your stake ($1,227,800). Incidentally, it’s also the biggest Megaways jackpot.
Every free spin offers a 3x multiplier win which triples wins. TNT Tumble has a Buy Option for a quick entry into the free spins. Relax Gaming did a marvelous job with this slot.
Megaways Joker is different from the other Megaways slots. The distinguishing feature is its gorgeous graphics and interesting free spins feature.
They’re bright and colorful and they just about punch you in the face. However, unlike the other games, it does not have a Cascading System.
Megaways Joker though sparse by way of special features offers a massive jackpot of 10,000x or $1 million. By the way, there is a Buy Option that costs 100x your stake.
The Megaways™ slots are our favorite games because they contain cascades, big jackpots, Buy Options, and RTPs that rock 97%. Aside from their aesthetics, they’re fun to play.