Megaways Slots – What Are They and Why Should You Play Them?

Author: Joseph Skelker

Over the last few years, Megaways slots have become enormously popular at online casinos. Megaways is a unique reel modifier that was created by the Australian game developer Big Time Gaming. A reel modifier is simply something that changes a slot’s reels from their traditional structure. Do not worry if this sounds confusing. In the following post, we will teach you all you need to know about Megaways.

Megaways Background

As mentioned, the Megaways reel modifier was created by Big Time Gaming (BTG). The first game to use it was Dragon Born in 2015. However, it wasn’t until the release of Bonanza slots in 2016 that Megaways really came to the attention of the gaming public. It changed BTG from a relatively unknown developer to a huge name in the industry.

Megaways proved to be so successful that numerous game developers have since licensed the technology from BTG. That is why you will find Megaways slots developed by Red Tiger Gaming, NetEnt, Blueprint Gaming, Scientific Games (NASDAQ: SGMS), iSoftBet, and more. In fact, Megaways has been so successful that in April 2021, Evolution Gaming reached an agreement to acquire BTG together with the Megaways technology.

The Basics of Megaways

By this point, you are probably wondering what exactly Megaways does. In fact, it is really very simple, but it adds a huge amount of excitement to each spin. On a traditional slot, there is a fixed number of visible rows on each reel, normally three or four, and this means that there are a fixed number of paylines or ways to win.

On a Megaways slot, the number of visible rows of symbols on each reel changes with every spin; there may be just two, or there could be six, seven or more. This way, it is possible for hundreds of thousands of ways to win to be formed on each spin. 

Developers of online slots are hugely creative, and there are already a number of variations on the Megaways mechanic appearing. However, in a traditional Megaways slot, there will be six reels, and up to seven rows can be formed on each reel. The number of rows will be completely random on each spin, and this is why Megaways is so exciting. 

Therefore, on a traditional Megaways slot, there can be up to 117,649 ways to win on each spin, which is an enormous number. You can easily calculate the maximum number of ways to win for any given slot; just multiply together the maximum number of rows on each reel together. In this example, it is simply 7x7x7x7x7x7 = 117,649. Luckily, you do not need to worry about the mathematics when playing Megaways slots, as the game will clearly display how many ways to win there are with each spin. 

It is worth pointing out that many Megaways slots introduce a seventh horizontal reel above the standard ones. This creates even more ways to win, and very often, it forms a core part of an additional bonus feature. 

How Do I Win Playing Megaways?

If you have ever played an all-ways-win slot or a slot with 243 or 1024 ways to win, then you will already understand how to land a win playing a Megaways slot. Rather than having to worry about landing matching symbols along a payline from left to right starting from the leftmost reel, you simply need to land enough matching symbols on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost reel. In other words, you need to land at least one identical symbol on each of the reels from left to right without any gaps between them (reels without that symbol). 

Bonus Features in Megaways Slots

Megaways slots can offer the same bonus features as any other type of slot, but some are more common than others are. 

For instance, it is very common to find cascading/tumbling reels in Megaways slots. In these games, each time that a winning combination lands on the reels, after the payout has been awarded, the winning combination is removed to allow more symbols to fall from above. This may form another win, and the process can then repeat itself. Better yet, very often, this feature is combined with a progressive multiplier. This means that the first payout comes with a 1x multiplier, the second with a 2x, the third with a 3x, and so on. When no more wins are formed, the multiplier resets.

Many Megaways slots also offer free spins round. To make these more exciting, in free spins rounds, it is common for the progressive multiplier not to reset between spins. This means that with a bit of luck, by the final few spins, all payouts may be subject to huge multipliers.

You will, of course, find many more bonus features, such as sticky wilds, expanding symbols, picking games, and so on. The exact features will depend on the game, and often they can be hugely rewarding. 

The Best Megaways Slots

Choosing a slot is an individual process; everyone will have their own tastes when it comes to themes, graphics, features, and so on. However, here are some suggestions for Megaways slots that we think stand out from the crowd.

White Rabbit Megaways

This slot is based upon the rabbit from Lewis Carroll’s tales about Alice. However, what makes it stand out from the crowd is its extremely high RTP of 97.77% and the fact that in the free spins round, the reels can expand, resulting in a potential 248,832 ways to win. Furthermore, during the base game, the pipe-smoking caterpillar can add bonus wilds complete with payout multipliers to the reels. On top of all this, the slot has a top payout of 13,000 times the bet, making it a truly exciting experience. 

Play at:

• 22Bet Casino
• PlayOJO

Bonanza Megaways

This is the slot that is credited with making Megaways such a popular mechanic. The game has a mining theme and uses the standard Megaways structure resulting in up to 117,649 ways to win on each spin. The base game features cascading reels, although without a payout multiplier while landing four scatter symbols spelling out the word ‘GOLD’ rewards players with 12 free spins, and these spins can be retriggered indefinitely. Best of all, the free spins come with an unlimited win multiplier, which can result in some huge payouts.

Play at:

• 22Bet Casino
• PlayOJO

Divine Fortune Megaways

Divine Fortune has long been one of NetEnt’s most popular slots, and in 2020, they reworked it to use the Megaways mechanic. The slot retains its ancient Greek theme, and it introduces a huge number of bonus features. For instance, whenever a wild lands, it will shift down one reel position in subsequent spins until it drops off the reels, and if two wilds collide, then they expand to fill the reel. There is also a free spins game in which bonus payouts of up to 500 times the bet can be won. 

Play at:

• 888casino
• NetBet Casino
• PlayOJO