Megaways: What is it and How Does it Work?

Posted by

What is Megaways?

Over recent years, there has been a major influx of slot games that use the Megaways engine. This popular gaming mechanic was originally developed by Big Time Gaming in 2017, with the aim of giving players more ways to win. Megaways essential translates to a huge increase in the number of winning combinations you can land during slot play. 

The technology was developed to keep players interested, by bringing something new to the games they already knew and loved. Since the launch of the Megaways engine, many other providers have leased the technology from BTG to produce their own Megaways slots.  Examples of these include big names like Red Tiger Gaming, Pragmatic Play, iSoftBet and many others.

How do Megaways Slots Work?

Megaways slot titles use a random reel modifier that completely changes how the slot reels behave. The modifier determines how many symbols show on the reels during any spin, and provides more ways to win as a result. 

Where regular slot games only show a certain number of symbols on a single reel (usually three), a Megaways slot adds a whole bunch of extra symbols. And in doing so, boosts the winning potential of the player. 

Importantly, all regular slot games have fixed numbers of paylines. With Megaways, there can be anything up to a staggering 248,832 ways to win with every spin.  You of course need to pay to have the maximum number of paylines in play, but you still benefit from a significantly better chance of pocketing a prize

The Maths Behind Megaways 

The standard setup for a Megaways slot is six reels and up to seven symbols per reel. All Megaways slots display the number of ways to win, but you can work this out yourself with a simple calculation. 

All you need to do is multiply the number of symbols on each reel by each other. So, a slot with seven symbols on each reel and six reels would be calculated as such:  7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649 ways to win.

How to win on Megaways Slots

Just like regular slot games, it’s all about creating combos with matching symbols. However, it’s a little different with Megaways, as you may only need to land a few corresponding symbols to win a prize. Rather than being limited to horizontal lines, vertical lines and diagonal lines, Megaways paylines go in every imaginable direction.

In addition, Megaways slots are stacked with various other special bonus features. Examples of which include the following:

Cascading Reels

Cascading reels is a bonus feature you’ll find with most Megaways slots. This feature comes into play when a winning combo is landed, at which point the winning symbols ‘blast’ off the reels, and are replaced with new symbols. This gives the play of the chance to hit countless consecutive wins on the same spin, and is a feature present in such titles as Twin Spin Megaways and Gonzo’s Quest Megaways.

Mystery Symbols

These symbols are randomly activated in the base game, and can see up to 15 mystery symbols land on the reels. They can appear stacked or fill an entire reel with a single spin, paving the way for bigger wins. These are mostly found in Blueprint Gaming slots like Beetlejuice Megaways and Dragon’s Luck Megaways.

Bonus Buys

Then there’s the famous Bonus Buys feature with Megaways slots, which allows players to buy straight into the bonus round by paying between 50x and 150x the stake amount. However, this feature is not currently available on UK-licensed casino sites.

Free Spins with Unlimited Multipliers

Free spins and multipliers hold the key to big wins. Hence, with unlimited multipliers, there’s huge potential for of pocketing enormous prizes. Once the free spins bonus is triggered, you start with a 1x multiplier, and the multiplier increases by 1 with each consecutive win. You can find this exciting bonus extra in such titles as Bonanza Megaways, Pirates Kingdom Megaways and many others.

The Rise of Megaways Slots 

Since the day the first Megaways slot launched, developers have been dabbling in the technology and building up their own catalogue of Megaways options. There are currently over 100 Megaways slots to choose from, with more being launched every month. 

Just a few standout Megaways titles that have proved to be a hit and stood the test of time include the following:

White Rabbit Megaways

This popular slot from Big Time Gaming has the highest RTP of any Megaways game. Thanks to its free spins bonus round, it also offers the most possible ways to win. The game boasts a 97.77% RTP with up to 248,832 ways to win, and a max win of 17,420x your stake per spin.

Bonanza Megaways

Bonanza Megaways was the first Megaways title to hit the market, and the is credited with catapulting the new slot technology into superstardom.  Even today, it still sits as one of the most popular titles on the scene, thanks to the massive multipliers available in the bonus feature.

The Dog House Megaways

The Dog House Megaways from Pragmatic Play is packed with multiplier wilds and a Sticky Wilds Free Spins feature, where you can get up to seven sticky wilds on each reel. There’s also a Raining Wilds Free Spins bonus round where you can get up to six raining wilds on each spin. Dog House Megaways game offers prizes of up to 12,305x your bet.

Megaways: In Summary

Megaways was created as a method to breathe new life into existing games. But its popularity so it quickly become so much more than its creators had hoped for. The Megaways engine hasn’t only been used to revamp existing games, but has paved the way for an entirely new catalogue of 100% original games. 

The simple fact of the matter is that anything that gives the player a bigger chance to win is always going to prove a hit. With as many as 248,832 ways to win with a single spin, Megaways takes everything you thought you knew about online slot gaming to a whole new level. 

You might also find the following articles interesting:

  • SHARE:

TRENDING POSTS