Megaways Slots Explained - The Meaning of Megaways Slots

What does Megaways Slots mean? Our team of experts explain how the ground-braking mechanic works

Megaways Slots explained: a new Slot Mechanic

Megaways Slots is a ground-braking family of online video slots, first seen in 2016 when Bonanza Megaways was released in the best online casino sites worldwide. Since then much has happened, the online series now counts almost a hundred titles and has worked its way to the rankings of the best online casino sites worldwide.

What makes Megaways Slots different from other video-slots you might have tried before? At first, you might think that they look exactly like any other game, there is nothing special about them. This is because the incredible change they bring is in the innovative math model and the mechanic working underneath the surface of the game. Let’s dive straight into it, here you’ll find what Megaways means and how to make the most of the huge opportunity the family of slots represents.

Best Online Casinos for playing Megaways Slots

You might still be wondering what Megaways are, and how they became so popular among players worldwide. Before we Start explaining tahta, we want to make sure you pick the right online casino for enjoying them. This is crucial in your gaming experience, because the right Megaways Casino makes a huge difference when enjoying online games.

Here you can choose between websites that offer the same quality standards, therefore you can select which one suit you better with the only concern of your personal taste. Read here which ones are best Megaways Casinos of the month, they're all selected by our team. These Online Casino site offer very competitive bonuses (up to £/€1000 and 150 free spins), fantastic customer support and all the best Megaways™ Slots.

Paylines vs Megaways

What makes a huge difference in Megaways Slots is the new idea of Megaways compared to the old concept of payline. In land-based machines or online slots things have always worked with fixed parameters. Players could count on a specific number of reels and a determined number of symbols falling on those reels. Winning combinations were formed on a specific number of lines, drawn in different colours (they’re not visibile during gameplay, but hey) on top of the reels. Some slots would let players decide the number of pay lines they wanted to play with, the higher the number, the higher the bet per single spin.

What is exactly a payline? This is an imaginary line where identical symbols might fall. Usually slots consider winning combinations from the left to the right side of the slot: three or more identical symbols falling from left to right on a specific payline create a win. The value of the symbol gets multiplied by the stake and the player gets a cash prize. Of course there are some exceptions to the rule, but this is how things usually work.

Since Megaways Slots were released in 2016, players have been confronted with a radical change. The number of symbols falling on the reels is constantly changing and the number of possible pay lines that can be formed on the reels reaches the incredible 117.649 Megaways (altough some games in the series offer a much higher number, some like Odin Infinity Reels offer an infinte number of winning ways!).

Dynamic number of symbols

As we’ve just mentioned, one of the biggest innovation brought by Big Time Gaming to the online slots world is the idea of a variable number of Megaways in each reel of the slot.

A standard Megaways game is based on a 6-reels grid. Some of the slots have an extra reel on the top or bottom of the main structure which adds four extra symbols to the calculations.

What makes a huge difference between Megaways and anything else is the idea of having a variable number of symbols falling on the reels at each spin. The great innovation Megaways Slots propose to slots fans is the fact that at each spin 2 to 7 symbols might fall on the reels, creating an ever-changing number of winning combinations! You can try this right now with one of our free play demo, and see Megaways Slots in action with your own eyes.

How to calculate the Exact Number of Megaways

At this point you might be asking yourself what is the number appearing in a golden box at the end of each spin. That is the exact number of Megaways available to you during each spin, which is dynamic thanks to the variable number of symbols falling on the reels.

Here is how you can calculate the right number of Megaways during each spin. Let’s have a look at this image from 1 million Megaways BC and count the number os symbols on each reel:

• Reel 1: 4 symbols
• Reel 2: 3 symbols
• Reel 3: 6 symbols
• Reel 4: 6 symbols
• Reel 5: 5 symbols
• Reel 6: 7 symbols

The potential number of winning ways is calculated by the number of symbols on the first reel by the number of symbols sitting on the second reel and so on: 4 x 3 x 6 x 6 x 5 x 7= 15120.

This is exactly the number you see on top of the reels. This indicated the potential number of settings in which winning combinations can be formed. Wins are scored when two or more identical symbols fall on one of the 15120 possible winning configurations.

Cascading Reels

Cascading reels, or cascading reels is another important feature in Megaways Slots. This can be found in most games of the series, especially the popular ones. You can try this in Twin Spin Megaways, Gorilla Gold Megaways or Gonzo’s Quest Megaways.

This is a very important feature, as it helps players getting more from each single spin. On top of that it is crucial during the Free Spins bonus round, but we’ll say more about this in a minute. When cascading reels are active, every time you hit a winning combination the symbols sitting on the winning way will explode and more symbols will feel the reels from above. At this point the slot calculates winning combinations again and the potential wins are added to your balance. There is no limit to the consecutive number of winning reactions you get get during each spin.

Mystery Symbol

Another important reel modifier is the Mystery Symbol feature. This is not as common as cascading reels, but can be found in many slots in the series, especially those developed by Blueprint Gaming. Some titles you might want to try with our free play demo (or with real money in one of our selected Megaways Casinos) are Beetlejuice Megaways, Buffalo Rising Megaways or Dragon’s Luck Megaways.

This special feature activates randomly during basegame, and works this way. 3 to 15 Mystery Symbols may fall on your reels at the same time. They then turn into the same symbol, thus creating high chances for winning combinations to be formed on your reels.

Free Spins with Unlimited Win Multipliers

Another important special feature you might have heard of, when discussing Megaways Slots, is the free spins bonus round with Unlimited Win Multipliers. What does that mean and how does it work exactly?

When the Free Spins feature is triggered, a win multiplier is set at x1. This feature is really special because every time you hit a winning combo the value of the multiplier will increase of 1 unit, there is no limit to its value! Now you understand why cascading reels are so important in Megaways Slots. Each cascade increases the value of the multiplier by x1, thus creating a great opportunity for players to cash in on a big cash prize.

If you’re lucky enough to trigger the free spins bonus round, you may try this feature on some of the most famous Megaways Slots of the series: Pirates Kingdom Megaways, Deal or No Deal Megaways, Diamond Mine Megaways and Bonanza Megaways.

Conclusions

Megaways Slots are simple and innovative games which use a ground-braking math model for entertaining slots fans. The perfect gaming experience is obtained thanks to the invention of a new slots engine together with special features such as Free Spins with Unlimited Win multipliers, Cascading Reels and Reel Modifiers like Mystery Symbol. The result is an immersive gaming experience with the potential of up to 117.649 winning ways!

Frequently Asked Questions