Complete Guide to Megaways Slots and Where to Play Them!

Megaways slots are a new type of online slot that has grown massively in popularity over the last few years, featuring exciting and innovative gameplay combined with new and exciting features that have pushed the boundaries of online slot innovation.

At the core of Megaways slots is a licensed random spin mechanic, which affects the number of symbols that land in view on a reel each time the reels are spun. The combined effect of this occurring across all the reels gives us the term “ways” or “winning ways“, which on most standard Megaways slots can increase up to a maximum of 117,649 ways to win.

Given the sheer variety of Megaways slots now available, this value can vary depending on the total number of reels on each slot along with additional bonus features and mechanics, and of course, the max amount of symbols allowed in view per reel.

But if we are talking about a regular “vanilla” Megaways slot that is typically 6 reels with a max of 7 symbols per reel, it’s generally this figure (7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649 ways).

This new technological innovation was developed by the Australian slot provider Big Time Gaming. The sheer success of this style of slot has led to the Megaways functionality being licensed from BTG and used extensively by most, if not all, of the other big slot developers.

If they are one of the rare companies not licensing Megaways, you can be very sure they will have their own similar style of slot utilising multiple ways!

The mass adoption of this technology has led to a literal explosion of this style of online slot, now populating every online casino’s lobby game list pages, with special Megaways sections now set up to cater to the demand of these unique slots.

There have been some great innovations from other slot developers pushing the boundaries of Megaways even further, with Jackpot Features, Bonus Buys, Bonus Gamble Features and even Second Chance Bonuses all proving to be great additions.

Some would argue that the success has led to an almost over-saturation of this style of slot. Developers do need to keep pushing the boundaries to make their latest releases stand out from the crowd.

The best Megaways slot is going to be a highly subjective opinion. Players will always have their personal favourites, whether this is due to a huge win or just that the slot has a combination of great features that they love.

What we can state is that the Bonanza was the official benchmark with Megaways Slots. When first released, Bonanza was almost an overnight success with players, offering something completely new in terms of slot features and winning potential that started what can be only described as a revolution with Megaways slots and a rush from other developers to release their own versions.

Big Time Gaming is still at the forefront of pushing boundaries with what is possible with the Megaways feature with notable releases such as  White Rabbit, Extra Chilli, Lil Devil and Final Countdown giving players new twists on this popular mechanic.

Licensed developers such as Blueprint Gaming have also successfully released compelling Megaways slots such as Rick and Morty Megaways, Primal Megaways, Gorilla Gold Megaways and Fishin Frenzy Megaways.

Other developers such as iSofBet have also produced some fantastic and unique Megaways slots such as Aztec Gold, Royale with Cheese Megaways and Moriarty Megaways.

The list of great titles to check out is ever-growing, Bonanza is the benchmark we can compare to, but there are some outstanding slots in this sub-genre now!

We will cover a selection of some of the more unique Megaways slots below to give you a broader idea of what is on offer and the best online casinos to play them at!

Bonanza Megaways the Benchmark, the slot that propelled Big Time Gaming into a household name to online slot players, with an incredibly hard to land bonus game with meme-worthy missing “D” Scatter references.

This 6 reel slot with a Gold Mining theme will have you humming away to the infectious background music, or rushing for the mute button after a few minutes, a standard 6 reel Megaways slot capable of wins of up 26,000 times stake per spin during the bonus feature.

It is notoriously hard to trigger a bonus round feature, which requires you to spell out the word GOLD on the reels. The 4th scatter “D” symbol can be the source of much frustration, especially with the heartbeat thudding sound as you get teased on whether it will appear or not!

When Bonanza was first released, unique features include an avalanche style win system where winning symbols are removed from the reels, combined with Megaways, an unlimited Rising Multiplier in the free spins round and the possibility of multiple bonus re-triggers too.

With a solid return to player (RTP) of 96%, this slot will also produce some fantastic base game hits, helping to top up your current playing balance than a Mega Win that instantly makes you stop playing and withdraw your winnings!

Still, players only realised the true potency and potential of Bonanza during the free spins round, where the rising multipliers are the key to boosting regular payline wins.

The most recent take on this slot, Bonanza Megapays, retains all the original great features and introduces 4 different value Jackpots into the slot.

Great Rhino Megaways was Pragmatic Play’s first venture into the Megaways style of slot. Whilst we don’t claim that’s it’s anywhere close to being the best, what it did do is tweak the Megaways style by adding a Double Chance Feature button that increases your chances of triggering the bonus.

Along with some clever changes, that increases the maximum number of Megaways to 207,004 ways. Finally, they gave players the option of picking 3 different volatility based free spins options and a 4th random option that could combine all 3 of the previous variations of multipliers and spins.

With these subtle alterations, it’s easy to how drastically changes can be made to the Megaways slots, making an already volatile style of slots even more potent.

With a solid Return to Player (RTP) of 96.47% – 96.58% depending on which options are utilised, this slot is capable of producing some excellent wins too.

Since this first release, they have produced stunning and popular slots such as Dog House Megaways, Buffalo King Megaways and 5 Lions Megaways.

iSoftBet has nailed Megaways slots with their constant innovation to this genre with impressive titles such as Aztec Gold Megaways, Royale with Cheese Megaways, Majestic Megaways, and the Sherlock Holmes themed Moriarty Megaways.

With this particular slot release, not only can you witness one of the most stunning visually designed Megaways slots to date but a whole host of clever innovations with unlockable Holmes and Watson special features built into the bonus round, offering a unique twist on the Max Megaways and Mystery Symbol features.

The winning ways can be increased up to a staggering 352,947 ways during the free spins mode. Offering wins of up to 37,500 x stake with the familiar Rising Multipliers combined with extra reel sets unlocked by collecting the special Watson and Sherlock symbols.

With an excellent Return to Player of 96%, RTP  and Bonus Buy features in available countries. This slot has encompassed all of the good points to Megaways slots and injected some much needed new ideas into this genre.

If you are looking for a truly volatile Megaways slot, then Vikings Unleashed fits the bill. In adding a Gamble feature before the bonus round begins, Blueprint Gaming allows players to use a “Pie Gamble” feature to risk the number of starting free spins along with Multiplier starting value too.

The holy grail of reaching Max/Max on this gamble feature allows players to start the main bonus feature with the highest number of free spins and multipliers, the risk being you have to gamble multiple times to reach this point.

For hardcore players, this doesn’t seem to act as a deterrent though, when you consider this slot also comes with a bonus buy feature, you need to approach the gamble section with some caution!

Combining this feature with a solid Viking Norse theme, great win animations and some huge win potential ensure that this Megaways slot will always be a player favourite.

The only downside for UK players is having no access to the Bonus Buy features anymore, so it’s a case of regular base gameplay to trigger the bonuses.

The Vikings Unleashed slot comes with a max stated win of 50,000 x stake per spin along with an above-average Return to Player of 96.5% (RTP).

Blueprint Gaming has many more great Megaways slots worthy of playing such as Fishin Frenzy Megaways, Rick and Morty, Primal Megaways and the Eye of Horus Megaways.

The White Rabbit slot was released by Big Time Gaming back in late 2017 and was the first Megaways slot to really shake up the overall mechanics and showcase the true ingenuity of these machines.

The introduction of a Bonus Buy feature that included a special symbol collection feature that progressively made the bonus buys cheaper gave players who didn’t want to risk a high initial cost (100x Stake) a reason to play the base game more.

But essentially, it was the combination of the very high Return to Player 97.39% (RTP) combined with the unique bonus round where the Expanding Reels feature allowed reels to grow to a maximum of 12 symbols in height makes this slot very special.

A bonus re-trigger is awarded on reaching the maximum reel size, granting a random number of extra free spins from 1-12 extra spins. This feature can occur on multiple reels, giving multiple re-triggers and increasing the max Megaways to a staggering 248,832 ways.

If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, once a reel becomes full expanded, the highest paying Queen symbols increased on the reels, making them much more common.

A maximum win stated win of 13000 x stake per spin, which is possible during the bonus feature, makes this a firm favourite and an elusive slot for players today still attempting to get the “dream bonus round” on this machine.

If you seek innovation in Megaways slots, then Big Time Gaming, the pioneers, still seem to be the go-to developer in terms of unique slot features where Megaway slots are concerned!

Other great slot titles from BTG well worth checking out include Spicy Meatballs, Beef Lightning, and Lil Devil, to name just a few.

Choose the Best Megaways Casino to Play With a Bonus

Megaways slot machines are incredibly popular globally and the reason so many UK facing casinos have added such slots and gone as far as adding complete Megaways section to their casinos.

You can rest assured that every single casino that accepts UK players listed on this site has a current and valid UKGC casino license, you should always verify this yourself by looking up their license information normally placed at the bottom (footer) of their websites.

If you want more great choices for online casinos you can trust be sure to check out our online casino bonus section, which gives information on which casinos accept UK players, the current welcome bonus offers and wagering requirements.

Cut straight to the chase with our Top 6 Casinos and get our expertly picked online casinos you really should be playing at!

Before Playing – Check the Payable and Special Features

Every Megaways slot is unique. Whilst we might call them “vanilla” in terms of payline structure, the chances are that even these slots will have unique and different features added to them.

Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the slots special features, bonus buy costs if allowed, the paytable to work out which are the key symbols to look for, and any special features that may be the key to the big wins.

Always check the stated theoretical RTP (Return to Player) as in recent years, this can be set by the casinos within a wide range (slot developers will offer several versions of the slot) and may impact your play without you realising.

Different versions of a slot offering can offer settings in the range of 90% RTP up to 97% in extreme cases. RTP can vary from casino to casino for the same slot! So make it part of your list of things to check before playing and parting with your cash!

Decide the Size of Your Bet and Enjoy Megaways Slots!

Megaways slots are fun and immersive, with an ever-growing list of unique and novel features being added with each new release. One thing is for sure there is a growing trend of highly volatile slots that offer players incredible win potential.

The flip side of this means that triggering the actual bonus features can be much more difficult than older, less volatile machines. Bonanza, for example, can take several hundred spins to trigger a bonus feature, so factor this in when choosing your bet size in relation to your initial deposit amount.

Always only play with money that you can afford to lose, this is the most important aspect of gambling online, assume your deposit is lost money as soon as you deposit it, if you are lucky and have a good win recognise this and make sure you withdraw it rather than playing it all back to the casino!