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May 5, 2026
Written by Oliver, Casino & Sportsbook Specialist
Megaways is the most significant mechanical innovation in online slots since the invention of the video slot itself. Since Big Time Gaming introduced it in 2016, it has been licensed to dozens of studios, applied to hundreds of games, and fundamentally changed what players expect from a modern slot in terms of win potential and volatility.
If you have spent any time browsing a casino game library in the past few years, you have almost certainly seen the Megaways name. This guide explains exactly what it means, how the mechanic works, why it produces such high win potential, and which Megaways slots are worth playing.
Megaways refers to a dynamic reel system where the number of symbols displayed on each reel changes randomly with every spin. Because the number of ways to win is calculated by multiplying the symbol counts across all reels, and because those counts change on every spin, the number of active ways to win changes too, sometimes dramatically, from one spin to the next.
On a standard six-reel Megaways slot, each reel can show between two and seven symbols per spin. On a spin where every reel shows seven symbols, the total number of ways to win is 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7, which equals 117,649. On a spin where every reel shows two symbols, the total is just 64. Most spins land somewhere between those extremes, and the constantly shifting number is part of what gives Megaways games their distinctive feel.
In a traditional slot, a win requires matching symbols to land on specific paylines. In a Megaways slot, a win requires matching symbols to appear on adjacent reels from left to right, regardless of their vertical position on those reels. Every symbol on reel one can connect with every symbol on reel two, and so on across the full reel set. This is why a higher symbol count on each reel directly translates to more ways to win.
Megaways was invented by Big Time Gaming, an Australian game studio founded in 2011. The mechanic was first used in their own slot Bonanza, released in 2016, and the combination of the dynamic reel system with a cascading wins mechanic and an unlimited free spins multiplier produced one of the most talked-about slots releases in the industry's history.
BTG patented the Megaways mechanic and began licensing it to other studios in 2018. This licensing model transformed what could have been a proprietary advantage into a category-defining standard. Studios including NetEnt, Pragmatic Play, Relax Gaming, Red Tiger, Blueprint Gaming, and many others have since released Megaways titles, meaning players can find the mechanic across hundreds of games and virtually every major casino.
BTG was acquired by Evolution Gaming in 2021, which brought the Megaways patent and licensing portfolio into the Evolution Group. The licensing programme continues to operate and new Megaways titles are still being released by third-party studios.
Understanding Megaways properly requires understanding three things: the reel system itself, how wins are formed, and the cascade mechanic that almost always accompanies it.
At the start of each spin, the game randomly determines how many symbols will appear on each reel. On a standard six-reel Megaways game, this is typically between two and seven symbols per reel, though some games use different ranges. A seventh horizontal reel running across the top of the grid, called a horizontal reel or top reel, is also common in Megaways games, adding an additional symbol that can act as a wild or scatter.
The number of symbols on each reel is displayed in real time as they are revealed. Part of the visual excitement of a Megaways spin is watching the reel heights resolve and seeing whether you have landed a high-ways spin.
Wins form when matching symbols appear on consecutive reels starting from the leftmost reel. In a six-reel game, the longest possible win uses symbols on all six reels. Unlike payline slots, the vertical position of the symbols on each reel does not matter. Any symbol on reel one can connect with any matching symbol on reel two, regardless of where on the reel each sits.
This is the mechanism by which a higher ways count directly increases win potential. On a 117,649-ways spin, there are far more possible winning combinations from any given set of symbols than on a 64-ways spin. The symbols are the same. The number of positions they can occupy is not.
The overwhelming majority of Megaways slots combine the dynamic reel system with a cascade mechanic, sometimes called Avalanche, Tumble, or Reaction depending on the game. When a winning combination lands, the winning symbols are removed and new symbols fall from above to fill the empty spaces. If the new symbols form another winning combination, those are also removed and more symbols fall, continuing until no new winning combination is formed.
Each consecutive cascade within a single spin typically increases a win multiplier. In Bonanza, the multiplier starts at 1x and increases by 1x with each cascade: 1x, 2x, 3x, and so on with no cap. A long cascade chain during the free spins round, where the multiplier carries over rather than resetting, is the mechanism behind Megaways slots' largest wins.
The combination of dynamic reels and cascading wins creates a distinctive volatility profile that is worth understanding before you play.
On spins with a low ways count, few winning combinations are possible. The base game of most Megaways slots can feel sparse, with many spins producing no win at all. This is the cost of the mechanic's upside.
On spins with a high ways count, particularly during the free spins feature where the multiplier is running, the combination of many active ways and an escalating multiplier can produce very large wins from a single cascade chain. The gap between the most common outcome, a modest win or no win, and the potential ceiling is much wider than in most traditional slots.
This is what high volatility means in practice for Megaways games specifically: extended periods of small returns or losses punctuated by occasional large wins, with the free spins feature being the primary vehicle for the game's maximum win potential.
If you prefer consistent, frequent wins and a stable session balance, Megaways slots are generally not well suited to your playing style. If you are comfortable with variance and are playing for the possibility of a significant win from a bonus feature, Megaways delivers that potential more reliably than most other slot formats.
Almost every Megaways slot includes a free spins feature, and the free spins round is where the mechanic reaches its full potential. The standard structure works as follows:
Trigger: Free spins are triggered by landing a specific number of scatter symbols, typically four or more on a six-reel game. Some games allow retriggers during the free spins round for additional spins.
Unlimited win multiplier: The cascading multiplier that resets to 1x with each new spin in the base game carries over between spins during free spins. Each cascade increases the multiplier by 1x, and it never resets during the feature. A long cascade chain late in a free spins round, when the multiplier has already accumulated through earlier spins, is where Megaways slots produce their biggest wins.
Maximum ways locked: Many Megaways slots lock the reels at maximum height during free spins, guaranteeing 117,649 ways to win on every spin of the feature. This removes the low-ways variance of the base game during the bonus round.
The combination of maximum ways and an unlimited accumulating multiplier is what makes the free spins feature the focus of the Megaways experience. The base game serves primarily as the vehicle for reaching the bonus.
Most Megaways slots offer a bonus buy feature that allows you to purchase direct access to the free spins round, bypassing the base game entirely. The cost is typically between 50x and 100x your stake, depending on the game.
The bonus buy RTP is usually slightly higher than the base game RTP, reflecting the direct access to the feature. However, the cost is significant relative to a standard spin stake, and the variance of the free spins round means you can pay 100x your stake for a bonus that returns less than the purchase price.
Bonus buys are prohibited at UKGC-licensed casinos under UK gambling regulations, meaning players based in the UK or playing at UK-licensed sites cannot access this feature. At MGA-licensed and other international casinos, bonus buys are generally available to eligible players.
One of the most distinctive aspects of the Megaways story is how extensively it has been licensed. Rather than keeping the mechanic exclusive, BTG licensed it to competing studios, which accelerated adoption and made Megaways a recognisable category rather than a single game feature.
Licensed Megaways games fall into two broad groups.
Original licensed titles are new games designed from the ground up around the Megaways engine by studios other than BTG. Pragmatic Play's The Dog House Megaways, Blueprint Gaming's Fishin' Frenzy Megaways, and Relax Gaming's Money Train 2 style mechanics are examples of studios building their own games around the reel system.
Megaways conversions are remakes of existing popular slots rebuilt on the Megaways engine. NetEnt's Gonzo's Quest Megaways is the most prominent example: the original Gonzo's Quest used a fixed 5x3 grid with 20 paylines; the Megaways version applies the dynamic reel system to the same theme and base mechanics, dramatically increasing the number of ways to win and the maximum win potential. Dead or Alive 2 also exists in a Megaways variant, as does Starburst via the Starburst XXXtreme mechanic, which shares conceptual DNA with the Megaways approach without being a direct licence.
The original Megaways slot and still one of the best. Bonanza uses a six-reel layout with a horizontal top reel, a mine-themed aesthetic, and the unlimited free spins multiplier that became the template for almost every Megaways game that followed. The free spins feature can retrigger, and the multiplier carries over through each extension, creating the potential for very long bonus rounds with very high multipliers.
RTP: 96% | Volatility: Very High | Max win: 50,000x stake
Extra Chilli is BTG's own follow-up to Bonanza and offers the same core Megaways structure with a notable variation on the bonus feature. Rather than awarding a fixed number of free spins, Extra Chilli allows you to gamble your scatters during the base game, trading one scatter for additional free spins. This mechanic adds a strategic dimension, requiring you to decide how many free spins to enter the feature with, which directly affects the balance between feature length and stake efficiency.
RTP: 96.2% | Volatility: Very High | Max win: 50,000x stake
One of the most played licensed Megaways titles. Pragmatic Play's The Dog House Megaways applies the dynamic reel system to their popular Dog House franchise, adding a choice of free spins modes, Sticky Wilds or Raining Wilds, that gives players some control over the feature's volatility profile. The Raining Wilds mode produces more frequent wild placement across the reels; the Sticky Wilds mode locks wilds in place for the duration of the feature.
RTP: 96.55% | Volatility: High | Max win: 12,305x stake
The Megaways conversion of NetEnt's most iconic slot. Gonzo's Quest Megaways retains the Avalanche mechanic and the Aztec explorer theme from the original, applies the dynamic reel system, and introduces free falls with an escalating multiplier that surpasses the original game's 15x cap. Players familiar with the original will recognise the setting and core mechanics while encountering significantly expanded win potential.
RTP: 96% | Volatility: High | Max win: 21,000x stake
Blueprint Gaming's Primal Megaways is a wildlife-themed slot with a distinctive Nudge Megaways feature in the base game, where reels can nudge up or down to maximise the ways count on certain spins. The free spins feature uses an unlimited multiplier structure with the option to gamble for additional spins, similar to Extra Chilli. A well-constructed licensed Megaways title that adds meaningful variation to the base mechanic.
RTP: 96.3% | Volatility: Very High | Max win: 50,000x stake
Relax Gaming's entry into the Megaways space demonstrates how the mechanic can be combined with other modern slot features. Hyper Gold Megaways incorporates persistent multipliers that carry over between base game spins rather than resetting, giving the base game more momentum than most Megaways titles where the multiplier only accumulates during cascades. A good option for players who find the base game of most Megaways titles too sparse before the bonus triggers.
RTP: 96.1% | Volatility: High | Max win: 50,000x stake
Megaways is the most famous high-ways mechanic but it is not the only one. Several studios have developed their own dynamic or high-ways systems, some independently and some as a deliberate alternative to licensing Megaways.
PopWins, developed by Avatarux, uses a different expansion mechanic where winning symbols pop and are replaced by two new symbols, expanding the reel height from the bottom up rather than randomising height at the start of each spin. The result is a similar escalating ways count during winning sequences, but the expansion is driven by wins rather than randomised per spin.
InfiniReels, developed by NetEnt, adds a new reel to the right of the grid each time a winning combination is formed, theoretically allowing the reel set to expand infinitely during a winning sequence. Rather than changing the height of existing reels, it changes the width of the grid.
Cluster Pays, used by several studios including Push Gaming and NetEnt, replaces both paylines and ways-to-win with a system where wins form from clusters of adjacent matching symbols anywhere on the grid. A different structural approach that achieves comparable unpredictability in win formation.
None of these are Megaways. They do not require a BTG licence and they work differently under the hood. But they appeal to players for similar reasons: a departure from fixed paylines, higher potential ways to win, and a cascade-driven mechanic that creates momentum within a single spin.
Does a higher ways count mean I am more likely to win?
A higher ways count means there are more possible winning combinations on that spin, which does increase the probability of at least one winning combination landing. However, it does not change the RTP of the game, which is fixed over millions of spins. The ways count affects how wins are distributed within a session rather than how much the game pays overall.
Why do I go so many spins without hitting the bonus?
The free spins feature in most Megaways slots triggers at a relatively low frequency, typically somewhere between 1 in 200 and 1 in 400 spins on average, depending on the game. This is part of the high-volatility design: the bonus is infrequent but impactful when it lands. Long stretches without a bonus trigger are normal and expected, not a sign that the game is malfunctioning.
Are all Megaways slots the same?
No. While they share the core dynamic reel mechanic, licensed Megaways games vary considerably in their free spins structure, base game features, multiplier behaviour, and maximum win potential. Bonanza and The Dog House Megaways are both Megaways slots but feel significantly different to play.
Is Megaways better than a standard slot?
Better is subjective and depends entirely on how you like to play. Megaways slots offer higher maximum win potential and a more volatile experience than most standard slots. Standard slots can offer more consistent returns, more accessible bonus features, and a less punishing base game. Neither format is objectively superior; they suit different playing styles.
Do Megaways slots have lower RTP?
Not inherently. Many Megaways slots have RTPs of 96% or above, which is competitive with the industry average. Some have lower RTPs, as some non-Megaways slots do. Check the specific game's RTP in the information panel before playing rather than assuming based on the mechanic.
What happened to the Megaways patent?
BTG held the Megaways patent and licensed it to other studios. When Evolution Gaming acquired BTG in 2021, the patent transferred to Evolution Group. The licensing programme continues and new Megaways titles from third-party studios are still being released. Some studios have chosen to develop their own dynamic mechanics rather than pay the Megaways licence fee, which is part of why alternative mechanics like PopWins and InfiniReels exist.
The high volatility of Megaways slots has practical implications for how you approach a session. Because wins are clustered in bonus features and the base game can be sparse, you need a larger bankroll relative to your stake than you would for a low or medium volatility slot to give yourself a reasonable number of spins and therefore a reasonable number of bonus opportunities.
A commonly used guideline for high-volatility play is to have at least 100 to 200x your spin stake available as a session budget. At a stake of £1 per spin, that means a session budget of £100 to £200 before you start, enough to weather a long base game drought and still be in action when the bonus triggers.
This is not a strategy that changes the mathematical outcome of your session. It is a practical approach to ensuring that short-term variance does not end your session before you have had a fair statistical sample of spins. Playing a high-volatility slot with an underpowered bankroll relative to your stake frequently results in running out of funds before the bonus has had a chance to land.
Our responsible gambling guide covers session budgeting and how to set limits that keep play within what you are comfortable losing.
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