If you’re a fan of Megaways, or want to find out more, welcome to our detailed guide. We have a full list of Megaways slots available at the best UK online casinos including titles from Big Time Gaming, Blueprint Gaming, WMS and many more providers.
This includes favourites like Bonanza and Dragon Born to more recent releases like Monopoly Megaways, Gods of Olympus Megaways and Kingmaker. You will find in-depth reviews of each Megaways slot game including details on all bonus features, the max win, RTP, variance and where best to play online. You’ll also find free play versions so you can try before you go on to play for real money.
Few people could have imagined just what an impact the release of the Bonanza slot by Big Time Gaming (BTG) would have on the online casino world. Saying that, Dragon Born was the first slot to use the Megaways game mechanic.
This revolutionary game engine alters the number of symbols on each reel on each spin. In standard slots, the number of ways to win is usually somewhere between 5 and 4,096 depending on the number of reels.
In Megaways slots, the number of way to create a winning combination can get much, much higher. Reels can often reach 7 symbols high. In a 6 reel slot, if all the reels reach their maximum size, you’ll have 117,649 Megaways active.
These number can get even higher in slots like Holy Diver (Megaways) where extra levels in the feature can take the number of ways to win to a mind-boggling 586,971!
Since the release of Bonanza, slot developers have added more and more features to the standard Megaways mechanic to bump up the action still further. With so many ways to create a winning combination, it’s easy to see why some older slots have looked a little tired compared to the potentially explosive action on offer from Megaways slots.
With the majority of slot sites (or online casinos) now offering Megaways games, you have a lot to choose from. All Megaways casinos listed below are licensed, trustworthy and safe to play at – we’ve personally vetted them ourselves right through from the registration process to cashing out. All these top online casinos allow you to enjoy Megaways slots on desktop, mobile and tablet devices:
Since the Dragon Born slot was released in 2015, Bonanza was released which put Big Time Gaming’s mechanic on the map. With a varying number of ways to win, exciting bonus features and huge potential payouts, the online casino industry has changed. Megaways games are all the rage especially as more and more developers are producing their own Megaways slots. Read comprehensive answers to popular questions covering everything Megaways:
With all the moving pieces, Megaways slots can take a bit of getting used to. Here’s a quick primer on what you can expect.
In a standard, ways to win, slot, winning combinations are created by landing matching symbols on adjoining reels, usually starting from the leftmost reel. The number of symbols that land on each reel are fixed, as is the number of ways to win.
The way winning combinations are created in Megaways slots is the same. Find matching symbols on adjoining reels, starting from reel 1. The revolutionary difference with Megaways games is the number of symbols on each reel varies with each spin. This alters the number of active Megaways on each spin too.
For example, on a 6-reel Megaways slot where the reels can reach up to 5 symbols high like Gods of Olympus Megaways, the maximum number of Megaways is 15,625. That’s calculated by multiplying 5x5x5x5x5x5 which gives us the 15,625 Megaways.
Things get even bigger on slots where the reels can have up to 6 symbols on a reel like Luck O’ The Irish Megaways. At their maximum 6x6x6x6x6x6 size, you’ll have 46,656 Megaways active.
It’s a similar story on 6 reel slots where each reel can include up to 7 symbols. This is one of the most popular Megaways configurations and can be seen in slots like Bonanza Megaways and Dragon Born Megaways. The 7x7x7x7x7x7 set up offers a mighty 117,649 ways to win.
There are rare examples of slots that can offer even more Megaways. In Flower Fortunes Megaways, you could land up to 9 symbols on each reel. Land them on all 6 reels for 531,441 Megaways. The numbers rise even higher in Holy Diver Megaways where you could have 586,971 Megaways active during the bonus round.
With so many ways to create a winner, it’s easy to see why Megaways slots have exploded in popularity.
The Megaways game engine was invented by Big Time Gaming. They created the first Megaways slots like Bonanza and Dragon Born. BTG has since licensed the Megaways technology to other developers who can put their own individual stamp on this innovative game mechanic.
The most prolific exponent of the Megaways game engine has been Blueprint Gaming. They’re created plenty of original contest as well as taking some of their older slots and giving them a makeover. The range includes Wish Upon a Leprechaun Megaways, Deal or No Deal Megaways, Safari Gold Megaways and many, many more – in fact, they offer more Megaways titles than any other provider, including Big Time Gaming!
Other developers to jump aboard the Megaways train include WMS, Fantasma Games, Relax Gaming and iSoftBet. Expect more and more developers to create their own Megaways slots in the future too.
You might think that having up to 117,649 ways to create a winner would deliver more than enough action to keep things interesting. Slot developers have added more and more features to the Megaways video slots, just as they have done with slots that use a standard game engine. Here are some of the extras goodies you could see.
You’ll usually find some combination of the features above in a Megaways slot. A quick skim through the paytable will show you precisely what’s on offer.
With all those extras ways to win available plus plenty of other features and bonus rounds, you might think that Megaways slots would be expensive to play. Think again – they can be as cheap or expensive as you want them to be.
Many Megaways slots have a minimum bet of 10p per spin which makes them a good pick for microstakes players. Of course, there are ample opportunities to up those bets if you’re a high roller with deep pockets.
You can play most Megaways slots on all devices. That means standard desktop and laptop computers as well as on your tablet or smartphone if you’re on the go.
There are some potentially big paydays on offer from Megaways slots. Most feature a maximum payout of some 50,000 x your bet. Some of them (from Blueprint Gaming) are also part of a jackpot network and offer a chance to land a potentially life-changing progressive prize.
Here at CasinoManual, we offer a cracking selection of Megaways slots in demo mode. If you’re a UK player, you’ll have to verify your age before you can try them. This is an extremely simple process using VeriMe technology.
When prompted, just tap in your mobile phone number. You’ll then receive a text with a verification code. Follow the on-screen instructions and you should be good to go in a matter of seconds. There’s no need to fill in lengthy forms or provide documentation, just your mobile phone will do. You only need to verify once to have ongoing access to the site’s free play content.
There’s now plenty of choice available when it comes to Megaways slots. You’ll find something that covers pretty much every theme and genre you could wish for.
Of course, all the classic themes are present and correct. If you like the Irish fortune theme then Irish Riches, Rainbow Riches and Slots O’Gold should tickle your fancy.
If ancient treasure hunting is more to your liking, then you’ll find plenty of entertainment from the likes of Temple of Treasure, Eye of Horus and Legacy of Ra.
The Norse epic has been one of the most popular slot themes so Vikings Unleashed and Lightning Strike should fit that particular bill.
Animal lovers are well catered for too with the online slot jungles including the likes of Safari Gold and Raging Rhino.
If you’re looking for something a little more unusual, then look no further than Holy Diver Megaways which is based on a 1983 album by American heavy metal band Dio and centres on a medieval knight and his quest to reach the Sorcerer’s Castle.
If you liked branded slots, then you won’t be disappointed either. Our pick of the TV tie-ins is Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Megaways which offers jackpots of up to 50,000 times your bet!
And of course, you won’t go too far wrong with oldies like Bonanza and Dragon Born which got the whole Megaways ball rolling. No matter what theme or feature you like, you should find a game that delivers it.
All Megaways slots have an RTP of at least 95%. If you want to get some real bang for your book, take a look at the Egyptian-themed Queen of Egypt and the sci-fi Starquest which have RTP rates of 96.9%. Slots O’ Gold is better still, coming in at 96.9%.
If you’re after a great RTP rate, then look no further than White Rabbit Megaways. Taking inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s ‘Alice’ stories it offers an RTP of 97.7%. Other highlights include a game engine that can expand to offer up to 248,832 ways to win as well as free spins and an option to buy the feature.
Generally, yes. Most Megaways slots are high variance. You can expect some lengthy winless spells from these type of games and you can quickly go through your bankroll. The upside is that you can land a big payday in the blink of an eye thanks to the massive number of Megaways.
If you like slots that deliver high risk play but potentially high rewards, then Megaways slots could be just what you’re looking for.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so the saying goes, and you’ll find plenty of other developers have produced slots that bear a certain similarity with the shape-shifting Megaways mechanic.
If you’ve enjoyed Megaways, you’ll likely enjoy the likes of Cygnus and Ice Wolf from ELK Studios and the Norse epics Pillars of Asgard from NextGen Gaming and Vikings from NetEnt.
The Dynamic Ways mechanic from Leander Games offers 117,649 ways to win which you’ll find in the Gem Zone slot. There’s branded content on offer from Bally in the form of Monopoly Heights, while Novomatic has come up with Tales of Darkness: Midnight Heart which offers up to 100,000 ways to win.
Take a trip to the circus with ReelPlay’s Buster Hammer Carnival, go on safari with Playson in Mighty Africa or go hunting for treasure in Yggdrasil’s Temple Stacks: Splitz. There’s plenty of variety here if you like this style of slot.
With their huge numbers of ways to win plus an increasingly impressive range of bonus rounds and features, it’s easy to see why Megaways slots have become so massively popular.
As the Megaways field becomes more and more crowded, we expect developers to add plenty of new wrinkles to liven up the Megaways experience still further. Furthermore, other slot providers will develop new mechanics/engines that are similar but offer players more variety. One thing is for sure, the Megaways engine has revolutionized the online slots world and will continue to push it further in future. Watch this space!