How Megaways Slots Work

Megaways slots change the number of symbols on each reel from spin to spin, so the count of ways to win is different each time. The mechanic was created by Big Time Gaming and is now licensed to other studios, so the label appears on many games from different providers. In this guide we explain how the mechanic works, what the headline ways figure does and does not tell you, and which numbers to look up before spinning.

How Do Megaways Slots Work?

Each reel on a Megaways slot shows a random number of symbols on each spin. In the original six-reel layout that is between two and seven symbols per reel, so the grid reshapes itself each spin. A fixed-payline slot does not do this: its rows and lines stay the same from the first spin to the last.

The number of ways to win is simply the symbol counts multiplied together. Take a spin where the six reels show 3, 5, 4, 6, 2 and 7 symbols. That spin offers 3 × 5 × 4 × 6 × 2 × 7 = 5,040 ways, and a different grid on the next spin gives a different total.

Reel heights on a spin	Ways to win
Smallest grid, 2 symbols on each of the six reels	64
Mixed grid, 3, 5, 4, 6, 2 and 7	5,040
Largest grid, 7 symbols on each of the six reels	117,649

A win is paid when matching symbols land on adjacent reels from the left, in any row position. The part that catches new readers out is that matching symbols must touch from reel one, because a ways slot does not need them to sit on a line.

Where Does the 117,649 Figure Come From?

The top number is arithmetic, not a bonus: seven symbols on each of six reels gives 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649. It was introduced with Bonanza, the Big Time Gaming slot released in December 2016, and the figure is the one quoted in game titles and advertising. Some sources print it as 117,469, which is a typo.

The ceiling is rarely reached. A spin needs seven symbols everywhere to land on it, so most spins sit far below, and the average ways count over a session is a much smaller number than the headline. Some games set a different maximum from the original, so the ceiling is a property of the game, not of the label.

What Do Megaways Slots Add Besides the Changing Reels?

The reel mechanic usually comes with a few companion features, though each game chooses its own. Common ones are cascades, where winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in, and multipliers that climb with each cascade. Many games also place an extra row of symbols above or beside the main grid, which adds ways on some spins.

Whether those features are present is a game-by-game fact. The Gonzo’s Quest review covers a well-known avalanche slot built on a fixed 5x3 grid with 20 paylines, which gives a useful contrast for seeing what the reshaping grid changes. The extra moving parts matter less than the stated RTP and volatility, covered below.

How to Play Megaways Slots Online in the UK

Stakes on online slots in Great Britain are capped by the UK Gambling Commission. The limit lets players aged 25 and over stake up to £5 per spin, while those aged 18 to 24 are held to £2, and it applies to a Megaways slot exactly as it does to any other. Other UK rules shape how these games run too: no autoplay, no turbo spins, and a net-spend display.

Before the first spin, a short checklist helps:

1. Open the game information screen and read the stated RTP and the maximum ways.
2. Check the stake range and the maximum win in the rules, not on the advert.
3. Set a deposit limit in the account before depositing, or read how deposit limits work.
4. Confirm the operator holds a UK Gambling Commission licence on the Commission’s register.

A free-play mode, where an operator offers one, sits behind age and identity checks in the UK. The result of those checks does not change how the game pays.

What Do Megaways Slots Return? RTP and Volatility

RTP is the long-run share of stakes a game returns, and the changing grid does not alter what the maths promises. It is a figure the provider publishes per game, so a label of Megaways does not describe it. The guide to RTP explains how to read it, and the volatility guide covers why two games with the same RTP can feel very different.

Many players assume a Megaways slot is automatically high volatility. No such rule exists in the label, since volatility is set by the provider game by game and is often described only in broad terms such as medium or high. The table below shows a figure only where the provider publishes it.

Slot	Provider	RTP	Layout	Note
Bonanza	Big Time Gaming	96.00%	Six reels, up to 117,649 ways	Original Megaways release, December 2016
Gonzo’s Quest	NetEnt	95.97%	5x3, 20 paylines	Fixed grid, for comparison
Starburst	NetEnt	96.08%	5x3, 10 fixed paylines, both ways	Fixed grid, for comparison

Which Megaways Slots Are Worth Looking Up?

For a shortlist, reviews are only useful when each figure traces back to the provider. The provider’s own game page is the place to check RTP, layout and maximum win, and a review that prints exact RTPs for each game without naming a source deserves a second look.

The original is the natural starting point: Bonanza by Big Time Gaming, now hosted on the Evolution game page for Bonanza Megaways as well as at other studios. Games from other providers that licence the mechanic follow the same logic, with their own themes and bonus rounds. Progressive prize games work differently and are covered in the jackpot slots guide.

How to Compare Megaways Slots

A fair comparison uses the same few facts for each game, taken from the provider and not from the title. The order below keeps the comparison honest and quick.

1. RTP: the published figure, noting whether several versions of the game exist.
2. Maximum ways: the top of the range, since games differ.
3. Volatility: the provider’s own label, where it gives one.
4. Maximum win: stated as a multiple of the stake, where published.
5. Stake range: the lowest and highest stake available to UK customers.

Operators can offer more than one RTP version of a game, which the RTP guide explains. Bonus terms add a separate layer, since a bonus may exclude certain games altogether, so check the game information screen of the casino being used.

Why Do Wins Feel so Uneven on a Changing Grid?

Because the grid size drives the number of paying combinations, a spin on a small grid has few ways to hit and a spin on a tall grid has many. Results swing more between spins than on a fixed-line slot, even when the long-run RTP is identical. A cascade chain on a tall grid can pay several times in one spin, while a run of small grids can pass without a win.

That unevenness is a feature of the mechanic, not a sign that a game is behaving differently from its published maths. Each spin is an independent random result, and earlier grids have no influence on later ones. Past spins give no clue about the next, so a game is not “due” a tall grid.

Safer Play on a Fast-Changing Grid

Megaways spins pace themselves faster than they feel, because each spin redraws the whole grid and cascades extend a single paid spin into several visible events. Time and spend quietly drift upward when each spin looks busy. The net-spend display and a session reminder are there for that reason.

GamStop self-exclusion covers UK-licensed sites, including those that offer Megaways titles. Anyone worried about their gambling can reach the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, free and confidential, and the gambling support services lists further support.