Megaways explained: how the reels work, and what it means for RTP

Megaways is a slot reel mechanic created by Big Time Gaming in which every reel shows a random number of symbols on each spin. Wins pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the left, so the number of ways to win changes from one spin to the next. On the classic six-reel layout, where each reel can show two to seven symbols, the maximum is 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649 ways. Our slot database tracks 88 Megaways slots from three studios.

How the ways are counted

A “way” is any path of matching symbols across adjacent reels from left to right, one symbol per reel. To get the number of ways on a spin, multiply the number of symbols showing on each reel. A spin with reel heights of 2, 5, 3, 7, 4 and 6 has 2 × 5 × 3 × 7 × 4 × 6 = 5,040 ways. Only when all six reels reach seven symbols does the count hit 117,649.

Big Time Gaming’s Monopoly Deluxe page describes exactly this: the game “can have between 2 and 7 symbols per reel, creating up to 117,649 ways to win on every spin.” The studio’s about page credits Megaways to Big Time Gaming and says it has been “licensed to numerous developers”. The home page invites slot developers to its licence programme and lists two related formats, Megaclusters and Megapays. That is why Megaways games from Pragmatic Play and BGaming carry the Megaways name with a trademark symbol.

Not every Megaways game uses the same maximum. Of the 64 Megaways slots in our database whose records give a maximum ways figure, 47 list 117,649. Others list different maxima, such as 200,704 for Madame Destiny Megaways and Millionaire Megapots. Always read the figure on the game’s own page.

What Megaways does, and does not do, to RTP

RTP is the share of all stakes a game is designed to return over a very large number of spins. The studio sets it when it builds the game’s maths, across every feature together. A ways count is one input into that design, not a bonus on top of it. The paytable is scaled to the number of ways the reels can produce, so the total return still comes out at the figure the studio chose.

Our data bears that out. The median top RTP of the 88 Megaways slots is 96.50%; across all 1,207 slots in our database it is 96.37%. The difference is small, and both groups span a similar range. Megaways titles run from 95.00% to 97.47%.

None of the 88 Megaways game pages we record lists more than one RTP version. That does not prove the casino runs the figure shown; studios can supply lower configurations to operators. Our guide to RTP versions explains how to check the figure in the game’s own information screen.

Volatility and hit frequency

Megaways changes how wins arrive. Because the reel heights vary, some spins have a few hundred ways and others tens of thousands, and the large outcomes cluster in the spins and features where the grid is big. Most Megaways games pair the reels with a cascade feature: 43 of our 88 also have tumbling or cascading reels, where winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in. See our guide to tumbling reels.

Studios rarely publish a volatility label for these games. Only 16 of the 88 carry one: 7 very high, 8 high and 1 medium-high. None of the four Pragmatic Play Megaways pages we checked for this guide states volatility. No Megaways game in our database publishes a hit frequency as a percentage; BGaming shows a “Hit rate” figure on 8 of its Megaways pages but does not state the unit. The maximum win, where published, has a median of 10,000x the stake across 53 titles, against 8,820x across all slots with a figure.

Examples from studio game pages

• The Dog House Megaways: Pragmatic Play lists 96.55% RTP and “117,649 win lines”. Its wilds carry a 2x or 3x multiplier. Our record gives a maximum win of 12,305x.
• Beware The Deep Megaways: the highest top RTP of any Megaways slot with a page here, at 97.47%, with “up to 117,649 winning ways”.
• Book of Cats MEGAWAYS: BGaming lists 97.07% RTP, very high volatility, “a maximum of 117 649 possible ways” and a 10,000x maximum multiplier.
• Power of Merlin Megaways: a lower 96.08% RTP, but the highest maximum win among Megaways slots with a page here, 40,000x. In its free spins, “each tumble during the bonus will increase the round’s multiplier by 1x”.
• Monopoly Deluxe: a Big Time Gaming title at 96.84%, whose page explains the two-to-seven-symbol reels.

Megaways slots on this site

The table lists every Megaways slot that has a page here and a published RTP: 23 of the 88. A dash means the studio page we record does not give the figure.

Are Megaways slots worth it?

That depends on what you want from a session, not on the mechanic. A Megaways game is not a better bet than a payline game at the same RTP; it delivers the same long-run return through more variable spins. If you prefer steadier play, a high-volatility Megaways title is a poor fit whatever its ways count. If you compare Megaways games, compare the published RTP and, where the studio gives one, the volatility label. Our list of the highest paying online slots ranks titles of every type by RTP.

Method

A slot counts as Megaways when its studio game page, as recorded in our database, names the mechanic in the title, the ways or paylines field, the feature list or the game description. “Top RTP” is the highest version the studio lists. Ways, volatility and maximum win are the studio’s own figures. Database-wide counts cover all 1,207 slots we track; the slot table lists only those with a page here.

A big ways count does not make a win more likely in any session. Set a limit before you play and treat slots as paid entertainment. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, free help is available 24/7: 1-800-MY-RESET in the US, 0808 8020 133 in Great Britain and ConnexOntario on 1-866-531-2600.