Traditional slot games have a fixed number of paylines, but today various types of slots do away with the limitations of fixed paylines. In some of these slots, the number of symbols on each reel can change randomly on each spin. When you have no idea how many ways you will have to win on each spin, the unpredictability is exciting.
Where to play
You can play Megaways slots for real money at many online casinos today, but make sure it’s a licensed one with a good reputation. No amount of ways to win will help you if you don’t have a safe and secure way to withdraw your winnings.
A brief history
Big Time Gaming’s ‘Bonanza Megaways’ was very successful when they released it in 2016. It was quite a gamble at the time, but its success meant that other developers were keen on getting licensed to use the Megaways engine. Today you have access to a huge range of these slots to play.
A well-known slot using the engine is NetEnt’s ‘Gonzo’s Quest Megaways.’ Blueprint Gaming has also successfully used the mechanic in ‘Buffalo Rising Megaways.’ It has added its progressive jackpot system to several of its Megaways slots. ‘The Goonies Megaways’ is another popular Blueprint Gaming slot based on the 1980s movie. It uses images and sound effects from the movie and has a feature wheel that can activate free spin features.
How do Megaways slots work?
These slots use a random number generator (RNG) like other slot games, but it not only calculates winning symbol combinations and payouts but also the total number of rows. The number of symbols on a reel typically ranges from two to seven. You usually get 117,649 ways to win, but some titles can offer up to 200,000 ways to win.
From professional esports tournaments to virtual fitness communities, various digital sports are expanding beyond traditional boundaries, and the same is happening in the realm of digital slot games. One of the innovations is tumbling or cascading reels, where the winning symbols disappear, and new ones replace them, giving you more opportunities to form winning combinations.
Features in Megaways slots
Megaways slots aren’t tied to specific themes or features and are fairly self-explanatory and easy to play. Some of the special features you will find are multipliers and extra spins. Wild symbols can take the place of regular symbols and help you form winning combinations. A game may include a mini-game or a collection mechanic. It may even feature a progressive jackpot.
Pros and cons of Megaways slots
Developers don’t have to use the Megaways engine to offer high payline counts, as they can do so by other means. The license adds to their costs, and they have no guarantee the slot will succeed. Your personal preference may be to play slots with traditional paylines that are more predictable.
These slots have high volatility, meaning that wins are less frequent but larger, which may not suit all playing styles. They are highly volatile due to the varying reel configurations and large number of paylines. The constant reel configuration can feel like a lot, and high variance is tough on a tight bankroll.
If you want to attract good luck, it helps to have more ways to win, which you get with Megaways slots. They also often have features that you may not find in more traditional slots, giving you bigger payouts. Features like cascading reels and multipliers can put your potential return into a different bracket than what fixed payline structures can offer.
