A Guide to Playing Megaways Slots

A Guide to Playing Megaways Slots

In the earliest days of slots machines, games had three symbols and just one payline. It’s a mechanic that still has fans to this day, but slots developers are always on the lookout for something new. And so extra reels were added, along with more paylines. From 10 to 20, 40, 50 and even 100 – the number of ways to win with each spin kept on increasing.
Then came the 243 Ways To Win mechanic. Now there weren’t any paylines at all, so players only needed to land matching symbols on adjacent reels to win cash prizes. Add in an occasional extra reel, and perhaps an extra row of symbols and the number of Ways to Win just keeps on increasing.

Up to 100,000 Ways To Win with Megaways Slots

Then Big Time Gaming, an innovative Australian slots developer, came up with the Megaways mechanic. This offers variable rows on reels with each spin, constantly changing the game’s number of Ways to Win – this figure is usually displayed somewhere near the reels so you can keep track. Most games play out across six reels, with each reel able to contain anything from 2 – 8 symbols.
It’s possible to land multiple winning combinations with each spin, and the greater the number of Megaways you spin up, the more chances you have. Winning symbols are multiplied by the number of matches on each reel, so it’s possible to spin up some huge cash prizes when playing Megaways games.

Megaways Slots Extra Bonus Features

When you’ve got a game mechanic as exciting as Megaways it makes sense to ‘max out’ on bonus game features too. Innovation tends to breed further innovation, and that’s certainly been the case with many of the Megaways games being produced. Big Time Gaming have licensed the mechanic so that other software developers can make use of it, and they all strive to make their games stand out from the crowd.
Cascading Reels are often added into the mix. Every winning combination is assessed and a win awarded, then contributing symbols disappear from the reels to be replaced by new ones falling down from above. This can result in further wins, leading to more cascades. You’re effectively getting a free Respin with every win!

Lots of Megaways games also add in a seventh reel, usually shown as a horizontal reel above or below the main reel set. In the hugely popular Bonanza Megaways Slot Game for example, this horizontal reel is shown as train trucks that arrive from right to left across the reel. They can add extra symbols to the central reels below, influencing the outcome of the game and potentially generating even more winning possibilities.

Some Megaways slots also include the hugely popular “Buy” Feature option. This means you can still enjoy playing a game’s Free Spins bonus game, albeit at a price. It’s worth trialling Megaways slots in demo mode before you play with real money, so you can be sure you fully understand the game’s mechanics.