• By: Allen Brown

What is a Megaways slot?

When playing online slot games, the huge variety available can make it hard to know where to start. 

With so many bright graphics and familiar franchises blended with new features and themed games, it’s clear the online casino industry has kept up with the ever-evolving digital age. 

However, games like Dynamite Riches Megaways and Eye of Horus Megaways each have something in common. You can play the original games online, but there are some with a Megaways twist…

Where did Megaways come from?

Megaways was developed by an Australian company called Big Time Gaming, which was founded by Nik Robinson in 2011. The first Megaways slot – Bonanza – made its debut in 2016. 

Due to the popularity of the mechanic, Big Time Gaming has since begun licensing Megaways to other companies – paving the way for the huge variety of Megaways Slots you can play today. 

You’ll even find the likes of Megaclusters – a Megaways spin-off in which you’ll aim to create clusters on the reels. 

 

The meaning of Megaways

Megaways Slots are games that use the special Megaways random reel modifier mechanic. This essentially means the number of symbols that appear on the reels on any spin can change, providing you with more paylines than the average slot. 

With an average of six reels, most Megaways Slots can offer 117,649 possible winning combinations! 

 

How do the games work?

Megaways Slots differ from traditional Slots in many ways. One of these is that the number of available paylines can change from spin to spin, as mentioned above. 

Traditionally, these would be fixed across three to five reels, but Megaways Slots start with six reels and the number of symbols on each of these reels can vary, with a maximum of seven symbols per reel – meaning the number of paylines per spin can also change. 

Another factor is that traditional Slots require you to line up matching symbols on the paylines. On a Megaways slot, a win can occur when between three and six identical symbols land on adjacent reels. 

However, much like traditional Slots, Megaways Slots are kept fair and unpredictable thanks to the use of a Random Number Generator (RNG). This computer software creates unpredictable combinations of numbers every single second, creating the closest thing to computer-generated randomness we can get. 

No matter the number of reels, symbols and bonus features – an RNG keeps each online game completely unbiased and chance-based. 

 

The Megaways takeover

It’s clear this unique random reel modifier has proven popular amongst players in the online casino world – with many of the already popular games getting a Megaways makeover over the years. 

As of 2021, there were over 150 different Megaways Slots available to play online. This is ever increasing, and with so many other games available to play at your chosen online site – the options really are endless.  

 

Now you know what Megaways is and how it works, do you think you’ll be seeking out this unique type of slot on your next visit to the online casino?