Why Megaways Slots are so popular
Playing at the best online casinos should be an exciting experience, but when you reflect on your online casino experiences, have any features stood out and left a lasting impression? The online casino industry is innovative, and new features are always introduced. However, most features are popular today and forgotten tomorrow. However, one standout feature that has changed the slots industry and was a game changer to players and stakeholders in the online casino industry is Megaways.
Introduced in 2016 by creator Big Time Gaming (BTG), Megaways slots is a slots engine, shape-shifting or random reel modifier, which changes the number of symbols that land on a reel for each spin. In simple terms, Megaways slots provide players hundreds of thousands of ways to win, and various reels are available on a game, sometimes up to six reels on certain games. BTG was relatively unknown in the industry when it entered the scene in 2011. The fortunes of the Australian software provider changed remarkably in 2016 with the Megaways engine. The success of the Megaways engine has been truly extraordinary, and by 2018, there were many licensing agreements reached with some of the best software providers to run the Megaways engine on their respective platforms. Today, BTG Megaways engine has licensing agreements with various software providers including, Microgaming, Blueprint Gaming, Scientific Games and NetEnt. There are over 100 of the best Megaways slots available at most online casinos, and below, we provide four reasons why Megaways slots are so popular in the online casino industry.
The 4 reasons why they are so popular
The popularity of Megaways slots is hard to describe, but the success of BTG and its Megaways engine is easy to see. There have been numerous awards and recognition, plus all the various licensing agreements have shown how successful and popular Megaways slots are to players and online casinos. We have identified four reasons why Megaways slots are so popular:
- Thousands of ways to win.
- Integrated novel and traditional features.
- Different from traditional slot games.
- More exciting casino games for players to experience.
Thousands of ways to win
Like with any slot game, the more symbols you have, the better your chances of winning. To win on Megaways slots, you must have at least three matching symbols on consecutive reels starting from left to right. Megaways slots don’t have pay lines, so symbols can be located on any row and still have a winning combination. The beauty of Megaways slots is in the high number of reels and symbols, which increase your chances of earning big wins. Players can achieve more winning combinations in a single spin with so many reels and symbols.
The Megaways engine has made it simple for players to understand how to win, and most Megaways slot titles display the number of ways to win in an information tool banner. Players can access this by clicking on the information icon of a game. In short, below we provide the math behind the number of ways to win with Megaways slots:
For example – if you have six reels and seven symbols on each reel, the number of ways to win is calculated by:
7x7x7x7x7x7 = 117 649
As you can see, the winning combinations on Megaways slots are over one hundred thousand and are usually capped at 117 649. Some Megaways slot titles could have even higher winning combinations on rare occasions, up to half a million ways to win. However, despite thousands of ways to win, playing online casino games is all about luck, so don’t expect to win with every spin.
Integrated novel and traditional features
Megaways slot games have some of the best graphics, animations, and integrated novel and traditional features. These features help improve players’ chances of winning aside from the already huge number of winning combinations that can be formed on the reels. One of the best features is cascades, a concept that sees symbols that form a winning combination during a spin disappear from the grid, and new symbols replace the previous ones. With cascades, chain reactions and consecutive wins can arise from a single spin.
Another fantastic feature with Megaways slots is the wild multiplier symbols, which multiply the total spin win if they are part of a winning combination. Some Megaways slot titles also have progressive win multipliers, transforming the Megaways engine and making gameplay even more thrilling. With a multiplier, winning combinations multiply for every subsequent cascade. Generally, the more cascades you have in a single spin, the higher the multiplier. The progressive win multiplier resets during a traditional base game, but when playing with free spins or bonus game features, the multiplier accumulates until all spins are used.
Different from traditional slot games
Traditional slot games have been in the industry for many years and are popular among new and seasoned online casino players. Traditional slot games have two specific features, pay lines and a set number of symbols that can appear on a reel. With traditional slots, winnings are determined by pay lines and generally, winnings are capped at 1000x your stake. Pay lines on traditional slot titles are fixed, and determine whether a spin has a winning combination. With pay lines, players can only win a limited number of ways in one spin; however, with Megaways, this is different.
As mentioned earlier, the Megaways engine has more appeal and unpredictability. These slots have no pay lines, so symbols can be located on any row and still have a winning combination. Unlike traditional slot games, players can have multiple winning combinations in a single spin with cascade features. While traditional slots winnings are generally capped at 1000x, your stake, Megaways slots winning combinations can run into tens of thousands, sometimes as high as 100 000x.
More exciting games for players to experience
Dragon Born was the first slot game equipped with the Megaways engine. Released in early 2016, Dragon Born caught the attention of many and transcended the industry. The game has an epic medieval theme with vibrant graphics and animations. With up to six reels and seven symbols per reel, the number of ways to win is 117 649. Dragon Born is a medium-to-high volatility game, and the RTP is 95%. Below is a breakdown of some other casino games that use the Megaways engine; the software provider, the volatility and the RTP are also provided.
- White Rabbit Megaways – Big Time Gaming, high volatility, RTP 97%.
- Buffalo Rising Megaways – Blueprint Gaming, high volatility, RTP 97%.
- Queen of Richs Megaways – Big Time Gaming, high volatility, RTP 96%.
- Big Bass Bonanza Megaways – Pragmatic Play, high volatility, RTP 96%.
- Slots O’Gold Megaways – Blueprint Gaming, medium volatility, RTP 96%.
- Heroes Hunt Megaways – Fantasma Games, high volatility, RTP 96%.
- 8 Golden Skulls of Holly Roger Megaways – Microgaming, high volatility, RTP 96%.
Looking for a Megaways slot game to try?
If you are tired of playing traditional online casino games with fixed pay lines, Megaways slots are the perfect solution. Launched in 2016 by Australian software provider company Big Time Gaming, Megaways slots provide players with tens of thousands of ways to win, plus plenty of exciting features such as cascades and multiplier wins. The success of Megaways slots and the Megaways engine has been phenomenal, and many software providers have licensing agreements with Big Time Gaming to run their casino games with the engine. Megaways slots have been a game changer in the online casino industry. They are one of the best slot gaming genres that players can play to enjoy the best and most dynamic online casino experience. So stop wasting your time on traditional generic slot games, and start playing fun and thrilling Megaways slots today!
