Pragmatic Play POP Series Guide, from Gates of Olympus POP to Zeus vs Hades POP
Pragmatic Play’s casual brand POP, unveiled in July, is about to get its fifth game just four months in. We break down the release order, shared rules and per-game differences of the series, which shrinks flagship titles to a 3-reel vertical screen and adds the POP jackpot.
Key takeaways
- POP is a brand Pragmatic Play unveiled in July, featuring a simple 3-reel screen and a fast tempo.
- Gates of Olympus POP came out on August 31, Sweet Bonanza POP on October 20, and Zeus vs Hades POP arrives on November 17.
- All three games add 50x, 500x and 25,000x jackpots based on the number of POP symbols, and the max win is 25,000x.
- The base RTP is in the 97% range, more than 0.5 percentage points higher than the originals.
Pragmatic Play unveiled its new POP brand in July, promising “streamlined reels, light-hearted fun, and fast pace.” According to the official description, POP targets newcomers and casual players with intuitive rules, more frequent wins, and faster animations. It also releases games that reimagine popular existing franchises alongside new IPs.
POP games released over four months
In release order, Pragmatic Play is alternating between franchise remakes and new IPs.
| Release date | Games | Category | Board | Max win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026.08.31 | Gates of Olympus POP | Franchise | 3×5 | 25,000x |
| 2026.09.15 | Triple Hop Pots | New IP | 3×3 | 5,000x |
| 2026.10.06 | Pelican Payday | New IP | 3×5 | 5,000x |
| 2026.10.20 | Sweet Bonanza POP | Franchise | 3×5 | 25,000x |
| 2026.11.17 (coming soon) | Zeus vs Hades POP | Franchise | 3×5 | 25,000x |
In the Q4 roadmap it unveiled in September, Pragmatic Play teased Starlight Princess POP alongside Sweet Bonanza POP and Zeus vs Hades POP. The official POP page also lists Gates of Olympus and Starlight Princess as flagship franchises being remade as POP. No release date has been announced yet.
From 6×5 to 3×5: what was cut
The original Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza both used a 6-reel, 5-row, 30-cell board where 8 or more matching symbols win. The POP versions cut the board in half to 3 reels by 5 rows, 15 cells. It is a size that fits a phone’s vertical screen as is. With fewer cells, the winning condition was lowered to 5 or more matching symbols.
What hasn’t changed is also clear. The tumble mechanic, where winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in, and the structure where multiplier symbols worth up to 1,000x are added together and applied all at once when the tumbles end, are the same as in the originals. The symbols of Zeus’s lightning and candy bombs are kept too.
The POP jackpot that ties the three games together
The common thread in the POP series is the POP symbol. When scatters and POP symbols together total 3 or more, free spins trigger, and an instant jackpot is added depending on how many of those 3 are POP symbols. One POP symbol pays 50x, two pay 500x, and three pay 25,000x. That is why all three games share the same max win of 25,000x: the biggest jackpot is the cap.
Compared with the originals, this number is quite large. The original Gates of Olympus had a max win of 5,000x, and the original Sweet Bonanza had 21,175x. The board was cut in half, yet the cap actually went up.
Same brand, three different games
| Item | Gates of Olympus POP | Sweet Bonanza POP | Zeus vs Hades POP |
|---|---|---|---|
| How wins work | Pay anywhere (5 or more) | Pay anywhere (5 or more) | Paylines |
| Key features | Tumble, multipliers up to 1,000x | Tumble, candy bombs up to 1,000x | Expanding wild, multipliers up to 100x |
| Free Spins | 15x | 10 spins | 5x |
| Base RTP | 97.05% | 97.05% | 97.01% |
| Volatility | Low | Medium | Medium |
The first two games are close to twins that slim down the originals’ pay anywhere structure. The differences are the number of free spins and the level of volatility. Zeus vs Hades POP is different. It shrinks the 5×5 board of the original Zeus vs Hades – Gods of War to 3×5 and uses paylines and expanding wilds instead of tumbles. When a wild is part of a win, it expands across the whole reel and receives a multiplier between 2x and 100x. During the 5 free spins, these expanding wilds stay on screen until the end.
What an RTP in the 97% range tells us
The base RTP of all three franchise POP games is in the 97% range, more than 0.5 percentage points higher than the originals Gates of Olympus (96.50%) and Sweet Bonanza (96.49%). Lower RTP versions, down to the 94% range, are also available depending on the operator, so it’s best to check the game info screen when actually playing. The first two games also don’t include a bonus buy. The “light-hearted fun” Pragmatic Play promotes ultimately means fewer rules and fewer buttons.
Compare them with the demos first
Running the originals and the POP versions side by side makes it obvious how much faster the same game has become. Sweet Bonanza POP and Gates of Olympus POP are available now as demos on AI Slot with no sign-up.
You can check out the Gates of Olympus POP free demo, as well as the new IPs Pelican Payday and Triple Hop Pots. Zeus vs Hades POP will be added to the Pragmatic Play free slots list when it launches.
Sources: Pragmatic Play official POP page, Pragmatic Play Q4 roadmap (European Gaming), Gambling News, OLBG, iGamingToday