Megaways Megaways
A patented slot mechanic created by Australia's Big Time Gaming (BTG). The reel heights change on every spin, so the number of ways to win can grow up to 117,649.
| English | Megaways |
|---|---|
| Classification | Game Features |
| Developer | Big Time Gaming (BTG) |
| Developer location | Sydney, Australia |
| First game | Dragon Born (late 2015) |
| Flagship title | Bonanza (December 2016) |
| Max ways | 117,649 (200,704 with the top horizontal reel) |
| Rights | US patent, MEGAWAYS trademark |
| Licensed to | 50+ developers |
| Current owner | Evolution (acquired BTG in 2021) |
| Games released | 500+ |
Overview
Megaways is a slot engine created by Big Time Gaming (BTG), a provider based in Sydney, Australia. BTG describes it as a “random reel modifier system” and protects it with a US patent and the MEGAWAYS trademark. The key idea is that the height of each reel (the number of symbols) changes randomly on every spin, and the number of ways to win depends on that combination.
After the first game launched in late 2015, the engine was licensed to other providers and became one of the most widely used formats in the slot industry. It was already used in more than 200 games in 2021, and over 500 have been released now.
How it works
Basic structure
A standard Megaways game has 6 reels, and each reel randomly shows 2 to 7 symbols. You win when the same symbol lands on consecutive reels starting from the leftmost reel, at least one per reel, regardless of vertical position. The payout depends on how many reels the symbol spans and how many of it appeared on each reel.
How is 117,649 calculated?
The number of ways is the product of the symbol counts on each reel. If all 6 reels show 7 symbols, you get 7×7×7×7×7×7 = 117,649 ways. On the other hand, if every reel shows 2 symbols, there are only 64 ways. That’s why your chances of winning vary so much from spin to spin, even within the same game.
Top horizontal reel
Many Megaways games, including BTG’s Bonanza, have an extra horizontal reel above reels 2 to 5. This horizontal reel adds one more symbol to each of the four middle reels, so the maximum number of ways rises to 7×8×8×8×8×7 = 200,704. Pragmatic Play’s first Megaways game, Great Rhino Megaways, also has up to 200,704 ways.
| Reel layout | Calculation | Number of ways |
|---|---|---|
| 2 on every reel (minimum) | 2⁶ | 64 |
| 7 on every reel | 7⁶ | 117,649 |
| Max with horizontal reel | 7×8⁴×7 | 200,704 |
Features used together
Chain wins (Reactions/tumbling)
Most Megaways games also use a chain feature where winning symbols disappear and new symbols drop into the empty spots. BTG calls this “Reactions,” while Pragmatic Play calls it “tumbling.” Each time the chain continues, the reel heights and the number of ways change again.
Unlimited multipliers
In BTG games like Bonanza, the multiplier goes up by +1 each time a chain occurs during free spins, and it never resets until the free spins end. Because of this structure, Megaways games generally have high volatility.
Bonus Buy
BTG’s Extra Chilli (2018) added a “Feature Drop” that lets you pay a set amount to jump straight into free spins, which influenced the spread of bonus buy across the industry.
History
Big Time Gaming’s first Megaways
BTG was founded in 2011 by Nik Robinson. According to BTG, the first Megaways game was Dragon Born in late 2015, and it was Bonanza, released in December 2016, that made Megaways popular. With a 96% RTP and a max win of 26,000x, Bonanza is still seen as the benchmark for Megaways.
Opening up licensing
BTG licenses the Megaways engine and trademark to other providers. Licensed providers can add “Megaways” to their game titles. Blueprint Gaming, Storm Gaming, and Red Tiger started in 2018, iSoftBet followed in 2019, and Microgaming, IGT, and others joined later. Pragmatic Play received its license in April 2020 and released Great Rhino Megaways that same month. According to industry sources, more than 50 developers are licensed.
Evolution acquisition
Live casino company Evolution announced its acquisition of BTG in April 2021. It was worth up to a total of 450 million euros: an upfront payment of 220 million euros (80 million in cash and 140 million in shares) plus up to 230 million euros tied to performance. BTG’s 2020 revenue at the time was 33 million euros.
| Period | Event |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Big Time Gaming founded |
| Late 2015 | First Megaways game Dragon Born released |
| 2016.12 | Bonanza release |
| 2018 | Licensed to Blueprint, Red Tiger, and others |
| 2019.08 | US MEGAWAYS trademark application |
| 2020.04 | Pragmatic Play licensed, Great Rhino Megaways |
| 2021.04 | Evolution announces BTG acquisition |
Later formats and variations
| Name | First game | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Megaclusters | Star Clusters (2020) | Winning symbols split into 4, growing the grid from 4×4 up to 16×16 |
| Megaquads | Slot Vegas Megaquads (Sep 2020) | 4 sets of 256-way reels, 16,777,216 combinations |
| Megapays | Bonanza Megapays (Jun 2021) | Tiered progressive jackpot made with Relax Gaming |
| Gold Megaways | Gold Megaways (Aug 2021) | Reels expand during free spins for up to 1,000,000 ways |
RTP and volatility
Most Megaways games have an RTP of 96-97% and high volatility. Because the number of ways changes a lot from spin to spin and chains and multipliers stack up, many of them follow a pattern of small wins followed by a sudden big one. In some games, the RTP changes slightly when you use bonus buy. For example, Extra Chilli is 96.41% in the base game and 96.82% with bonus buy.
Megaways free slots at AI Slot
At AI Slot, you can try Pragmatic Play’s Megaways games as free demos with no sign-up. Popular picks include Big Bass Bonanza Megaways, 5 Lions Megaways, The Dog House Megaways, Buffalo King Megaways, and Madame Destiny Megaways. On the Pragmatic Play free slots page, tap the “Megaways” chip to see the full list.
