Megaways pokies love flashing “117,649 ways to win” across the loading screen. It sounds like you can’t lose. You can, and quite quickly. The Megaways mechanic, licensed by Big Time Gaming, is genuinely clever though, so let me explain what it does without the hype.
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What does Megaways actually mean?
On a normal pokie each reel shows a fixed number of symbols, say three. On a Megaways game every reel changes height on every spin, usually showing between two and seven symbols. Multiply the symbols on each reel together and you get the number of ways for that spin. Six reels of seven gives 7×7×7×7×7×7, which is where 117,649 comes from.
Here’s the bit the banner skips: most spins show far fewer. In a batch of 100 spins I logged on a Megaways game, the ways count ranged from a few hundred up to the tens of thousands, and the full maximum appeared once. Wins pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, no paylines needed. If paylines versus ways confuses you, our pokies lines guide covers it.
More ways doesn’t mean more money
This is the big misunderstanding. The game’s RTP is set in advance, often around 96%, and the ways count is part of how that return is spread out. More ways per spin usually just means lots of tiny wins, often below your stake. A “win” of 20 cents on a 50 cent spin is still a loss, however loud the celebration sound.
Cascades and multipliers
Most Megaways games use cascading reels: winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in, sometimes chaining several wins from one spin. Free spins features often add a multiplier that grows with every cascade. That’s where the big hits live, and why these games are typically high volatility. The volatility explainer explains what that means for session length.
My test: 300 spins, $40
I played 300 spins at 20 cents on a popular Megaways title one Thursday night. Balance dipped to $19 by spin 140, crawled back, then a free spins round with an unlimited multiplier landed $27. Final balance $36.80. Fun ride, small loss, and exactly the rollercoaster these games are built for. Nick pointed out that my spreadsheet had more red cells than green, which is sort of the point.
Are Megaways pokies worth playing?
If you enjoy chaos and have patience, sure. If your budget is tight, the swings can wipe a small balance before a feature shows up. Try one in demo mode first and count how many spins it takes to trigger free spins. That number tells you more than any banner.
What we like
- Every spin looks different, so it rarely gets boring
- Cascades can chain surprising wins
- Multiplier free spins have real upside
What bugs us
- Lots of wins that are smaller than the bet
- High volatility drains small balances
- Bonus buys are heavily pushed
Plenty of Megaways titles offer a feature buy; read the bonus buy post before pressing that button. For studios doing interesting things with the format, check our software providers hub.
How do Megaways pokies work?
Each reel shows a random number of symbols every spin, changing the number of ways to win, and wins pay on adjacent reels from the left.
Do Megaways pokies pay better?
Not by design. The RTP is fixed like any pokie; Megaways changes how wins are distributed, not the long-run return.
Are Megaways pokies high volatility?
Most are, because the biggest wins come from cascades and multipliers in the free spins round.
