What Are Megaways Slots
What Are Megaways Slots?
If you’ve seen a slot advertise “up to 117,649 ways to win,” you’ve run into Megaways. It’s one of the most talked-about slot mechanics of the last decade, and it looks more complicated than it actually is.
What Megaways actually means
On a standard slot, each reel shows a fixed number of symbols — usually 3 or 4 — every single spin. Megaways slots break that rule: each reel can show a different number of symbols on every spin, anywhere from 2 to 7 per reel, decided randomly each time.
Because the number of symbols per reel keeps changing, so does the number of ways to line up a win. That’s why you’ll see huge, oddly specific numbers like “117,649 ways to win” in the game info — it’s just the maximum possible combinations when every reel is at its biggest.
Where it came from
Megaways is a licensed mechanic created by Big Time Gaming, not a generic industry term. Other studios pay to use it under license, which is why you’ll see it stamped on games from Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger, and others, alongside Big Time Gaming’s own titles. If a slot says “Megaways” on it, that’s a real license, not just marketing language borrowed from a competitor.
What usually comes bundled with it
Megaways games are rarely just the reel mechanic on its own. Most pair it with:
- Cascading (or “tumbling”) reels — winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in, allowing multiple wins from a single spin
- Increasing multipliers — each cascade in a row often increases a multiplier, so a lucky chain of tumbles can snowball
- A free spins round with its own rules, often with the multiplier carrying over or climbing further
Does a higher “ways to win” number mean better odds?
Not by itself. A game with 117,649 ways can still have a lower RTP than a game with a flat 20 paylines — the ways count describes how many ways symbols can combine, not how generous the payouts are. If you’re comparing games, RTP is still the number that tells you the real long-run return, and volatility tells you how that return tends to arrive. Megaways games do tend to run on the higher end of volatility, since the swings in reel size create bigger swings in outcomes — our volatility guide covers why that happens in more detail.
Megaways quick FAQ
Can any slot studio make a Megaways game? Only under license from Big Time Gaming. That’s different from most slot mechanics, which any provider can build freely.
Are Megaways slots harder to win on than regular slots? Not inherently — RTP still varies game by game, same as any slot type. What’s different is volatility: Megaways games tend to lean toward bigger, less frequent wins rather than small, steady ones.
Do Megaways games always have cascading reels? Almost always in practice, though the two mechanics are technically separate. It’s rare to find one without the other.
Is Megaways free to try before playing for real money? Yes — demo versions run on identical math to real-money versions. See our free play vs real money guide for what does and doesn’t change between the two.
Want to try it out? Browse our full Megaways slots collection and see the reel size change in real time.
