Megaways pokies have been making waves in online casinos lately. More and more manufacturers release their games with this revolutionary technology. https://naturallearningaustralia.info/ finds out what characterizes it and why it is so popular.

Megaways pokies provide up to several hundred thousand opportunities to win. Typically, traditional slot games had around 20 or 30 win lines. These were activated by at least 3 symbols from the left. Meanwhile, Megaways pokies break away from the traditional 5×3 grid in favor of unique, irregular layouts. Their main feature is that there can be up to several hundred thousand win lines. Each spin is thus unique.

Megaways technology was created in 2016. It was created by the Australian developer Big Time Gaming. For the first time, players saw it in the slot Bonanza, released in that very year. The technology used in this 6-reel slot was also bought by other manufacturers like NetEnt, Blueprint Gaming, Red Tiger, and Pragmatic Play. These pokies feature a high RTP of up to 98%.

Megaways ™ pokies allow for many different winning combinations. You’ll also often find free re-spins here. Winning hands disappear from the board and are replaced by new ones. This makes high wins possible with every spin.

How does it all work?

Main points: six-reel layout, number of symbols per reel.

The technology introduced by Big Time Gaming features an innovative format.  Megaways pokies differ from the classic ones in that you won’t find a fixed layout of symbols. In a word: the layout of symbols is unique every time and the same goes for the paylines. There are usually at least 100,000 of these.

Usually, in the classic slot games, you could find a 5×3 layout and 15 symbols on the board. Megaways machines usually offer at least 6 reels. They can contain:

  • even 6 or 8 single symbols, 4 double symbols, or one big symbol,
  • There are also large symbols stretched over 2 or 3 reels!
  • During each spin you can get between 2 and 8 symbols on the reels, the outcome of your game is dynamic and almost always unique.

How many paylines do Megaways machines have?

Main points: type of board layout, number of combinations

The board layout that a Megaways machine generates is unique every time. Traditional, fixed paylines are therefore out of place here. You win by getting at least 3 of the same symbol on adjacent reels from the left. This can also be a Wild symbol.

Thus, the number of possible Megaways ™ combinations is usually around 117,000 per spin. It changes for some pokies. Some Megaways pokies offer as many as 400,000 ways to win. The record-holder is 1 Million Megaways BC, from the little-known Iron Dog Studio. This game has over a million ways to win. 1,058,841 to be exact!

The number of win lines is never fixed. It is generated dynamically, sometimes it can be 2,000, other times 30,000, and in another spin 100,000. It depends on the symbols obtained and the layout of the board. Many Megaways games feature additional reels that appear when you win or special features like free spins.