The way we play slot games has changed dramatically in the past few decades. Improvements in technology mean the number of chances of getting a winning line has gone through the roof. The popular Megaways mechanic means there are literally thousands of ways to see a return from your stake – up to 117,649, to be precise. But which are the games using it are the best?

Before this improved technology came along, it was common for there to be just one payline you could win on. All very basic but still extremely entertaining, and you can still play these games at online casinos.

Eventually, the technology came into existence that made the games increasingly complex. Even when there were just a few more ways to get a win added, few would imagine just how high that number could reach.

Megaways was created by the Australian company Big Time Gaming and, boy, does it live up to its name.

How does Megaways work?

A typical Megaways slot game has six reels with seven different symbols. That’s double the number of reels that the classic original fruit machines had. The Megaways random reel modifier mechanic is the hero here.

This changes how many symbols appear on the reels after each spin. Other more traditional slots only have a fixed number of symbols and paylines on their reels. This dramatically increases the number of paylines available on all Megaways slots.

How wins are achieved is also very different. Usually, you need a certain number of matching symbols on a specified payline. With Megaways, you win by having matching symbols on adjacent reels, so long as those symbols connect from left to right.

Look at the paytable for the traditional slot games. They will tell you how many can be activated and what looks like a London Underground map shows you where they all are. With Megaways, the number of symbols on each reel changes on every spin up to a maximum of seven on each of them, hence creating more winning chances.

Megaways has been used as a way of producing a sequel to an already popular game. It’s common for successful games to have sequels, but it’s important to make them just a little bit different. That must be done while retaining the elements that made the game a hit in the first place.

Bonanza Megaways

The breakthrough game is perhaps Bonanza Megaways. This mining-themed game was given all those additional ways to win, and with additional multipliers in the bonus game, it proved to be a big hit.

Gonzo’s Quest has been hugely successful, and now we have Gonzo’s Quest Megaways. It’s not just the sheer number of ways to get a win that makes this a great game. There are plenty of other features that help to boost your account balance.

The avalanche feature sees the winning symbol disappear and replaced by others, hopefully creating more wins from the same bet. Then there’s the free fall feature that can earn you free spins. Don’t be scared of an earthquake; in this game, that can happen at any time, and low-value symbols are replaced with higher ones. Throw in a progressive jackpot, and you can see why players love to spin the reels on this slot.

The Megaways treatment has also been given to the Divine Fortune Megaways slot. Based on an Ancient Greek theme and set in a temple, there are falling wild re-spins available that can help produce many more ways to win. Those chances are improved if the Wild-on-Wild feature comes along. A whole reel is turned wild, and even more, wilds can appear if you receive any payouts. That can even happen during the free spins round, and with Megaways in force, plenty of wins can be produced.

Fishin’ Frenzy Megaways has fewer ways to hook a win – but there are still 15,625, so don’t worry too much about it. And that number is considerably higher than the original Fishin’ Frenzy game, which had just ten paylines. You can win up to 60 free spins and some huge cash prizes. The original game wasn’t the most thrilling in the world, but the Megaways feature guarantees a far more exciting and hopefully profitable game.

What’s Next?

While Megaways is such a big hit with casino players, titles will continue to be released with the mechanic. But the online casino industry is extremely innovative, and you can bet that the finest brains at slot software developers like Microgaming, NetEnt, and iSoftbet will have something sensational coming to a casino platform near you soon.