What Is the Megaways™ Mechanic?

Few innovations in the online slot industry have had as significant an impact as the Megaways™ engine, developed by Australian studio Big Time Gaming (BTG). First introduced in 2016 with Bonanza, Megaways transformed how players and developers think about slot paylines — and the ripple effect is still being felt across the industry today.

The core idea is elegantly simple: reels change in height on every spin. Instead of fixed rows, each reel can display between 2 and 7 symbols per spin, chosen randomly. The number of "ways to win" changes with every single spin — hence the name.

How Many Ways to Win?

In a standard 6-reel Megaways slot where each reel can show up to 7 symbols, the maximum number of ways to win is:

7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649 ways to win

Compare this to a traditional 25-payline video slot and the scale becomes clear. The counter displayed on-screen updates dynamically with each spin, adding an extra layer of anticipation before the reels even stop.

The Cascade (Tumble) Feature

Virtually all Megaways games include a cascade mechanic: winning symbols explode and are removed, with new symbols falling from above to fill the gaps. This creates the possibility of multiple wins from a single spin — each cascade often also building a win multiplier that increases with every successive cascade.

How BTG Licensed the Engine

Rather than keeping Megaways exclusive, Big Time Gaming took a strategic decision to license the engine to other developers. This proved transformative. Major studios including Pragmatic Play, Red Tiger, iSoftBet, and Blueprint Gaming all licensed Megaways, leading to a wave of titles across different themes and styles.

Notable Megaways titles include:

  • Bonanza Megaways (Big Time Gaming) — the original
  • Extra Chilli Megaways (Big Time Gaming)
  • Gonzo's Quest Megaways (Red Tiger / NetEnt)
  • Buffalo King Megaways (Pragmatic Play)
  • Megaways Jack (Iron Dog Studio)

Why Did Players Embrace Megaways So Rapidly?

Several factors drove the player enthusiasm:

  • Excitement of variable ways — watching the ways counter before each spin adds genuine anticipation
  • Cascading multipliers — the potential for multipliers to stack during free spins creates dramatic swings
  • High max win potential — many Megaways titles offer 10,000x–50,000x maximum wins
  • Fresh game feel — even familiar themes felt new through the Megaways lens

Criticism and Saturation

By the early 2020s, some industry observers noted a degree of Megaways fatigue. With hundreds of titles using the same engine, distinguishing between them became difficult for players. Critics pointed out that many licensed Megaways titles felt formulaic — different skins on the same underlying mechanics.

This pushed developers to innovate beyond pure Megaways, leading to hybrid mechanics and proprietary engines like Pragmatic Play's own variable-reel systems.

The Legacy of Megaways

Regardless of the saturation debate, Megaways' broader legacy is undeniable. It proved that a single mechanical innovation could redefine player expectations and licensing economics across an entire industry. It accelerated the push away from fixed paylines toward dynamic, variable-outcome mechanics — a trend that continues to shape new slot development.

For players and industry watchers alike, understanding Megaways is essential context for understanding where online slots are today — and where they're heading next.