Megaways is the licensed engine behind a large slice of the modern pokies you meet in our casinos' lobbies, marked out by a symbol count that shifts on every spin. This page explains how the engine works, why it reaches up to 117,649 ways to win, the RTP catch to watch, and the five sites in our set that carry a dedicated Megaways tab. For readers aged 18 and over. If gambling stops being fun, call Gambling Help Online on 1800 858 858.
What the Megaways engine is
A licensed engine, not one game
Megaways is a licensed game engine rather than a single pokie. Studios pay to build their titles on it, which is why you see the Megaways name attached to many different games from different providers. A Megaways tab groups them together because they share the same core rule set, not because they are the same slot.
The symbol count changes every spin
The defining trait is that the number of symbols on each reel is not fixed. Every spin, each reel can show a different count, so the number of ways to win is redrawn from one spin to the next. At full stretch this reaches up to 117,649 ways - the figure you get from up to seven symbols landing on each of six reels. Fewer symbols means fewer ways; a packed screen means far more.
How a Megaways spin pays
Ways to win, not fixed lines
Megaways games pay on "ways" rather than fixed paylines. A win is a matching run of symbols on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost, wherever those symbols sit on the reel. More symbols on screen means more possible ways, which is where the headline figure does its marketing work.
The swings run high
The trade-off for those large way counts is variance. Megaways titles tend to run hot and cold, with longer quiet spells between the bigger hits, so a bankroll that suits a steadier pokie can empty faster here. Match your stake to that rhythm and treat a flat run as normal, not a fault.
The RTP variant caveat
The same game can hide a lower build
Megaways titles are among the most likely to appear in more than one RTP version. A studio may ship a game at a headline rate near 96 percent and also at builds several points lower, and the casino chooses which to load. Same name, same reels, thinner maths. Open the info panel and read the RTP printed there before you commit, and see our guide to high RTP pokies for how that trap works.
Casinos with a Megaways tab
The five sites in our set
Five of the ten casinos we review carry a dedicated Megaways tab, so you can filter straight to these games: Crownslots, RollXO, Neon54, CrownPlay and Stonevegas. Crownslots carries the largest overall library of the group, so it is a sensible first stop when you want the deepest choice. For the full picture of what our casinos stock, see the pokies games hub.
Frequently asked questions
Megaways pokies are built on a licensed engine where the number of symbols on each reel changes every spin. That reshuffles the ways to win each time, peaking when the reels are full, instead of a fixed set of paylines.
Five of the ten we review: Crownslots, RollXO, Neon54, CrownPlay and Stonevegas. Each groups its Megaways titles under a dedicated tab so you can filter to them directly.
No. Megaways titles often ship in several RTP builds, and the casino decides which to run. The reels look the same, but the payout can sit points below the studio headline, so check the info panel at your casino.
They lean high variance. The large way counts come with longer gaps between bigger wins, so sessions can swing hard. Set a deposit limit and size your stake for the swings before you start.