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A Megaways slot varies the number of symbols on each reel every spin, changing how many ways there are to win, up to a maximum of 117,649 on a six-reel game.
By Anja Wiedenhöft · September 9, 2026 · 5 min read
A Megaways slot is a game engine, licensed from Big Time Gaming, that changes how many symbols appear on each reel every spin. This alters the number of ways to win, up to 117,649 on a standard six-reel layout. Outcomes remain random and the house edge stays fixed.
A Megaways slot is a video slot built on a specific game engine, or mechanic, originally created by the studio Big Time Gaming and licensed to many other providers. Its defining feature is that the number of symbols shown on each reel changes on every spin. Because the symbol count varies, the number of ways to land a winning combination also varies from one spin to the next.
This is different from a traditional slot with a set number of paylines. Instead of fixed lines, Megaways games use a ways-to-win system, and the “ways” figure moves up and down each spin depending on how the reels fill. The result is a game that feels less rigid than a classic fixed-line slot, though the underlying principle, a random result on every spin, is exactly the same.
The often-quoted maximum of 117,649 ways to win applies to a standard six-reel Megaways layout. On that layout, each reel can display up to seven symbols on a given spin. When every reel shows its maximum of seven, the number of possible combinations is seven multiplied by itself six times, written as seven to the power of six. That calculation gives exactly 117,649.
It is worth stressing that this is the maximum, reached only when every reel is showing seven symbols. On most spins the reels show fewer symbols, so the number of active ways is lower. Games that use a different reel or symbol arrangement will have a different maximum, which the provider states in the rules.
At the start of every spin, the engine randomly sets how many symbols will appear on each reel, within the game’s defined limits. Once the reels stop, matching symbols on adjacent reels from the leftmost reel pay, regardless of which row they occupy, in the same manner as other ways-to-win games. Because the symbol counts differ each time, the grid can look tall and busy on one spin and short on the next.
The random number generator governs both the number of symbols and their identities. Nothing about the previous spin carries over to influence the next, so the shifting grid is simply a fresh random draw presented in a flexible layout.
Many Megaways titles pair the core mechanic with cascading reels, sometimes called tumbles or avalanches. When a win lands, the winning symbols are removed and new symbols drop down to fill the gaps, which can create further wins from the same initial spin. Free-spins rounds in Megaways games sometimes add increasing multipliers on consecutive cascades. All of these behaviours are designed features, defined in the rules and included in the game’s published mathematics.
These additions are part of why Megaways games can feel dynamic, but they are not a route to a predictable result. A cascade is another random consequence of a random spin, not a pattern that can be relied upon.
A very large number of ways to win sounds generous, and it does create many small-win opportunities. However, the number of ways is balanced within each game’s overall design, and Megaways titles are frequently higher variance, meaning wins can be less frequent but more variable in size. Providers disclose the return-to-player range for each game, and that figure, not the headline ways count, describes the long-run mathematics.
The house edge in a Megaways slot is fixed by design, exactly as in any other slot, and no feature or style of play removes it. Every spin is independent and random. The shifting grid, the cascades and the huge ways figure are all forms of variety layered over an outcome that cannot be timed, steered or forecast.
The mechanic caught on because it offered something visibly different from fixed-line slots at a time when studios were looking to stand out. A grid that changes shape each spin, combined with a headline figure like 117,649 ways, is easy to grasp and feels fresh. Big Time Gaming licensed the engine widely, so many familiar studios released their own Megaways titles, and the format became a recognisable category in its own right rather than a single game.
Popularity, though, is a matter of style and marketing, not of odds. The appeal of Megaways lies in its variety and its dynamic presentation, both of which are designed features. None of that changes the core arithmetic. A Megaways game is regulated and tested in the same way as any other slot, and its long-run behaviour is described by the return figures the provider discloses, not by how striking the mechanic looks.
No. While they share the variable-reel mechanic, individual Megaways titles differ in their number of reels, their maximum ways, their disclosed RTP range, their volatility and the extra features they layer on, such as cascades or increasing multipliers. Two Megaways slots can therefore feel quite different to play. The only reliable way to understand a specific title is to read its own information panel rather than assuming every Megaways game behaves identically.
Megaways games can be enjoyable precisely because they feel unpredictable and varied. Keep that unpredictability in perspective: it is the point of the design, not a puzzle to be solved. Set a budget before you play, check the game’s disclosed RTP range and variance in the information panel, and treat any wins as a bonus rather than an expectation. If gambling stops feeling like entertainment, GamCare offers free, confidential support in the UK on 0808 8020 133.
On a standard six-reel Megaways game, each reel can show up to seven symbols. Seven possibilities on each of six reels gives seven to the power of six, which equals 117,649 ways to win. Layouts that differ from this will have a different maximum.
No. Megaways games use a ways-to-win system, where matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left pay regardless of row. Because the symbols per reel change each spin, the number of ways available also changes from spin to spin.
They offer many ways to win, but this is balanced within each game's designed maths and is often paired with higher variance. More ways does not mean a better house edge; the return is set by the provider and disclosed in the game's rules.
Many Megaways games include cascades, where winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in, potentially forming further wins from a single spin. This is a designed feature and its effect is already included in the game's published figures.
No. The number of symbols per reel and their positions are set randomly on every spin. Outcomes are independent, so no spin can be timed or forecast, and no approach removes the fixed house edge.