Megaways slots have made an enormous impact on the worldwide online slots scene.
When the first Megaways slot, Dragon Born, was launched in 2015 by Australian slots provider Big Time Gaming, players did not quite know what to think of it.
This new type of online slot had an enormous number of ways to win (so-called Megaways), an ever-changing set of reels and high variance.
Slots players that were used to 20 or 30 paylines were a bit overwhelmed. Due to the high variance nature of the slot, it also took some time for players to experience the true potential.
This luke-warm reception did not stop Big Time Gaming, thankfully, and they released several other Megaways slots, including the now-classic Bonanza Megaways.
The gold mine theme, two sets of independent reels and equally irritating and addictive banjo music gave Bonanza heaps of irresistible charm.  The massive wins, fueled by unlimited free spins and progressive multipliers, did the rest – a new crowd favourite was born.
Since then, Big Time Gaming has produced several popular Megaways slots, including White Rabbit (the first to offer a Bonus Drop option), Extra Chilli and the medieval-themed Holy Diver.
Megaways slots, helped by a considerable presence within the slots streamers community and numerous videos, tales and screenshots of enormous wins of over 10,000 times the bet, quickly became the hottest thing in online gambling.
But the success of Megaways slots does not end there.
Megaways slots licensing; a brilliant move by Big Time Gaming
It was not hard for Big Time Gaming to see they had magic in their hands with the Megaways formula. Now, most slots provider would gladly keep the intricate game mechanism and mathematical models to themselves and keep releasing a few new Megaways slots per year until, well, the end of time.
Not so for Big Time Gaming. They decide to license the Megaways concept to other slots providers, such as Relax Gaming, Blueprint Gaming, Nextgen Gaming and WMS.
By doing so, they created a three-way win-win situation:
- Big Time Gaming earned commission on all new Megaways slots
- Other slots providers were able to capitalise on the Megaways name and proven mechanics
- Slots player could experience loads more new Megaways slots – way more than Big Time Gaming could develop themselves
To say this bold licensing move was a succes is putting it mildly.
Other providers have releases absolute scorchers of Megaways slots, with some titles even surpassing Big Time Gaming’s high-quality standard.
Blueprint Gaming has had exceptional success with their Megaways slots offerings, including the superb Primal Megaways and the crowd favourite Genie Jackpots Megaways. Vikings Unleashed Megaways is another Blueprint slot that has been topping the charts for some time, now.
Nextgen Gaming’s Medusa Megaways successfully managed to create a hybrid of an old classic, Medusa, with the modern Megaways concept.
And Relax Gaming’s Temple Tumble is an explorer-themed Megaways slot we find ourselves going back to time and again. It offers a cool theme and an exciting free spins bonus full of extra multipliers, free spins and retriggers.
What are the best Megaways slots?
There are so many great Megaways slots, which makes it hard to determine what the best Megaways slots are.
After all, it all boils down to personal preference.
We did, however, make a top 5 list of what we believe are the best Megaways slots:
- Primal Megaways (Blueprint Gaming): big wild multipliers, prehistoric animals and mystery symbols combine for a thrilling, high octane experience
- Extra Chilli (Big Time Gaming): colourful and brash, this unofficial Bonanza 2 slot offers big and spicy wins
- Temple Tumble (Relax Gaming): we adore this adventurous Megaways slot, that has a unique way to activate the free spins bonus
- Medusa Megaways (Nextgen Gaming): the eerie atmosphere, boosters and option to replay the bonus feature make Medusa Megaways a winner
- Holy Diver (Big Time Gaming): not everybody is as big of a fan as we are, but who can deny the charm of this slot, featuring the famous Dio song and an ingenious free spins bonus mechanism?
