To first-time slot players, the mechanics of playing slot games both on and offline may seem a little confusing. With paylines zig-zagging their way across the reels, it can be hard for beginners to keep pace with the action. That’s why slot developer Big Time Gaming invested time and energy in developing a next-generation slot game mechanic. One which could suit the needs of new and experienced players alike.

The concept of the Megaways slot game engine was born. Megaways has sought to make conventional paylines a thing of the past. In fact, with Megaways slots, it’s now all about making clusters of matching symbols on the reels. Most Megaways slot titles will have a minimum number of symbols you’ll need to land as a cluster, which can be anything from five symbols to eight symbols.

You only have to look at the slot libraries of well-established online casinos to determine that the Megaways mechanic has been well-received by players worldwide. Some of the biggest licensed slot titles including Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?, Monopoly, and many more have enjoyed a ‘Megaways makeover’ in recent years.

There is an abundance of Megaways slot games now supplied to social casinos as well, including Wow Vegas. They have over 430 slot games in their Play Money casino library, including Power of Thor Megaways and many other hit Megaways titles. Social gaming is fast becoming a thriving subsector of the iGaming industry. In fact, for anyone wondering what to do, as an alternative to playing for real money, these sites look and play like the real thing without the financial risk.

How do Megaways slot games work?

Some Megaways slot titles are marketed as having hundreds of thousands of ways to win. Although this is strictly true, the phrase is “up to” hundreds of thousands of win ways. That’s because the reels of a Megaways slot have been designed to be dynamic. The number of active rows in play on the reels fluctuates from spin to spin. The number of active reels never changes though.

Naturally, the more rows in play on the reels, the more opportunities you’ll have to build symbol clusters. Matching symbols need to land on adjacent reels.

Another important dynamic to consider is the cascading symbols feature. Many Megaways slots now have this functionality. When symbols are involved in building winning clusters, they immediately disappear from the reels to be replaced by new reels cascading down from the rows above. It’s this feature which makes it possible to build multiple symbol clusters with just a single click.

The advent of HTML5 technology has also made it possible for Megaways slots to be enjoyed on a host of smartphone and tablet devices, as well as desktops and laptops. As mobile casinos have established themselves, Megaways titles have been at the forefront of this phenomenon.

The team at Big Time Gaming has well and truly let the Megaways cat out of the bag, but they are already hard at work innovating new slot game mechanics. Whether it’s Triple Reactions or Megaclusters, it’s clear slot gaming experiences are designed to take things up a notch on the Richter scale.