How Megaways Compare to Traditional Paylines for Extended Session Value

There are thousands of Megaways slots online, and yes, they're so different from standard fixed-payline slots. We will start by saying that you're not necessarily more likely to win, but you could be more likely to see crazy things happening on the screen, like cascading reels or multipliers.

Below, we'll look at how the different game mechanics influence your session value.

What Are Megaways Slots?

Megaways slots basically take the standard ways-to-win concept and make it slightly crazy.

Big Time Gaming introduced the mechanic in 2016 with Dragon Born Megaways. Instead of having a fixed number of symbols on each reel, the reel layout can change with every spin. The original system could create up to 117,649 ways to win depending on how many symbols appeared.

So you could press spin once and have a relatively small number of ways to win, then press it again and suddenly have thousands.

Matching symbols typically need to land on adjacent reels from left to right rather than sitting across a specific payline.

Now, developers have pushed the mechanic even further. Gold Megaways, for example, increased the potential number to one million ways during its gameplay.

You can imagine how much is happening on one screen.

What Are Traditional Payline Slots?

Traditional payline slots are so much easier to understand.

You've got a fixed number of lines running across the reels, and matching symbols generally need to land in the correct positions along one of those lines to create a win.

You might have:

• 10 paylines
• 20 paylines
• 40 paylines
• 50 paylines
• 100 paylines

Some paylines run straight across. Others can go diagonally or zig-zag across the reels.

The important difference is that the number doesn't suddenly change when you press spin. If you've got 20 active paylines, you're playing with those 20 lines on each spin unless the particular game lets you change them.

That's obviously far less chaotic.

Note: Fewer possible winning patterns doesn't automatically mean a worse game.

Are Megaways Slots Longer?

Megaways slots aren't necessarily longer, but we can see why you would think that.

Having thousands of potential ways to win can create more combinations on screen, and Megaways games often have extra mechanics like cascading reels, multipliers, and free spins that can extend individual game rounds.

In Doghouse at sites like ComeOn Casino, for instance, a winning cascade, for example, might remove symbols and drop new ones into place without you putting another standard wager. Triggering several of them means one paid spin can last much longer than a simple spin on a traditional payline slot.

But that doesn't mean your overall gaming session will definitely last longer.

Your wager size, bankroll, volatility, hit frequency, and how quickly you press spin are all important. RTP also only describes an average across a massive number of games, not how long your individual session should last.

Are Megaways Slots Better for Winning?

Seeing 117,649 ways to win definitely sounds better than seeing 20 paylines.

But it doesn't automatically mean you're more likely to win, as we've just said. A traditional 20-payline slot could have a higher RTP or hit frequency than a Megaways game with thousands of possible combinations.

And remember, Megaways doesn't necessarily give you 117,649 ways on every spin. The dynamic reels mean the number can change depending on how many symbols appear.

For extended gameplay, we'd probably look at volatility, stake size, and hit frequency before simply choosing Megaways because the number sounds massive.

Megaways can give you mega ways to win (now you understand the name), but we put heavy emphasis on 'can'. Technically, your gaming session can be slightly longer, but it could be equally as long on a traditional paylines slot.