Microgaming’s Megaways Titles: How Random Reel Heights Blow Ways Up to Six Figures
The word Megaways is tacked onto plenty of Microgaming slot titles, but it is actually a licensed mechanic from outside — from the Australian studio Big Time Gaming. The counter-intuitive part is that there are no "lines" on screen at all, and the number of ways to win changes on every spin. Once you understand how it is counted, it is obvious why these games run so choppy.
Whose mechanic Megaways actually is
First, clear up a common misconception: Megaways was not invented by Microgaming. It is an engine built by the Australian studio Big Time Gaming, and any provider that wants to use it pays a licence fee. Microgaming (now under Games Global) is one of many licensees, which is why you see the word Megaways after the name of some Microgaming slots.
Put another way: two games both called Megaways can differ completely in theme, art and feature round, but the underlying rules for how the row count is decided and how ways are counted are shared. Grasp that layer and you never have to relearn a single Megaways title from scratch.
Random reel height: why the row count is not fixed
A traditional slot has a fixed grid — say 5 reels and 3 rows — with the paylines drawn in permanently. Megaways breaks that: the number of symbols on each reel when it stops is random, commonly anywhere from 2 to 7. So one spin might land 3, 4, 6, 2, 5, 4 symbols across the reels, and the next spin is different again.
A fixed-line game asks "did the symbols land on that line?"; Megaways asks "do the same symbols appear on consecutive reels?" — which row they land in does not matter, only that they connect from the leftmost reel rightwards.
How "117,649 ways" is multiplied out
The Megaways ways count is not plucked from thin air — it is the current symbol count on each reel multiplied together. Here is an example you can check: if all 6 reels on a spin show 7 symbols each, the ways count is 7×7×7×7×7×7.
| Board state | Symbols per reel | Ways to win |
|---|---|---|
| All reels full | 7×7×7×7×7×7 | 117,649 |
| Medium spread | 4×5×6×5×4×3 | 7,200 |
| Mostly short | 2×3×2×4×3×2 | 288 |
The table makes it clear: "a hundred thousand-plus ways" is only the ceiling when every reel happens to be full. The vast majority of spins fall well short, with the ways count bouncing between a few hundred and a few thousand. More ways means combinations are easier to form in theory, but each hit tends to be smaller.
Why Megaways games run choppy
Put the two things above together: random rows, a ways count that swings up and down, and on top of that most Megaways games add cascades (winning symbols vanish and new ones drop in) and an increasing multiplier in free spins. The result is a base game full of small breaks-even and losses, with the real wins concentrated in the chains inside the feature.
That explains the temperament: high volatility. You might spin dozens of times with nothing much happening, then stack a multiplier through consecutive cascades in a single feature. It does not change the long-run math; it just pulls the distribution of outcomes to the extremes. Each game’s theoretical RTP and max win follow the official or operator page — we label them faithfully on each game page and never invent undisclosed numbers.
FAQ
Is Megaways Microgaming’s own technology?
No. Megaways is a licensed engine from Big Time Gaming, and Microgaming (Games Global) is one of the providers that pays to use it. So Microgaming’s Megaways titles share the same dynamic-reel rules as everyone else’s.
Do more ways to win mean it is easier to win money?
More ways only means there are more paths that could form a combination on a spin, and each hit tends to be smaller. It does not change the long-run expectation, and it cannot remove the house edge. Volatility is what actually shapes the experience, and Megaways is generally high-volatility.
What is the RTP of Megaways titles?
It varies by game and by operator configuration. We do not give a single figure and do not invent one. Refer to each game page or the official notes; where a value is undisclosed we mark it as such.