Variable reels: why the ways change
On a classic slot the paylines are hard-wired: 25 lines means 25 lines, and a symbol pays on whatever line it lands on. Megaways swaps that logic out — it doesn't count "lines," it counts "ways." The grid is usually six reels, but the number of symbols on each reel is decided at random every spin, commonly somewhere between 2 and 7. One reel drops just 2 large symbols this spin, another crams in 7 small ones, and the grid ends up jagged and uneven — which is exactly the visual signature of Megaways.
Because each reel's height keeps changing, the number of combinations you can line up changes with it. That's why the "Ways" figure in the corner of the screen jumps from a few hundred to tens of thousands — it isn't a special effect, it's the real number of paying ways on that spin.
Fixed lines are about "which line a symbol lands on"; Megaways is about "how many of the same symbol appear across a run of consecutive reels." The ways are calculated, not drawn.
How 117649 is worked out
The maths behind the number of ways is refreshingly plain: multiply together the symbol count on each reel. Say the six reels drop 4, 5, 3, 6, 2 and 4 symbols this spin — then the ways for that spin are:
When all six reels fill to their maximum of 7 symbols, the ways reach their theoretical ceiling:
As long as a symbol (wilds included) appears on consecutive reels from left to right, it counts as one valid combination and pays from the leftmost reel — no matter which row it happens to sit on. So the fixed-line frustration of "just one row off" simply doesn't exist in Megaways: all it cares about is "is the symbol present on each of a run of consecutive reels."
Tumbling: why one spin can win several times over
The vast majority of PP's Megaways games layer a tumble mechanic on top. After a winning combination is paid, the symbols that formed it disappear, the symbols above drop down to fill the gaps, and fresh symbols fall in from the top — creating a brand-new evaluation. As long as a combination can still be formed, the tumbling continues, until a drop finally produces no win.
Many PP Megaways titles also carry a horizontal "reaction reel" (reel modifier) above the main grid, which can feed extra symbols onto the board or trigger multipliers, pushing a single spin's ways count and chain depth even higher.
In the base game there's usually no progressive multiplier between tumbles; once you're into free spins, most PP Megaways games hand you a multiplier ladder that never resets — each completed tumble adds +1 (or a number tied to a symbol), and it's held all the way to the end of that free-spin round. Almost all of the big-win potential is concentrated here.
PP's signature Megaways side by side
The titles below are PP Megaways games built on much the same mechanical skeleton — different themes, the same core of "variable reels + tumbling + a progressive free-spin multiplier." Treat the figures as whatever your operator actually displays.
| Game | Grid | Core mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Great Rhino Megaways | 6 reels · up to 200704 ways* | Variable reels + tumbling + progressive free-spin multiplier |
| Buffalo King Megaways | 6 reels · up to 117649 ways | Variable reels + tumbling + wild multipliers |
| Power of Thor Megaways | 6 reels · up to 117649 ways | Variable reels + tumbling + Ante Bet trigger boost |
| 5 Lions Megaways | 6 reels · up to 117649 ways | Variable reels + tumbling + free-spin multiplier |
*A few games carry a top reaction reel, so their theoretical ways exceed 117649 — an extended take on this format. Always defer to the in-game description.
What it means for you
Megaways' variable reels make "how many wins you can chain, and how big" inherently high-variance: the base game is full of low-ways spins that connect nothing, and the real returns are heavily concentrated in the progressive multiplier during free spins. That's exactly why games like these are almost uniformly labelled high volatility.
Understanding the mechanic won't change the mathematical house edge, and it won't make free spins arrive any more often. What it can do is let you know, before you sit down, that you're facing a machine that's "flat most of the time and occasionally explosive," not one that "steadily tops you back up" — and your budget and expectations should be set to match.