You thought you’d seen it all. First, there were standard 3 reel fruities, then you got video slots with multiple reels and paylines. Then they turned into cylindrical wins, reels with of different sizes and the now well loved format of 243 ways to win.
Nowadays, between 1024 ways to win, the Megaways slots, providers have always tried to continue to surprise you.
But somewhere in between all of that, we’ve seen the rise of cluster pay slots, and we can’t help but love them. So here’s our favourites, what they are, and why you need to get playing.
What are cluster pays slots?
Rather than prizes appearing in a linear fashion, for example horizontally, diagonally or even “both ways” (left to right and right to left), cluster pays slot games are different.
They award you prizes when symbols appear in a “cluster” – for example if you notice what looks like a square in one corner of the reel with the same symbols touching one another directly
Usually, they pay when 5 or more symbols touch horizontally or vertically. But how many symbols are in a cluster varies from game to game and the size of the reels.
A great opportunity for variety
This opens up an opportunity to have fun with how symbols land and how they payout.
It’s not unusual to notice ‘cascading reels’ happily partner with cluster pays, where prizes quite literally cascade down in front of you as symbols cluster and disappear. You may even get bigger multipliers or special symbols left behind.
It’s huge fun to watch and even more fun to experience. It’s why we needed to show you our favourite slots with cluster pays mechanics.
So, now you know how cluster play slots work, where are the best places to find find? Check out some of the most thrilling games right here at Slotsumo.com.
1. Viking Runecraft
With bright colours and a dramatic theme, this historic slot will appeal to gamers everywhere.
Viking Runecraft offers a 7×7 grid layout with a huge number of features, including random wild bonuses, “pay all ways” and cascading reels.
Look out for the higher paying symbols including the helmets, hammer, axe and jewellery. The Viking gods will also float around your screen, giving you essential clues as to how much you’re about to win.
Start on level 1 and move your way up to level 10,000 as your head straight to Valhalla. Which is just another way of saying you’ll want to get the Norse gods on your side and trigger free spins with scatter symbols to try and catch that elusive 15x multiplier.
Read our Viking Runecraft slot review
Play Viking Runecraft at GUTS Casino
2. Jammin’ Jars
If you like bright colours and high Return to Player ratings, you’ll love the Jammin’ Jars slot.
Like Rainbow Riches and Candy Crush, it’s full of eye-popping colours that add to the excitement. This slot features an 8×8 grid, so it’s even more generous than our above mentioned Vikings.
While a bright and modern look, it also features a nod to the classics with fruity symbols. Winnings are awarded in “all ways” and you can also get your hands on wilds and multipliers. Ideally, you need to land multiple wilds which create five or more symbol wins.
The multipliers will soon rack up especially as the wild moves around the screen during the free spins. and who doesn’t love some sticky wilds?
Stay patient, as this medium to high volatility slot will pay out generously if you give it enough time.
Read our Jammin’ Jars slot review
Play Jammin Jars at Videoslots Casino
3. Queen’s Day Tilt
We’re going back to the traditional with this high volatility slot. It’s risky – will the Queen tilt her crown to you? Only time will tell in this 3×3-reel grid slot.
With a Return to Player rate of 96.36%, it’s generous and offers random base game bonuses which can show up during any round – either your normal spins or during free spins.
Look out for bonuses like The Ruler, which can turn a non-winning spin into a reel full of wild symbols. You can also watch knights battle it out in The Game of Accession, but you’ll need to win the base game first.
Are you up for the challenge?
Read our Queen’s Day Tilt slot review
Play Queen's Day Tilt at LeoVegas Casino
4. Nero’s Fortune
In keeping with the gods theme, this time we’re heading over to Ancient Rome with the Nero’s Fortune slot game.
The selling point is right there as you click on the game – you can win up to 8,575 times your bet! In this video slot, we have a 5×5 reel that offers a free spins bonus round and cluster wins.
Look out for bonus features such as the Burning Arrows. These happen when you get a win, and arrows randomly fire across the screen to land on empty spots.
They leave in their place a golden X, which increases multipliers and adds even more cash to your win. It’s a high volatility slot so you’ll be in it for the long haul, but it’s worth it for the 96.24% Return to Player Rate.
Read our Nero’s Fortune slot review.
Play Nero's Fortune at Mr Green Casino
5. Thor’s Lightning
Who needs Roman gods when we can return to the Norse once again? Like its Viking counterpart, this one has a 7×7 grid with two types of free spin rounds.
You can enjoy a Return to Player rating of 96.08%, a minimum bet of 0.20 a spin, and cluster wins that gives you the chance to bag up to 10,800 times your bet.
Look out for Thor’s Lightning and Hammer, which appear every 30 to 50 spins, kicking off a whole load of different bonus features. Will he move low-paying symbols out of the way and make way for the big wins? Will he nudge reels, remove rows of symbols or add extra wilds?
Only a little prayer to the god of thunder will see decide how the lightning falls.
Read our Thor’s Lightning slot review
Play Thor's Lightning at GUTS Casino
6. Jack in a Pot
Another enduring Irish theme, this time with have Jack in a Pot. Bear in mind this is not for the faint-hearted: its Return to Player rating can be as low as 94.06% if you’re playing in the Red Tiger Daily jackpots, if not it goes up to a more acceptable 96.06%.
But then there’s no jackpot that reaches into the hundreds of thousands.
Either way, you can make the most of four wild symbols, including the rainbow, beer, pipe and hat. Each one will kick off their own special bonus feature, adding mega symbols, removing lower value symbols, or swapping symbols to make way for big wins.
A fun and exciting choice for anyone who loves to play on something a little bit different.
Read our Jack in a Pot slot review.
Play Thor's Lightning at GUTS Casino
Where can I play Cluster Pay slots?
Almost all of the best casinos online will have some cluster play slots, but if you want to go to one casino where you’ll find all of the best cluster play slots, then you have to go to the gambling site that is all about the fruit machine.
You’ll be able to find all the games above in the well-named Videoslots casino that gives you more machines to play than you’ll have time.
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