5 Lions Megaways slot review: free spin choices and tumbling reels

5 Lions Megaways is a Pragmatic Play slot released in June 2021 that combines a Megaways reel set with tumbling wins and a free spins round where you choose your own trade-off between the number of spins and the size of the wild multipliers. The game sheet lists an RTP of 96.50%, high volatility and a top win of 5,000x your stake. It is a game for patient bankrolls: long quiet spells are normal, and most of the potential sits inside the bonus.

How the 5 Lions Megaways reels work

The grid has six reels, and each reel shows a different number of symbols on every spin, up to seven rows high. That changing height is what the Megaways mechanic does: the number of ways to win changes spin by spin. Sources disagree on the maximum: one listing gives up to 117,649 ways, another up to 200,704, so treat the top figure as approximate and check the paytable in the game itself.

Wins pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left. After a win, the winning symbols disappear and new ones tumble in from above, which can produce several wins from one paid spin. The Megaways slots page explains the mechanic across other titles.

The 5 Lions Megaways bonus: choosing your free spins

Landing three or more scatters starts the free spins round, and this is where the game stands apart. Instead of a fixed number of spins, you pick one of seven options. At one end, you take few spins with big wild multipliers, for example 6 spins with wilds worth 15x to 40x. At the other, you take many spins with small multipliers, for example 25 spins with wilds worth 2x to 5x. Free spins can be retriggered.

The choice does not change the game's long-run return; it changes the shape of the outcomes. Fewer spins with bigger multipliers means a higher chance of a weak bonus and a small chance of a large one. More spins with smaller multipliers tends to produce steadier, more modest results.

Is there a 5 Lions Megaways strategy?

Not one that improves your odds. The RTP is fixed by the game version, results are random, and the free spins choice only alters volatility. What you can control is your stake size relative to your budget: with high volatility, a stake that lets you survive a long run without a bonus is more sensible than a large one. Note that some casino games are released in several RTP versions, so the information screen inside the game is the place to confirm the figure on the version you see.

5 Lions Megaways demo

There is no demo on this site. The official 5 Lions Megaways demo is on Pragmatic Play's own website, and some licensed bookmakers offer a demo mode in their game lobby. Demo credits have no value, which makes the demo useful for seeing how the free spin options feel before deciding whether the game suits you at all.

5 Lions Megaways in South Africa

In South Africa the game appears only at provincially licensed bookmakers that carry Pragmatic Play titles, such as Betshezi, Scorebet, Sportingbet, World Sports Betting, Gbets, PlayBet, Betfred, Topbet, Vegas Bets and YesPlay; lobbies change, so check whether this specific title is listed. The legal status of casino-style games at bookmakers is disputed and depends on the province. Online casinos are not licensed in South Africa. More of the studio's games are on the Pragmatic Play slots page, and the slot reviews hub lists every game we cover. Slot bonuses at bookmakers come with their own conditions, explained in the bonuses guide.

Slots are for adults only: you must be 18 or older to gamble. High-volatility games can drain a balance quickly, so set a limit before you start; the responsible gambling page explains the tools available.