Great Rhino Megaways — Pragmatic Play's African Megaways Powerhouse

Pragmatic Play took its popular Great Rhino title and rebuilt it from scratch using Big Time Gaming's Megaways licence, producing one of the most volatile African-themed slots on the market. Great Rhino Megaways replaces the original's 20 fixed paylines with a variable reel system delivering up to 200,704 ways to win on every spin. The addition of tumbling reels — where winning symbols disappear and new ones cascade into the gaps — creates chain reactions that can stack multiple wins from a single bet. Combined with an unlimited multiplier during free spins, the game's theoretical maximum exceeds 20,000× stake. That ceiling is not marketing fiction; verified community wins above 10,000× appear regularly in tracked session data.

Technical Specifications

How the Megaways Engine Works

Each of the six main reels can display between 2 and 7 symbols per spin. The number of ways is calculated by multiplying the symbol counts across all reels — so a spin showing 7-7-7-7-7-7 yields the full 117,649 ways on the main grid. An additional horizontal top reel adds one extra symbol above reels 2 through 5, pushing the maximum to 200,704 when all positions are active. The way count changes every spin, which means payout potential fluctuates dramatically. A spin with 64 ways (2-2-2-2-2-2) plays very differently from one with 200,000+ ways, and this variance is baked into the high-volatility rating.

If you are new to this mechanic, our RTP and volatility guide explains how variable way counts affect session variance in detail.

Tumbling Reels (Cascades)

After every winning combination, the contributing symbols are removed from the grid. Remaining symbols drop down under gravity, and new symbols fill in from above. If the new arrangement produces another win, the process repeats. Tumbles continue until no new wins form. In the base game, each tumble simply awards another payout at standard value. During free spins, each successive tumble raises a progressive multiplier — the mechanic that drives the game's biggest wins.

Symbol Hierarchy

Great Rhino Megaways uses a two-tier symbol structure common to Pragmatic Play titles:

• Rhino (Premium) — the highest-value standard symbol, paying 50× for six across all reels
• Crocodile — 10× for six of a kind
• Gorilla — 5× for six
• Cheetah & Flamingo — mid-range symbols at 2.5–4× for six
• Card Royals (A, K, Q, J, 10, 9) — low-value symbols ranging from 0.6× to 1.5× for six
• Wild — substitutes for all paying symbols; appears on reels 2-5 during base game and free spins
• Scatter — golden coin; 4+ trigger free spins (or 3+ with ante bet active)

The rhino symbol's 50× payout may seem modest compared to older slots, but it must be viewed through the Megaways lens. A six-of-a-kind rhino hit with 7 symbols on each reel means the win is multiplied across all valid ways simultaneously. In practice, a full-screen rhino cascade can return thousands of times the bet before accounting for the free-spin multiplier.

Free Spins Feature

Landing four or more scatter symbols on a single spin triggers the free-spins round. The number of initial spins scales with scatter count:

• 4 scatters → 8 free spins
• 5 scatters → 12 free spins
• 6 scatters → 16 free spins

The defining feature of the free-spins round is the unlimited progressive multiplier. It starts at 1× and increases by 1 for every tumble — not every spin, every tumble. A single free spin that produces five consecutive cascading wins raises the multiplier from 1× to 6×. By the end of a 12-spin round with consistent tumble chains, multipliers of 20× to 40× are realistic. Community-tracked sessions have recorded multipliers exceeding 100× in rare cases, which is where the 20,000× max-win potential becomes achievable.

Retriggers are possible by landing three or more scatters during the round, adding 4 additional spins per retrigger. There is no cap on retriggers.

Ante Bet Option

Great Rhino Megaways offers an optional ante bet that increases your wager by 25% in exchange for doubling the frequency of scatter symbols on the reels. At $1.00 base bet, activating the ante raises the cost to $1.25 per spin. The mathematical effect is straightforward: you enter free spins roughly twice as often, but each spin costs 25% more. Over infinite spins, the ante bet slightly increases RTP because the free-spins round is where the bulk of the game's value concentrates. For players with adequate bankroll, the ante bet is the mathematically preferred option.

Super Respin Feature

During the base game, landing two or more of the designated Mega symbols (the rhino and the crocodile appearing as oversized 2×2 or 3×3 blocks) triggers the Super Respin. The large symbols lock in place while the remaining positions respin up to three times. Each respin that adds another matching mega symbol resets the counter. The feature concludes when no new mega symbols land or the grid is full. A fully locked grid of rhino mega symbols delivers one of the base game's largest possible payouts. The Super Respin cannot trigger during free spins but often serves as the bankroll-sustaining mechanic between bonus rounds.

Volatility and Session Planning

Pragmatic Play rates this slot 5 out of 5 on their internal volatility scale. In practical terms, expect long sequences of minimal returns punctuated by explosive cascading wins. A bankroll of 500× your chosen bet provides a reasonable buffer for a session of 300–400 spins. At $1.00 per spin, that means $500 in reserve.

The ante bet increases volatility further because you spend 25% more per spin while concentrating value into less frequent but larger bonus rounds. Players accustomed to the rhythm of Mega Moolah — another high-volatility African slot — will find Great Rhino Megaways similarly punishing in dry spells but far more rewarding in its feature rounds, thanks to the 96.58% base RTP versus Mega Moolah's 88.12%.

Mobile Performance

Pragmatic Play's HTML5 framework delivers consistent performance across devices. The variable reel heights animate smoothly on phones, and the tumbling cascade sequences render at full frame rate on any device from the last five years. The ante bet toggle and autoplay settings are accessible via a hamburger menu in portrait mode. Landscape orientation provides the fullest visual experience, especially during free spins when the multiplier counter is prominently displayed. For a broader comparison of mobile-optimised African slots, check our mobile slots guide.

Comparison with the Original Great Rhino

The original Great Rhino (2018) used a 5×3 grid with 20 fixed paylines and an RTP of 96.53%. It lacked tumbling reels and the multiplier mechanic. The Megaways version preserves the African savanna aesthetic and the Super Respin feature while dramatically expanding the win potential. Players who enjoyed the original but found its ceiling too low will appreciate the Megaways upgrade. Those who prefer simpler, more predictable mechanics may want to explore Serengeti Kings, which offers a medium-high volatility alternative with a more structured feature set.