Megaways vs Fixed Paylines: Two Very Different Ways to Read the Reels

Megaways vs fixed paylines explained through simple examples, a comparison table and the difference between reel combinations, paths and game returns.

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3 days ago 28

Checked: 16 October 2026. Adults 18+.

A fixed-payline screen arrives with its routes already drawn. A Megaways-style layout can look as though the building contractor has returned during the interval and rearranged the windows.

The Megaways vs fixed paylines comparison is about how a game defines and counts qualifying combinations. It is not a contest to see which label can print the largest number on a poster.

Once you separate paths from combinations, the vocabulary becomes much easier. You do not need a calculator with a cape; a small fictional grid will do.

Megaways vs fixed paylines at a glance

A fixed payline is a predefined route through positions on the reels. A ways system checks eligible combinations under its own rules rather than simply following a list of drawn lines.

Megaways is Big Time Gaming’s branded mechanic. Megaways slots share that branding while individual games supply their own detailed rules. Named games can add their own layouts, modifiers and features, so the exact rules still matter.

Feature	Fixed-payline design	Megaways design
Main reading idea	Follow defined paths	Read the game’s eligible combinations
Layout	Often a regular arrangement	Can use changing reel heights or other defined modifications
Headline count	Number of stated lines	Number of possible ways under the current arrangement
What you still need	Matching rules, symbol values and exceptions	Matching rules, symbol values and exceptions
What the label alone cannot tell you	Your next result	Your next result

Neither column is a substitute for a complete paytable.

Fixed paylines: routes through the scenery

Imagine a fictional five-reel screen with three positions on each reel. One line runs straight across the middle. Another begins at the top, moves through the centre and finishes at the bottom.

Those lines are routes. The made-up game’s matching rule then decides which symbol sequences along an eligible route qualify.

A screenshot showing five matching symbols somewhere on the screen does not automatically establish a line result. They need to satisfy the actual route and matching conditions.

The useful mental image is a railway map. Five stations being visible is not the same as five stations belonging to one service.

Also check whether “fixed” refers to a set of always-active lines or whether the game describes another selection system. Do not let the familiar shape of a reel cabinet answer that question for you.

Ways: a combination count instead of a drawn route

Here is an intentionally simplified fictional model.

Suppose a matching symbol appears twice on the first reel, once on the second and three times on the third. If our invented rule counts every left-to-right combination through those positions, the number is:

2 × 1 × 3 = 6 combinations.

That example teaches a counting method. It is not a complete description of every commercial game, and it does not calculate the probability or value of an outcome.

Changing one of those position counts changes the multiplication. That is why a ways display can move around when the arrangement changes.

What it does not mean is that six unrelated prizes have been guaranteed. The conditions and payment rules still decide the result.

Why 117,649 appears in Megaways discussions

Big Time Gaming’s Vegas Megaways page identifies a six-reel game with up to 117,649 ways.

The number has a neat mathematical identity:

7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649.

The developer’s Max Megaways factsheet also describes a maximum-layout feature with seven symbols per reel.

These named references explain a familiar example. They do not establish 117,649 as a universal ceiling for every game carrying the Megaways name. Gold Megaways, for example, describes extending reels and a different maximum during its feature.

The exact title is doing important work here. Read it.

More ways is not the same claim as more return

A combination count and a return percentage answer different questions.

The count concerns arrangements the game can assess under its rules. The theoretical return concerns the game’s mathematical model over a large number of plays. You cannot derive the second from the first just by admiring the size of the headline.

Likewise, the count alone does not tell you how often an outcome occurs or what any particular qualifying combination pays.

A restaurant with a longer menu is not automatically serving a larger dinner. Quantity of options and value of the eventual result are different measurements.

This is why “more ways must be better” is an incomplete comparison rather than a conclusion.

Where cascades and extra features fit

A game can combine its matching system with cascading replacements, multipliers or additional reel behaviour. Those are extra layers.

First ask how an arrangement qualifies. Then ask how a replacement sequence works. Then ask what modifies the result.

If all three are compressed into one feature name, the explanation becomes unnecessarily slippery. You can usually make it clearer by turning the screen back into a sequence of ordinary sentences.

Do not assume a cascade in one title resets or preserves the same things as a cascade in another.

Which layout is easier to follow?

That is partly a presentation question.

A fixed-line display can be easy to trace when a result highlights the route. It can also become visually crowded when many line patterns are shown at once.

A ways display can remove the need to follow each drawn path. It can also ask you to pay closer attention to the changing arrangement and the rules for eligible symbols.

There is no need to turn that preference into a claim about financial superiority. A reader can prefer a clear railway map or a more changeable building plan without either preference predicting an outcome.

The best explanation is the one that lets you describe why the screen assessed a result.

A short rules-reading checklist

Before assuming you understand a layout, identify:

Which reels or positions are included in a matching sequence.
Whether the game requires a particular direction.
How many matching symbols are required.
What a special symbol can replace.
What changes during a feature.
When the arrangement or modifiers reset.

Those questions are useful for reading and discussing a game. They are not a system for forecasting random results.

For the separate legal context, see our South African gambling licence guide. For limits and breaks, see our responsible gambling guide.

Frequently asked questions

Are ways and paylines the same thing?

No. A payline is a defined route; a ways system counts eligible combinations under its stated rules.

Does every Megaways game have exactly 117,649 ways?

No. That familiar figure belongs to particular layouts and titles. Read the actual game’s maximum and feature rules.

Does a larger ways count prove a higher RTP?

No. The count alone is not enough to establish the theoretical return.

Can fixed-payline games have other features?

Yes. A matching system and additional features are separate layers of the design.

Is the six-combination example a real game rule?

No. It is a simplified fictional counting example, clearly defined for this explanation.

Two rulebooks, one useful habit

Fixed lines and ways systems can both look complicated when the screen is throwing confetti at the explanation.

Strip the animation away for a moment. Ask what is being counted, where it must appear and which written condition makes it qualify.

Once you can answer those questions, the headline number becomes information rather than theatre. The contractor can rearrange the windows; you still know how to read the plan.