Megaways PNG Guide: Bonus Buy and Buy Feature Slots Explained

Megaways PNG guide from WinKina: how Megaways reels change, how bonus buy pokies and buy feature slots work, what a buy costs in Kina, and who should skip it.

Two pokie styles everyone is talking about

Scroll through the WinKina Slots lobby and you will spot two things more and more: games with Megaways in the name, and games with a big Buy Bonus or Buy Feature button. If you have searched megaways png or bonus buy pokies and wondered what they are, this guide is for you.

We will keep it friendly and honest. You will learn how Megaways pokies change their reels on every spin, how buy feature slots let you jump straight to the bonus, and what that jump really costs in Kina. We will also tell you who we think these games suit, and who should probably skip them.

One thing first, because it matters most: these games are just as random as any other pokie. More ways and a buy button do not change the odds.

Megaways in 60 seconds

On an old-style pokie, the screen is a fixed box. Say 5 reels, 3 rows, and 20 paylines. Every spin looks the same shape.

A Megaways pokie throws that box away. It usually has 6 reels, and each reel picks its own height every spin, often from 2 up to 7 symbols tall. One spin the screen is short and tidy. The next it is tall and packed.

Wins do not follow paylines. Instead, you win when the same symbol lands on reels side by side, starting from the left reel. Every possible path through those symbols is a "way". That is where the name comes from.

What does it feel like to play? Busy! Symbols pile up, wins pop off the screen, and a single paid spin can roll on for several seconds as cascades land. You will see many tiny wins, some smaller than your bet. A K1 spin that pays K0.30 still costs you K0.70, even if the screen flashes. Give yourself a few low-bet spins to get used to it before you judge a game.

On top of that, most Megaways games use cascades. Winning symbols vanish, new ones fall in, and you can win again on the same paid spin. Many also have free spins where a multiplier climbs with every cascade. That is the part that can make a feature pay a lot, or not much at all.

Let's count the ways together

This is easier than it sounds. You just multiply the number of symbols on each reel.

Say a spin lands with reels showing 3, 4, 5, 3, 6 and 2 symbols. The ways are 3 x 4 x 5 x 3 x 6 x 2 = 2,160 ways.

On the next spin the reels show 7, 7, 6, 7, 5 and 7. Now it is 7 x 7 x 6 x 7 x 5 x 7 = 72,030 ways.

And if every reel lands 7 tall, you get 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 = 117,649. That is the famous top number you see on many Megaways games.

Some Megaways games also add a sideways reel across the top of the middle reels. It adds a few extra symbols each spin, which can push the ways count higher still. Check the rules screen of the game to see if yours has one.

Here is the catch that many players miss: more ways does not mean more money. The game is balanced so that its RTP stays the same whatever the ways count. A tall screen just means wins are shared out differently, often lots of small ones. If you want to know more about RTP itself, see our high RTP pokies guide.

Who made Megaways, and where to find them here

Megaways was invented by Big Time Gaming (BTG), a studio from Australia, our big neighbour across the Torres Strait. Their 2016 game Bonanza, a mining-themed pokie, made the system famous around the world.

BTG then let other studios use Megaways, so today you see it from many makers. Pragmatic Play is one of the biggest, with Megaways versions of several well known games. Red Tiger and NetEnt have made Megaways games too.

Good news for WinKina players: Big Time Gaming, NetEnt, Red Tiger and Nolimit City all joined our lobby in mid-October 2026. Pragmatic Play has been here since May. For the full list of studios we carry, read our pokie providers guide.

Want to see Megaways for yourself? Here are a few from the Pragmatic Play lobby. Start with a low bet while you learn the screen.

Big Bass Bonanza Megaways: the fisherman and his money fish, now on changing reels. If you like the original, this is a natural next step.

The Dog House Megaways 1000: bright cartoon dogs and sticky wilds in free spins.

5 Lions Megaways: gold lion statues with a classic Asian look.

Like picking games by look and feel? Our pokies by theme guide groups games by fishing, animals, gods, candy and more.

Bonus buy: skipping the queue

You know the feeling of waiting in a long line at the bank on payday. A bonus buy is like paying someone to hold your place so you can go straight to the counter.

In a normal pokie, the free spins come when the right symbols land, usually three or more scatters. You might wait 40 spins or 300. In a bonus buy pokie, you can pay a set price to start the bonus right now.

The price is a multiple of your bet. Around 100 times the bet is common, but it varies a lot between games. Some games have a cheaper buy for a smaller bonus and a much dearer one for a bigger "super" bonus. Some studios also offer an "ante bet", where you pay a little extra every spin so the feature lands more often on its own.

Not sure if a game has the option? On WinKina, open the game and look around the spin button or the side of the screen. If there is no buy button, that game simply does not offer one.

Studios famous for feature buys include Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming and Nolimit City. Nolimit City in particular builds very wild, high volatility games with its own tricks like xWays and xNudge. Not every game has a buy, so look for the button on the game screen.

Let's talk Kina: what a buy really costs

The buy button is easy to press, so let's be very clear about the price. These examples use 100x, but always read the price your game shows before you confirm.

K0.10 bet: a 100x buy costs K10.

K0.40 bet: a 100x buy costs K40.

K0.80 bet: a 100x buy costs K80.

K1.50 bet: a 100x buy costs K150.

So with a K40 deposit and a K0.40 bet, one buy uses your whole balance. That is the big danger. Your entire night can ride on one bonus round.

What does the bonus pay back? It could be 8x your bet, 40x, 120x, or once in a while far more. Lots of buys pay back less than they cost. A few pay back many times their cost. Over thousands and thousands of buys, the average return sits a little below the price, because every game keeps a house edge. Some games list a separate RTP for the buy in their rules, so it is worth a look.

A night with a buy: Anna's story

Let's make it real. Anna from Lae has K60 for Saturday night. She loves the look of a Megaways game with a buy button, but she also has a plan.

She sets her bet to K0.20. At that bet, a 100x buy costs K20. Her rule: one buy only, then normal spins until her timer rings or her balance drops below K15.

First she plays 50 normal spins to get a feel for the game. Lots of tiny wins, one small cascade run. Her balance is now K52. Then she makes her one buy for K20, leaving K32.

The bonus starts slow. Two free spins pay almost nothing. Then a multiplier builds and the round finishes at K58. Her balance jumps to K90. She feels the itch to buy again. Instead she sticks to her plan, plays normal spins for ten more minutes, and withdraws K70 to her own Kina Bank account when the timer rings.

Was Anna clever, or just lucky? Lucky. The same buy could easily have paid K6. What she did well was plan, so a bad bonus would have cost her K20, not her whole night. That is how we hope every WinKina player treats the buy button.

Does buying the feature help you win?

We get this question a lot, and the honest answer is no. Buying gets you to the bonus faster. It does not make the bonus pay better, and it does not beat the house edge.

What it does change is the shape of your session. Instead of 100 small K0.40 spins, you put K40 on one event. Your balance jumps instead of drifting. That is exciting, but it also means you can go from K40 to K5 in thirty seconds.

If you are playing with bonus money, please check the terms on Promotions first, and remember any bonus turnover must be finished before you can withdraw.

For more on why no button or pattern changes the result, read how pokies work.

Is this style right for you?

Here is how we would think about it, player to player.

Megaways with normal spins suits most people who want something lively. You get the moving reels and cascades without paying a big price up front. Keep the bet small and enjoy the show. Think of it as paying for entertainment, the same way you would pay for a movie or a night out with friends.

Bonus buys suit players with a bigger budget who love big swings and are calm about losing the full buy price. If one buy is less than a tenth of your session money, you are in safer territory.

Skip the buy if your budget is K10 to K30, if you want a long relaxed session, or if losing K40 in one click would ruin your evening. Our low bet pokies guide has lots of gentler games.

Try before you buy. If a game has a buy button, play 30 to 50 normal spins at your smallest bet first. You will see how the base game behaves, how often small wins land, and whether you even enjoy the look. Many players find they are happy with normal spins and never need the buy at all.

Think about your week, not just tonight. If you plan to play on Friday and Sunday, a K40 buy on Friday may leave nothing for Sunday. Spread your fun money across the days you want to play.

There is no wrong choice here. The only wrong move is buying more than you planned because the last one did not pay.

Our checklist before you press Buy

Check the price in Kina on the buy screen. Is it a small part of your balance?
Decide how many buys you will make tonight, before the first one. Write it down if it helps.
Open the rules and read what the bonus includes and whether a separate buy RTP is listed.
Lower your bet if needed so the buy price fits your budget.
If a buy pays nicely, think about cashing out part of it. Withdrawals start from K50 and go only to an account in your own name. See our withdraw guide.
If a buy pays badly, do not buy again to win it back. That is chasing.
Follow the stop rules in our pokies tips and strategy guide.

Big swings need a calm head

Megaways and bonus buy pokies can move your balance a lot in a short time. That is part of the fun, but it is also why we want you to play with a plan. Use only money you can spare, take breaks, and never borrow to play. WinKina is for adults 18+ only.

If you catch yourself pressing Buy again and again to chase a loss, please stop and read our play safe guide. You can also message us on Live Chat any time, day or night.

Megaways and bonus buy questions

What does Megaways mean in pokies?

Megaways is a reel system invented by Big Time Gaming. Each reel shows a different number of symbols on every spin, so the number of ways to win keeps changing, often up to 117,649.

How do bonus buy pokies work?

You pay a fixed price, shown as a multiple of your bet, to go straight into the bonus round. The game shows the price before you confirm. The bonus result is still random.

Is a buy feature slot a good idea for small budgets?

Usually not. One buy can cost your whole balance. On a small budget, normal spins at a low bet give you more playing time.

Do Megaways pokies pay better than normal pokies?

No. More ways changes how wins look, but the long-run return depends on the game's RTP, which is set by its design.

Where can I play Megaways in PNG?

On WinKina, Megaways games from Pragmatic Play and other studios are in the Slots lobby. Look for "Megaways" in the game name.

Can I lose the whole buy price?

Yes. A bonus round can pay back much less than it cost, sometimes almost nothing. Only buy if you are fine losing the full price.

Which studios are known for bonus buys?

Pragmatic Play, Hacksaw Gaming and Nolimit City are well known for games with feature buys. Not every game has one.