Quick verdict: Great Rhino Megaways holds a genuinely notable place in Pragmatic Play's history — it was the studio's first-ever Megaways title, launched via a licensing partnership with Big Time Gaming as a sequel to 2018's fan-favourite Great Rhino. Rather than a simple reskin, it rebuilds the safari theme around a 6-reel-plus-independent-top-reel Megaways grid offering up to 200,704 ways to win, with a four-option Free Spins choice giving players a genuine say in their risk-reward trade-off. At 96.58% RTP, high volatility, and a reported 20,000x max win, it set the template Pragmatic would go on to reuse across dozens of later Megaways reinventions.
The Story
Great Rhino launched in May 2018 and quickly became one of Pragmatic Play's most consistently popular titles, built around an African savanna setting and a formidable rhino Wild. Rather than simply releasing a numbered sequel, Pragmatic Play licensed the Megaways mechanic from its creator, Big Time Gaming, specifically to rebuild Great Rhino on top of it — making Great Rhino Megaways the studio's first-ever Megaways release rather than just another entry in its catalogue. Big Time Gaming's own CEO, Nik Robinson, praised the collaboration at launch, while Pragmatic's Chief Commercial Officer Melissa Summerfield framed the move as a way of "gaining more ground in the current video slot market" by pairing a proven hit with a proven mechanic.
Theme, Gameplay & Symbols
Great Rhino Megaways runs on six main reels plus an additional seventh reel that spins independently and horizontally above the main grid, together offering up to 200,704 ways to win, with row counts on the main reels varying between 2 and 7 each spin. Wins tumble away and are replaced by new symbols dropping in, letting a single spin chain multiple wins in sequence. Low-value symbols are card royals, while higher-value symbols carry the safari theme: zebras, giraffes, and lions, alongside the rhino itself as the game's Wild symbol, appearing on that independent seventh reel.
Presentation & Sound
Visually, Great Rhino Megaways keeps the sun-drenched African savanna backdrop that defined the original — golden grasslands, acacia trees, and distant mountains under a wide open sky, with a powerfully rendered rhino anchoring the game's branding. It's a warm, naturalistic presentation with a percussive, safari-inspired soundtrack, switching to a distinct "night mode" visual treatment during Free Spins that gives the bonus round its own separate atmosphere from the base game.
How to Play Great Rhino Megaways
- Set your stake. Bets run from £0.20 up to £100.00 per spin, though UKGC rules cap online slot stakes at £5 per spin (£2 for 18–24-year-olds), so UK players can't stake anywhere near the top of that range.
- Spin the Megaways grid. Row counts vary each spin across the six main reels plus the independent horizontal top reel, changing the total ways to win up to a maximum of 200,704.
- Let wins tumble. Winning symbols clear and new ones drop in, chaining further wins from the same spin.
- Land four gold rhino coins to open the Free Spins menu. You'll be offered a choice of four configurations.
- Pick your preferred trade-off. 15 free spins at a 1x multiplier, 10 spins at 5x, 5 spins at 10x, or a mystery option combining a random spin count and multiplier.
- Try the demo first. Great Rhino Megaways has a free-play demo available on this page, a sensible way to compare the four Free Spins options before staking real money.
Features & Mechanics
Great Rhino Megaways' bonus triggers when four gold rhino coin symbols land, opening a choice of four Free Spins configurations rather than a single fixed outcome: 15 free spins with a 1x multiplier, 10 free spins with a 5x multiplier, 5 free spins with a 10x multiplier, or a mystery option that randomly assigns a spin count and multiplier instead. All Free Spins take place in a distinct night-mode visual setting, and multipliers increase further with each successive win during the round, layering on top of whichever base multiplier was selected. The tumbling reels mechanic and the rhino Wild on the independent seventh reel both continue operating throughout the bonus exactly as in the base game.
Volatility & Win Potential
Great Rhino Megaways carries a published RTP of 96.58% and high volatility. The maximum win is reported at 20,000x your stake, reached through a Free Spins round with the highest multiplier option selected and the win-based multiplier escalation fully built up. Bets run from £0.20 up to £100.00 per spin — again, well above the UK stake cap noted above — across up to 200,704 ways. The four-option Free Spins choice means realised risk varies by player decision — choosing 5 spins at a 10x starting multiplier is a materially different bet than 15 spins at 1x, even from the same trigger.
Pros & Cons
- Pro: a genuinely historic release — Pragmatic Play's first Megaways title, built on a licensing partnership with the mechanic's creator, Big Time Gaming.
- Pro: the four-option Free Spins menu gives real player choice over the spins-versus-multiplier trade-off.
- Pro: a reported 20,000x max win ceiling, a substantial step up from many of Pragmatic's earlier fixed-reel releases.
- Con: high volatility combined with the four-coin trigger requirement means the bonus can take a long time to appear naturally.
- Con: choosing between four Free Spins options adds a decision point that simpler single-outcome bonus slots don't require.
- Con: players who've already spent time on other Pragmatic Megaways reinventions (Madame Destiny Megaways, Chilli Heat Megaways) will recognise the broader template.
Final Verdict
Great Rhino Megaways holds up well beyond its historical significance as Pragmatic Play's first Megaways release — the four-option Free Spins menu gives genuine player agency, the tumbling reels and independent rhino-Wild reel keep the base game engaging, and the reported 20,000x ceiling gives it real teeth. It set the template Pragmatic has reused across numerous later Megaways reinventions, from Madame Destiny Megaways to Chilli Heat Megaways, and remains a well-built entry point into that wider family. Trying the demo first to compare the four Free Spins options is worth doing before spinning for real money.
