What Is Megaclusters and How Is It Different from Megaways?
Megaclusters and Megaways sound as though they belong to the same slot system. That assumption makes sense because both mechanics were created by Big Time Gaming, but they actually produce very different styles of gameplay.
If you are wondering What Is Megaclusters, think of a changing grid rather than changing reels. Megaclusters uses connected symbol groups, splitting mechanics, and repeated reactions.
Megaways, meanwhile, generally changes the number of symbols appearing on each reel, creating a different number of potential winning combinations from one spin to another.
Megaclusters Starts With a Grid
The basic structure immediately separates Megaclusters from many Megaways titles.
Star Clusters, the first game Big Time Gaming released using the format, introduced Megaclusters as an extension of cluster and reaction-style games.
Instead of six familiar vertical reels, the player begins with a compact grid.
Winning combinations are based on groups of matching symbols touching one another rather than standard left-to-right reel patterns.
For example, Star Clusters 2 uses a 4×4 starting board and requires at least five adjacent matching symbols for a cluster win. During Free Spins, the layout expands to 8×8.
This makes the gameplay feel closer to a puzzle-like grid system than a traditional reel machine.
Megaways Changes the Number of Symbols Per Reel
Megaways follows a different principle.
Many classic Megaways slots use six main reels with a variable number of visible positions. The number of symbols on each reel determines the total number of available ways to win.
Bonanza can reach 117,649 ways to win, and Big Time Gaming describes Megaways as a mechanic where the reel configuration can change between spins.
Imagine six reels displaying 3, 4, 5, 4, 6, and 5 symbols.
The number of possible ways would be calculated from those reel heights rather than from fixed paylines.
The important difference is that Megaways changes how many symbol positions exist across the reels before combinations are evaluated.
Megaclusters Changes Symbols After a Win
Megaclusters becomes distinctive after a winning cluster occurs.
In Star Clusters, symbols involved in winning groups can divide into four smaller symbols. These smaller symbols occupy the original symbol area, effectively increasing the number of individual pieces available for the next reaction.
The remaining symbols then collapse, fresh symbols can enter, and another cluster may form.
If another win appears, the reaction continues.
That is very different from Megaways, where reel heights may change but individual winning symbols do not become four smaller icons simply because they formed a win.
This splitting process is the core concept to remember when explaining Megaclusters to a beginer.
Both Mechanics Can Use Cascading Wins
The comparison becomes slightly more complicated because both formats can include cascading or reaction mechanics.
Bonanza combines Megaways with a cascading reel system. Winning symbols disappear and replacements enter, allowing another combination to form during the same sequence.
Therefore, cascades alone do not define Megaclusters.
The key Megaclusters difference is what happens to the winning symbol space.
Rather than only clearing positions, winning symbols can divide and create smaller units that participate in later reactions.
This is why two games may both appear to “cascade,” yet the mathematical and visual structures underneath them can be very diferent.
Cluster Pays and Ways to Win Are Not the Same
The method of forming a win is another major distinction.
Megaways commonly uses ways-to-win mechanics. In many versions, matching symbols must appear across consecutive reels starting from the left.
The symbols usually do not need to follow a fixed payline, but they still depend on reel progression.
Megaclusters uses cluster pays.
Diamond Fruits, another BTG Megaclusters title, uses a 5×5 grid where positions may hold large symbols, blank spaces, or groups of smaller symbols. Five or more matching symbols connecting in a cluster can produce a payout according to the game rules.
So a Megaclusters win may form in a compact area of the grid without following a traditional reel path.
That changes both how results are calculated and how players visually read the screen.
The Number 117,649 Is Mainly Associated With Megaways
The figure 117,649 became strongly associated with classic Megaways slots because six reels displaying seven positions each create:
7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 × 7 = 117,649.
Bonanza and Max Megaways are examples of BTG titles using this maximum ways structure.
Megaclusters does not depend on the same calculation.
Instead, its scale is often described using grid dimensions and the number of individual symbols that can exist after splitting.
The original Star Clusters, for instance, can create dramatically enlarged symbol fields during its reactions and bonus gameplay.
This is why comparing the two mechanics solely by “number of ways” can be misleading.
They measure winning opportunities differently.
Bonus Features Can Change Both Systems
Neither Megaclusters nor Megaways dictates every feature inside a slot.
Developers can combine these core systems with Wilds, multipliers, Free Spins, Scatters, Bonus Buy options, or other mechanics.
Star Clusters 2 adds Gold Wilds with multipliers and an increasing Wild multiplier during its Free Spins.
Megaways titles can also include growing multipliers. Bonanza’s Free Spins feature increases its multiplier after winning reactions, while newer Megaways releases may add completely different modifiers.
Therefore, players should seperate the base mechanic from the extra features.
Megaways explains the variable-reel framework. Megaclusters explains the cluster-and-splitting framework.
Everything else depends on the specific game.
Which Format Is Easier to Understand?
Megaways is often easier for players already familiar with reel slots because the basic layout still resembles a traditional machine.
The biggest adjustment is understanding that reel heights and winning ways change.
Megaclusters can require more attention at first because wins are formed through connected symbols, and the screen may transform as symbols split into smaller pieces.
However, once the cluster rule is understood, the logic becomes straightforward: find the required connected symbols, watch the winning pieces react, then see whether the new grid creates another cluster.
Neither system is inherently better.
They simply offer different ways of structuring slot outcomes.
Megaclusters vs Megaways at a Glance
Megaways primarily changes the number of symbols available on individual reels. That variation creates a changing number of ways to win.
Megaclusters primarily changes the grid through winning reactions.
A useful shorthand is:
Megaways = variable reels and variable winning ways.
Megaclusters = connected clusters, symbol splitting, and expanding reactions.
Both can also use cascades, multipliers, Free Spins, and Wild symbols, which is why the distinction is sometimes less obvious when watching gameplay for the first time.
So, What Is Megaclusters compared with Megaways? Megaclusters is a cluster-based mechanic where winning symbols can divide into smaller pieces and fuel additional reactions.
Megaways instead uses changing reel sizes to create variable winning ways. Check the rules of an individual title before playing, because bonus features, Wild behaviour, grid sizes, and payout requirements can vary significantly.