Expanding Playing Area

A fascinating aspect of online slots is the, wide variety of gameplay available. From standard classic slots action to complex options that include games within games, slots enthusiasts are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding interesting mechanics and themes. The Expanding Playing Area is a mechanic that can open up a game to an entirely new perspective (and, potentially, more chances to win). Along with free spins to multipliers, cascading symbols and bonus bet options, players can enjoy multiple game mechanics even within the same game. If you’re wondering how expanding play areas work and how to find games that put them to good use at Wildz, take a closer look at this introduction.

What are expanding playing areas?

If you picture a traditional slots game, you’ll most likely be thinking of a grid area with three reels, on which symbols revolve before being selected by a Random Number Generator, the goal being to obtain matching symbols in a variety of combinations, usually from left to right.

In games with an expanding playing area additional reels and rows may be added to produce more paylines. An expanding playing area is most often found in bonus rounds, but the board can increase in size following a winning combination or the player advancing through different levels in a game. In all cases, the expanding playing area will increase the number of paylines or possible winning combinations. These expanding playing areas are usually the reels themselves.

How do expanding reels work?

Expanding reels are usually triggered in three different ways:

1. After every winning combination - Within the base game, so wins and opportunities to join a bonus round may take place.

2. Collecting X number of symbols to enter the bonus round - Amplifies special features and bonus potential within the bonus round.

Expanding Wilds

Expanding Wilds While some Wild symbols can cover a whole reel, expanding Wilds appear as one symbol and then grow to cover more spaces at the end of the spin, to amplify the effect of that game’s Wild features.

Examples of expanding playing area slots

Within an online slot space, there may be many different kinds of expanding playing area slots available. Here are some examples:

Start with the legends and try the Rich Wilde series that including the amazing Book of Dead. In this game, Rich Wilde symbols feature in the free spins round as an expanding wild for even bigger potential wins.

As one of the world’s most-popular slots games, Starburst hardly needs an introduction. The spinning star wheel can fall on any reel and always expands to fill the whole reel, substituting for all symbols to initiate another free spin with sticky Wilds still in place.

Sticky Bandits Starts with single symbols which come in stacked, progressing to huge wilds that can expand to the right taking up 5 x 2 slots. The Wilds act as both Wilds and Bonus symbols, so they can contribute to many winning combinations.

The Play’n GO slot Doom of Egypt offers a generous expansion treat: When starting, the game randomly selects a symbol which acts as a special expanding symbol during the round. When this symbol hits, it expands to cover its reel, provided that there are at least 3 low-value symbols/a minimum of 2 premiums. If all 5 Anubis symbols are landed, these expand to cover the whole screen, rewarding you with the top prize of 5,000 times your stake.

In Wild Blood, the Wild symbol replaces all other symbols (except the scatter/bonus symbols) to create winning combinations. As an expanding wild, if the dark-haired character lands on the middle reel, it will expand across all rows to create even more possible wins and prizes.

NetEnt’s Jack and the Beanstalk has a novel expanding Wild that substitutes for all the standard symbols when it makes up part of a winning combination. The Wild also triggers 1 of the game’s 2 features, the Walking Wild feature. When a Wild symbol appears on the reels, a respin is awarded. During the respin, the Wild symbol moves 1 reel to the left. All wins, including the Walking Wild, come with a 3x multiplier attached, trebling the payout.

1491 Uncharted Seas is a terrific maritime-themed slot in which the sea serpent Wild symbol expands vertically on reels 2. 3 and 4 to take the place of all other symbols except the bonus symbol.

There are plenty of expanding playing area slots to discover and enjoy at Wildz along with other games. Review this handy online iGaming guide for more gaming experiences.