The Great Pigsby Megaways Review
Relax Gaming released The Great Pigsby Megaways in October 2022 as a direct counterpart to their earlier The Great Pigsby Megapays — same core mechanics, same 20,000x ceiling, but without the progressive jackpot overhead dragging the base RTP down. The result is a 96.08% RTP on a high-volatility 6-reel Megaways engine that gives up to 117,649 ways to win. Bets run from $0.10 to $50, making it accessible without being a low-stakes-only product.
What makes this version genuinely interesting isn't novelty — it's the math swap. The Megapays edition ran at just 86.75% RTP when jackpots were excluded, meaning a significant portion of every bet was feeding a progressive pool most players would never hit. The Megaways release redirects that margin back into the base game, and the 96.08% figure sits comfortably above the industry standard of 96%. For players who want the full Great Pigsby experience without subsidising a jackpot chase, this is the more rational choice.
RTP, Volatility, and Max Win
The Great Pigsby Megaways posts a 96.08% RTP — 9.33 percentage points higher than the Megapays version's 86.75% base RTP. That gap is not cosmetic. Over a long session, that difference represents a meaningful shift in expected return, and it's the single most important reason this version exists as a separate product.
Volatility is rated high, which aligns with the Megaways format and the random-trigger feature structure. The max win sits at 20,000x stake, which is a strong ceiling — for reference, Pragmatic Play's Gates of Olympus tops out at 5,000x, while Big Bass Bonanza reaches 2,100x. The 20,000x figure puts The Great Pigsby Megaways firmly in the upper tier of non-jackpot Megaways releases. At max bet of $50, that theoretical ceiling is $1,000,000.
Hit frequency hasn't been published by Relax Gaming for this title. That's not unusual for high-volatility Megaways slots — the dynamic reel structure makes a single hit-rate figure less meaningful anyway, since the number of active ways changes spin to spin. The RTP and volatility rating together are the more useful planning tools here.
How The Great Pigsby Megaways Plays
The game runs on a 6-reel, up to 7-row Megaways engine, producing up to 117,649 ways to win per spin. Premium symbols pay between 0.5x and 3x stake for a 6-of-a-kind combination — modest per-spin returns that are consistent with high-volatility design, where value is concentrated in the feature triggers rather than the base game grind.
Wilds land on reels 2 through 6 and expand to fill their entire reel on landing. Each wild that appears also deposits coins into a piggy bank meter at the top of the grid. That meter is the engine driving the entire feature system — every wild landing gives a chance to burst the bank and trigger one of three main features. The expanding wild mechanic therefore serves double duty: it builds wins directly while simultaneously charging the feature trigger.
The layout label of 6-7 reflects the Megaways dynamic rows, and the multiway structure (noted as +1024 in the feature set) indicates the ways-to-win count scales with the active row configuration each spin. The base game has genuine texture because of the wild expansion and meter-building loop — it doesn't feel like dead air between bonus rounds.
Bonus Features Breakdown
The feature set in The Great Pigsby Megaways is built around the piggy bank meter and what happens when it fills. Three main features can trigger from this mechanism: a respin with up to 9 top-tier symbols added to the reels, a respin with 2 to 5 full wild reels, or the free spins round. All three trigger randomly when wilds land and expand — there's no scatter-based path to the bonus outside of the free spins round itself.
Free spins start at 10 spins. During the round, landing scatters adds 2 extra spins each and triggers a symbol swap — royals are progressively replaced by premium symbols in a set chronological order. This symbol-removal and upgrade mechanic means the free spins round improves its own pay table as it runs, which is a clean design. Multipliers are part of the feature set (including wilds with multipliers and a free spins multiplier), and random wilds with multipliers can appear during play.
The Level Up mechanic and Symbols Collection (Energy) feature are also listed in the feature set, adding further layers to the progression system. The respin features and the free spins round together give the game three distinct ways to generate outsized wins, which is appropriate for a 20,000x max-win product. The RTP range feature indicates the game ships with multiple RTP configurations — operators can select different settings, so the 96.08% figure reflects one available configuration rather than a universal constant.
The Great Pigsby Megaways vs. The Great Pigsby Megapays
This comparison is the defining context for The Great Pigsby Megaways and worth addressing directly. The Megapays version carries a Mega Jackpot starting at €300,000 and an RTP of 96.19% when jackpots are included — but only 86.75% when they're excluded. The Megaways version removes the jackpot entirely and returns 96.08% to every player on every session, not just the one in millions who hits the top prize.
For most players, the Megaways version is the better product. The 9.33-point RTP gap is substantial, and the 20,000x max win is identical across both versions. The only thing surrendered is jackpot eligibility — and jackpot contributions are a negative-expected-value side bet for the overwhelming majority of players.
Relax Gaming offering both versions is a sound approach. Players who want the jackpot chase have the Megapays option; players who want the best base-game math have the Megaways version. The Great Pigsby Megaways is the more defensible choice on pure RTP grounds.
Betting Range and Accessibility
The bet range runs from $0.10 to $50 per spin. The $0.10 floor is low enough for casual sessions and bankroll-management-conscious players, while the $50 ceiling is standard for mid-range high-volatility slots — it won't satisfy the highest-stakes players but covers the majority of the market.
High volatility at $0.10 per spin means a $20 session budget gives 200 spins of runway, which is workable but not generous given the random-trigger feature structure. A $5–$10 stake range is where the game's pacing tends to make more sense for players who want to see multiple feature triggers in a reasonable session. At $50 per spin, the 20,000x ceiling translates to a $1,000,000 theoretical maximum — the math is there, but variance at that stake level is extreme.
The game was released in October 2022, making it roughly four years old at the time of this review. It remains a relevant title in Relax Gaming's catalogue because the Megapays comparison keeps it in circulation as the RTP-efficient alternative.
Who Should Play The Great Pigsby Megaways
This slot is best suited to high-volatility players who want a strong RTP backing their variance exposure. The 96.08% figure is above average for a high-volatility Megaways title, and the 20,000x ceiling gives the game genuine upside. Players who have tried the Megapays version and found the jackpot contribution frustrating will find the Megaways version a cleaner proposition.
Players who prefer frequent small wins or low-volatility sessions will find the random-trigger feature structure and high variance difficult to sustain. The base game between feature triggers can feel slow, which is a fair criticism of the design — the expanding wild mechanic helps, but it doesn't fully offset the wait for the piggy bank to burst.
For Megaways enthusiasts specifically, The Great Pigsby Megaways competes well on RTP against comparable titles. Bonanza Megaways (BTG) runs at 96.00%, and Primal Megaways (Blueprint) posts 95.96% — The Great Pigsby Megaways' 96.08% is modestly ahead of both on the RTP metric alone.
Final Verdict
The Great Pigsby Megaways does exactly what it sets out to do: deliver the full Great Pigsby feature experience at a fair RTP without the jackpot tax. The 96.08% return, 20,000x max win, and 117,649-way Megaways engine form a solid foundation, and the expanding wild plus piggy bank meter system gives the base game more life than a passive spin-and-wait structure.
The feature set is genuinely layered — respin variants, free spins with progressive symbol upgrades, multipliers, and wild mechanics all interact through the same trigger system. It's not the simplest slot in Relax Gaming's catalogue, but the complexity serves the game rather than obscuring it.
The one honest criticism: the base game pacing can drag before the piggy bank finally bursts, particularly at lower bet levels. That's a structural reality of random-trigger high-volatility design, not a flaw unique to this title. Players who go in with that expectation set will find The Great Pigsby Megaways a well-constructed, mathematically sound high-variance slot.
- +96.08% RTP — above average for a high-volatility Megaways title
- +20,000x max win identical to the Megapays version, without the jackpot overhead
- +Expanding wild mechanic keeps base game active between feature triggers
- +Three distinct feature paths (two respin variants + free spins) via the piggy bank meter
- +Free spins round improves its own pay table through progressive symbol upgrades
- +Wide bet range ($0.10–$50) suits most player budgets
- -Base game pacing can feel slow before the piggy bank trigger fires
- -High volatility requires a meaningful bankroll buffer for extended sessions
- -Hit frequency not published — session variance is harder to plan around
Best for
The Great Pigsby Megaways is the smarter bet for players who want the core Great Gatsby-inspired porcine experience at a fair price. The 96.08% RTP is genuinely above average, the 20,000x ceiling is competitive, and the expanding wild system keeps the base game active. High volatility means patience is required, but the feature set justifies it. Skip the Megapays version unless jackpot chasing is your explicit goal.











