The cascading reels feature gives you the chance to rack up multiple wins from a single spin when playing online slots. Each time you land a winning combination, the symbols will disappear and new ones will cascade down in their place. Each cascade offers extra chances to increase your winnings.
We’ll explain how cascading reels work, and we’ll explore the different names that software providers use to describe this feature. You’ll also discover the top five cascading reels slots to try right now.
What Are Cascading Reels?
Cascading reels slots remove winning symbols and drop new ones into the gaps. This means a single spin can produce several wins.
On most online slots, you only have one opportunity to win. You spin the reels, and you get paid out if a winning combination appears on a payline. The winnings are added to your balance, and you can then spin again or exit the game.
That’s not the case with cascading reels slots. When you land a winning combo, those symbols will disappear from the grid. That will create gaps, and new symbols cascade down from the top of the grid to fill in the empty spaces.
If another winning combo appears, the extra winnings will be added to your balance. Those symbols will then disappear, and more symbols will cascade down, giving you yet another opportunity to win. This process continues until no winning combo appears, so you can potentially rack up a large payout from a single spin.
NetEnt popularized the feature with the launch of Gonzo’s Quest in 2011, but it’s now available on hundreds of slots. Some crypto casinos let you filter the slot library by feature, so you can browse all the cascading reels slots, while others offer “Cascading Reels” as a sub-category within the slots section.
How the Cascade Mechanic Works
Let’s say you play Gonzo’s Quest and set your stake at $1 per spin. This game has a special feature, which multiplies your winnings with each cascade (1x on your first win, 2x on your second, 3x on your third, and 5x on your fourth).
Your starting balance is $100. Here’s an example of how the cascading wins feature might work when playing Gonzo’s Quest:
- Spin 1: You spin the reels and a winning combo appears, paying $0.25. The winning symbols disappear, and new symbols fall into the empty spaces, but they don’t produce another winning combo, so the round ends, taking your balance to $99.25.
- Spin 2: You don’t win. Your balance drops to $98.25.
- Spin 3: You win $1.50. The winning symbols explode, and new symbols fill the gaps. This creates another winning combo, paying $1.50 again. You benefit from a 2x multiplier, so you win $3. Those symbols disappear, new ones fall into the gaps, and you win another $1. This one comes with a 3x multiplier, so you get $3. There’s another cascade, but you don’t win. You’ve won a total of $7.50 from this spin, taking your balance to $104.75.
Avalanche vs. Tumble vs. Rolling Reels: Same Mechanic, Different Names
The cascading reels feature has several different names. For example, NetEnt refers to it as an “Avalanche.” Popular avalanche feature slots from NetEnt include Gonzo’s Quest and Twin Spin Megaways.
Pragmatic Play and Relax Gaming call it “Tumble.” You’ll find the tumble feature on popular Pragmatic Play slots like Gates of Olympus, Candy Rush, and Money Stacks Megaways. Relax Gaming also has a popular series, which includes Temple Tumble Megaways, Treasure Tumble, and The Tumbles.
The names are different, but they all describe the same mechanic. Symbols disappear – they crumble, explode, or simply vanish – when you land a winning combination. That creates spaces on the grid, so new symbols fall down to fill in those blank spots, giving you extra chances to win.
Do Cascading Reels Boost Your Win Potential?
Cascading reels boost the number of wins you can earn from a single spin. Some games let you secure an unlimited number of wins from just one spin, provided new winning combos keep appearing.
However, the cascading reels feature doesn’t inherently improve your chances of enjoying a winning session. There are two key features to consider:
- RTP: The return to player (RTP) rate tells you how much you can expect back if you have average luck. For instance, a slot with a 96.44% RTP pays $96.44 back for every $100 wagered over an infinite period of time.
- Volatility: This explains how often you’re likely to win, and how large those wins will be. Low volatility slots produce small, frequent wins, while high volatility slots tend to provide large but infrequent wins.
Those are the two main criteria to consider when choosing a slot that suits your budget, playing style, and session goals. However, choosing a cascading reels slot can lead to a more entertaining session.
Popular Cascading Reels Slots
The cascading reels feature appears on hundreds of online slots. These are the top five games to explore:
- Gonzo’s Quest: NetEnt put the cascading reels feature on the map when it released this famous online slot in 2011. The “Avalanche” feature makes winning symbols disappear, and new ones drop into the empty spaces on the grid. Each consecutive win boosts the multiplier by up to 5x in the base game and 15x during the bonus round. This slot has a medium-high volatility rate, a 2,500x max win, and a 96% RTP.
- Sweet Bonanza: This candy-themed slot from Pragmatic Play is one of the most popular games at the top crypto casinos. The action unfolds on a 6×5 grid. It’s a scatter pays slot, so you’ll win if eight or more matching symbols appear anywhere on the grid. Tumbles continue until you stop winning. Sweet Bonanza has a 96.48% RTP, which is above average, and you can win up to 21,175x your bet.
- Gates of Olympus: Another extremely popular slot from Pragmatic Play, with a 96.5% RTP and high volatility. The slot has a Greek mythology theme, and Zeus hurls random multipliers onto the grid on winning tumbling sequences, boosting your winnings.
- Temple Tumble Megaways: A famous Megaways slot from Relax Gaming, with up to 46,656 ways to win across a 6×6 grid, which looks like a stone temple. Each time you win, the stone blocks will be destroyed and new blocks will tumble down in their place. You can unlock free spins with huge multipliers, and the max win is 7,767x your bet.
- Reactoonz: This bright, entertaining slot from Play’n GO features a colorful 7×7 grid filled with cute little aliens. It’s a cluster pays slot with cascading reels and a huge range of inventive bonus features. If you enjoy fast-paced, varied gameplay, Reactoonz is a great option. This highly volatile slot has a 96.51% RTP and a max win of 4,570x. You can also try Reactoonz 2 and Gargantoonz if you enjoy this game.
Conclusion
The cascading reels feature appears on some of the world’s most iconic slots. Players enjoy the chance to earn multiple wins from any single spin, as it adds an extra degree of excitement to the game. Just make sure you choose cascading reels slots with high RTP rates and volatility levels that suit your personal preferences.
Frequently Asked Questions
The term cascading reels describes a bonus feature that appears whenever you land a winning combo on a slot’s reels. The symbols that formed the winning combo will disappear, and new symbols will fall down to fill in the vacant spaces on the grid. That can help you earn several wins from a single spin.
High 5 Games invented the “tumbling reels” feature when it created Da Vinci Diamonds for IGT in 2007. That game proved popular at land-based casinos, so NetEnt brought the feature into the digital sphere by launching Gonzo’s Quest in 2011. Gonzo’s Quest brought the mechanic to mainstream online audiences, but it’s now a popular feature at online casinos.
The Avalanche feature is NetEnt’s take on cascading reels. When you land a winning combo, the symbols will disappear and new ones will fall down in their place, resembling an avalanche. This feature first appeared on Gonzo’s Quest, but it’s now available on various NetEnt slots.
The Tumble feature in Pragmatic Play slots causes winning symbols to disappear, and new symbols fall down in their place. This feature is often referred to as cascading reels, but Pragmatic Play opted to call it “Tumble.” The feature appears in popular online slots like Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza.
No, cascading reels don’t inherently increase the RTP of an online slot. The RTP covers the base game and all of the bonus features, including cascading reels. You’ll find cascading reels slots with high RTP rates and low RTP percentages.
Ilija is a CCN writer with 7 years of experience covering all things crypto. Ever since a fateful run-in with Litecoin in 2013, he's been an avid investor and writer in the space. When he's not maniacally hacking away at his keyboard, Ilija spends his time either hiking in nature or holed up in his apartment gaming.
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