Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ – What Is This Slot?
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ is a farm-themed video slot by Pragmatic Play, released on 18 April 2024. This game uses the Megaways mechanic on 6 reels. Each spin of the reels changes the number of symbols on each reel, providing up to 117,649 ways to win. The game's symbols include friendly farmers, cows, pigs, and dogs, as well as the Barnyard Wild symbols. Wins in the game pay out from left to right on the spinning reels. Every win awards the Tumble Feature, which eliminates winning symbols and drops new symbols from the top of the reels.
The game uses Haystack symbols that can land on any of the reels. Each Haystack symbol hides a feature within it. However, these features do not activate when the Haystack symbols land on the reels. For the features within the Haystack symbols to activate, a Tornado symbol must land on the reels on the same spin as any Haystack symbols. When a Tornado symbol does land, all Haystack symbols on the reels activate their hidden features.
The features within the Haystack symbols include prizes that pay out instantly for players and can be as high as 100× the total amount that the player has placed on that game round. Other features include the placement of Wild symbols on the reels. Additionally, a Haystack symbol can contain a Free Spins feature that will award either 10 or 20 Free Spins when it lands alongside a Tornado symbol on the reels during any spin.
During Free Spins in the game, all special symbols that win prizes get automatically collected and paid out. Therefore, winning special symbols do not require the Tornado symbol to be present to trigger these payouts. The player also earns additional Free Spins during the bonus round if they land any Haystack symbols with Free Spins inside. Players can also buy into the Free Spins bonus game for 100× the total amount that they have placed on the game.
How to Play Barnyard Megahays Megaways™
- The player can use the + and - buttons to adjust the total amount that they will wager on each game round. The minimum amount to play on the slot is $0.20. However, the maximum amount of $240 can be placed on each spin.
- To spin the reels and play the game, players must simply press the Spin button. Each of the 6 reels will display a random number of symbols that can create up to 117,649 winning combinations on every spin. All winning symbols pay from left to right on the reels. There are no paylines on which the symbols have to land for them to win prizes.
- After players have won a prize with any winning symbols, those symbols are automatically removed from the reels. New symbols will drop from the top of the slot to fill the spaces left by the removed winning symbols. This is the Tumble Feature. The symbols that drop in can award players with another winning combination. The Tumbles continue to occur until players no longer win combinations.
- Haystack symbols are present on any of the reels in the game. Each of these symbols hides a feature within itself. However, these features will not activate until a Tornado symbol is spotted on the reels on the same spin.
- When the Tornado symbol is spotted on the reels alongside any Haystack symbols, all Haystack symbols will reveal their hidden features and activate them. These features include prizes that pay out instantly up to 100× the total amount that the player has placed on the game, the placement of Wild symbols on the reels, or other bonuses such as Free Spins.
- Free Spin Haystack symbols are a type of Haystack symbol. If any of these symbols land on the reels when a Tornado symbol is also on the reels, the player is awarded either 10 or 20 Free Spins. The number of these symbols on the reels at the time of landing the Tornado symbol determines the number of Free Spins that a player earns.
- Players can use the Bonus Buy button to buy into the bonus rounds of Free Spins. If players select this button, the game will award them access to the Free Spins bonus for 100× the total amount that they have placed on the game.
Bonus Features
Tumble Feature
In the game, every winning combination results in the symbols that contributed to those wins being removed from the reels. The symbols that fall into the empty spaces left behind are the new symbols that drop down from the top of the slot. These new symbols may result in another winning combination. This process continues to happen until no more winning combinations can be made by the dropped symbols.
Haystack Symbols
Haystack symbols can land on any of the game's reels. Each of these symbols has a feature hidden inside it. These features can pay out winnings worth up to 100× the total amount that has been placed on the game. Additionally, the features can include the placement of Wild symbols on the reels. These symbols only activate when a Tornado symbol lands on the reels on the same spin.
Tornado Symbol
The Tornado symbol is the key to unlocking all of the features of the Haystack symbols. When a Tornado symbol lands on the reels, all of the Haystack symbols on the reels will reveal the features that they contain. The more Haystack symbols that are on the reels at the same time as the Tornado, the more features will activate. If there are Haystack symbols on the reels but no Tornado symbol, the features within the Haystack symbols will not activate.
Barnyard Wild
The Barnyard Wild symbol can substitute for other symbols on the reels to help players win combinations of those symbols. These symbols can land on the reels during the regular game or be placed on the reels as a result of any features inside the Haystack symbols being triggered by the landing of a Tornado symbol. These symbols also participate in the Tumble Feature.
Free Spins – Auto-Collect & Retriggering
Players earn Free Spins if they land at least one Free Spins Haystack symbol and a Tornado symbol on the reels during any spin. The more Free Spins Haystack symbols that are on the reels at the time of landing the Tornado symbol, the more Free Spins that will be awarded to the player.
| Free Spins Haystacks + Tornado | Free Spins Awarded |
|---|---|
| 1 Free Spins Haystack + Tornado | 10 free spins |
| 2 Free Spins Haystacks + Tornado | 20 free spins |
During the bonus round that awards players with Free Spins, all of the regular game features remain active. The Megaways reels will change in height on each spin, players can still win with the Tumble Feature, and Haystack symbols can still land on the reels. Additionally, all special symbols that are landed during the bonus round get automatically collected and paid out for players. Therefore, no Tornado symbols are required during the bonus round to claim winnings from any symbols. Players can win additional bonus games during this round.
Bonus Buy
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ does feature a Bonus Buy to give players direct access to the Free Spins game. By using the Bonus Buy button, players can skip the search for the Free Spins Haystack and Tornado symbol combinations to unlock the bonus game.
| Buy Option | Cost | What You Get |
|---|---|---|
| Buy Free Spins | 100× total bet | Direct entry to the Free Spins feature with auto-collect active for all special symbols |
RTP & Variance Explained
The standard RTP for this game is 96.50%, which is the average RTP for the games offered by Pragmatic Play. However, some online casinos may offer a version of this slot with a reduced RTP of 95.50% or 94.50%. Always check the in-game information panel before playing with real money.
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ is a game of relatively low volatility. This means that the win frequency for players is relatively high when they are playing the game. This is due to the Tumble Feature and the high frequency of winning combinations that can be made with the Haystack and Tornado symbols. Additionally, the 10,000× win value is very generous for a slot with such relatively low volatility.
| Bet Mode | RTP |
|---|---|
| Normal play | 96.50% |
| Buy Free Spins (100×) | ~96.50% |
| Reduced (certain regions) | 95.50% / 94.50% |
Our Verdict
✅ Pros
- With an RTP of 96.50%, Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ is on par with the average RTP of the games offered by Pragmatic Play
- The maximum prize of 10,000× the total bet is exceptionally high for this low-volatility slot game
- The Haystack and Tornado symbol combination creates special features that are triggered when the two symbols land on the reels
- The Tumble Feature ensures that every spin of the reels has a chance to win for players
- With up to 117,649 ways to win on every spin, this slot game offers players a huge number of opportunities to win prizes on each game round
- During bonus rounds of Free Spins, all special symbols automatically get collected for players, eliminating the need for the Tornado symbol for prize wins
- The free play or demo version of the game can be played without having to register or deposit money
❌ Cons
- The Haystack symbols do not award any features for players when they land on the reels without the Tornado symbol also being spotted on the reels
- Because the game is of relatively low volatility, players will not encounter the special Tornado and Haystack symbol combinations as frequently
- Only one Bonus Buy round is offered for the Free Spins game — there is no premium or enhanced version of this bonus game
- There is no Ante Bet option to increase the frequency with which the Tornado or Free Spins symbols will be landed on the reels
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ FAQ
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ has an RTP of 96.50%. However, some online casinos may offer a version of the game with a reduced RTP of 95.50% or 94.50%. This can be viewed in the game's information menu before players start playing the game with real money.
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ does offer a free play or demo mode. Free play is available on this page. Players do not have to register or make a deposit to play the game for free. All features work in the same way as in the game mode that uses real money.
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ uses the Megaways mechanic from Big Time Gaming. Each of the 6 reels will have a different number of symbols on the display screen for each game spin. The height of each reel will change after each game spin. Therefore, the number of winning combinations will change on every spin, with a maximum of 117,649 winning combinations. All winning symbols pay left to right on the display screen.
Haystack symbols will appear on any of the game's reels. Each of these symbols features a bonus inside it. The bonus will only be unlocked when the Tornado symbol is also spotted on the reels on the same game spin. When it is, all of the Haystack symbols will reveal their bonus features. These features pay out prizes worth up to 100× the total amount that the player has placed on the game.
Players win Free Spins if they land at least one Free Spin Haystack symbol alongside a Tornado symbol on the reels during a single spin. If the player landed 1 Free Spin Haystack alongside a Tornado symbol, they will earn 10 Free Spins. If they landed 2 Free Spin Haystack symbols with the Tornado symbol, they will earn 20 Free Spins. During the bonus game, all special symbols that land are automatically collected by the game for players. Additionally, players can win additional Free Spin games during this bonus round.
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ will pay out prizes for players up to 10,000× the total amount that they have placed on the game. If any round or tumble of reels hits this prize value, the round will end and any remaining spins will be forfeited.
Barnyard Megahays Megaways™ does feature a Bonus Buy. However, it costs 100× the total amount of money that the player has placed on the game. This Bonus Buy feature may be unavailable in certain online casinos.
Whenever a player wins combinations of symbols in the game, those symbols will be automatically removed from the reels. The symbols that fall into the empty spaces left by these symbols are the new symbols that will fill the spaces on the reels. This is the Tumble Feature. If any of the newly added symbols win another combination, the Tumble Feature will occur again. This will continue to happen until the player wins no more winning combinations.