Covers the classics people search for by name, the Scandinavian studios, and the slots that make a budget last.
Updated
This page carries figures checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Studios publish new RTP settings and casinos change their rules: re-check the sources at the foot of the page.
No reels in the usual sense, and no paylines. A cluster pays slot drops symbols onto a grid and pays for groups of matching symbols touching each other, usually five or more. A pay-anywhere slot (some studios say scatter pays) goes further and pays for a count of matching symbols anywhere on the screen, touching or not.
They behave alike, so we rank them together. Nearly all of them cascade: winning symbols vanish, new ones drop, and one spin can chain several wins. Then the studio adds a multiplier on top, and that multiplier is where the game is won or lost, for the player and for the design.
Twelve of them below, ranked by Spin Score. The top is Push Gaming's fruit jars. The bottom is a game I'd still recommend over half the market.
At a glance
Best for
Players who like watching a grid clear and refill more than spinning reels
The catch
Multipliers do the heavy lifting, and most of them reset between spins
Top pick
Jammin' Jars, for its 96.83% RTP and jar wilds that keep growing
Gentlest option
Le Bandit, the only medium-volatility game ranked here
Check first
The RTP setting: Play'n GO and Hacksaw list versions under 90%
Play instead if...
You want classic lines: see expanding symbol slots
On this page
The 12 best cluster pays and pay-anywhere slots, ranked
Ranked by Spin Score across every provider we cover, with no more than three from one studio. Spin Score = 40% RTP, 15% max win, 30% free spins round, 15% base game. How we score
The best RTP on this page at 96.83%, which carries 40% of the Spin Score and puts it first. It's an 8x8 grid: clusters of five or more fruits pay and cascade, and Jam Jar wilds carry multipliers that grow with every win they join. In free spins the jars move around the grid and keep growing. The random Rainbow feature drops giant fruits in the base game. Push lists a 94.25% setting too, and the highest observed win is 19,998.5x.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%9.5
Max winData · 15%8.4
Free spins roundEditors · 30%8.0
Base gameEditors · 15%7.0
What it is: An 8x8 cascading cluster-pays grid where clusters of five or more fruits pay and Jam Jar wilds carry growing multipliers.
Free spins round: Jam Jar wilds move around the grid in free spins and their multipliers grow with each win they join.
Base game: Cascades and the random Rainbow feature with giant fruits add action between bonuses.
RTP, volatility and max win as Push Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Same 8x8 grid, bigger ceiling: 50,000x highest observed, against 96.4% RTP. Free spins lead into the Giga Jar, a big instant prize block whose jar multipliers level up each time it comes back, scored 9. Gold Vinyl collection and Fruit Blast keep the base game busy. The original wins on RTP; the sequel wins on the ceiling. They tie on Spin Score, and the RTP tiebreak puts the first one ahead.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.2
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%7.0
What it is: An 8x8 cluster-pays sequel where fruits pay in clusters of five or more, with instant prize tiles, wild jars and the Giga Jar feature.
Free spins round: Free spins lead into the Giga Jar feature, a large instant prize block with jar multipliers that boosts its level each time it returns.
Base game: Gold Vinyl collection, instant prizes and random Fruit Blast give the base game regular events.
RTP, volatility and max win as Push Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
A pay-anywhere game, which is why it's here, though nobody plays it for the base grid. The point is the Money Cart bonus: it starts on 6x4, unlocks rows, and brings the Arms Dealer, Upgrader, Unlocker and Reset among more than 20 features. Scored 10. Max win is 150,000x, volatility very high, and hit frequency 20.14%. RTP is 96.1%, with a UK game ID that suggests a 92% version there.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%7.3
Max winData · 15%10.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%10.0
Base gameEditors · 15%6.0
What it is: A scatter-pays slot that ends the Money Train series, with a Money Cart hold-and-win bonus starting on 6x4 and unlocking more rows.
Free spins round: The final Money Cart bonus adds the Arms Dealer, Upgrader, Unlocker and Reset, with more than 20 features in play.
Base game: A base game respin feature and the Arms Dealer, who can hand out features at any time, add some base action.
RTP, volatility and max win as Relax Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
A 6x5 pay-anywhere grid with tumbles and multiplier symbols worth up to 1,000x that can land on any base spin. In the 15 free spins those multipliers feed a running total, which is the whole appeal. RTP is 96.5% at the top of three settings Pragmatic offers casinos, the lowest 94.5%. Max win 15,000x. A cleaner, slightly higher-scoring version of the original Gates of Olympus.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.5
Max winData · 15%7.9
Free spins roundEditors · 30%8.0
Base gameEditors · 15%7.0
What it is: A 6x5 pay-anywhere grid with tumbles and multiplier symbols worth up to 1,000x. Four or more scatters start 15 free spins with a running multiplier.
Free spins round: Fifteen free spins with a running total multiplier fed by multiplier symbols up to 1,000x, plus five more spins for three scatters.
Base game: Tumbles and random multiplier symbols from 2x to 1,000x can land on any base spin.
RTP, volatility and max win as Pragmatic Play publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
A 5x5 cascading grid where each drop raises a multiplier and three princess powers change the grid, plus a Trinity respin. The base game scores 8, among the best here. Clear the grid and you get free spins with a growing multiplier, choosing the spin count and the princess power. Max win is 5,000x. Play'n GO lists five settings from 96.5% down to 84.5%, so check before playing.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.5
Max winData · 15%6.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%8.0
Base gameEditors · 15%8.0
What it is: A 5x5 cascading grid slot where matching symbols pay, a multiplier rises with each drop and three princesses alter the grid.
Free spins round: Clearing the grid gives free spins with a growing multiplier, and you choose the spin count and which princess power helps.
Base game: Cascading wins raise a multiplier, and three princess powers plus the Trinity respin fire in the base game.
RTP, volatility and max win as Play'n GO publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
The best free spins idea on the page. Winning symbols mark their spots on a 7x7 grid, and further wins on marked spots add multipliers that double up to 128x. In free spins those marks stay for the whole round, so value builds spin after spin. That's a 9. The base game resets after every spin, so it scores 6. Very high volatility, 96.5% RTP at best, and a 5,000x max win holding it back.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.5
Max winData · 15%6.0
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%6.0
What it is: A 7x7 cluster pays grid with tumbles. Winning symbols mark their spots, and further wins on marked spots add multipliers from 2x doubling up to 128x.
Free spins round: Ten to 30 free spins where marked grid spots and their doubling multipliers (up to 128x) stay for the whole round, so value builds spin after spin.
Base game: Tumbles and spot multipliers can build within a single base spin, though they reset after it.
RTP, volatility and max win as Pragmatic Play publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Five or more matching tapes pay and cascade, wild tapes gain multipliers, and a magnet pulls symbols together into clusters. In Top Charts free spins, wild tapes and instant prizes stay in place while the magnet works. RTP is 96.47% with a 94.46% setting; max win 10,000x. Push's page doesn't give the grid size, bet range or release date, and we couldn't confirm them elsewhere, so the card shows gaps.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.4
Max winData · 15%7.2
Free spins roundEditors · 30%8.0
Base gameEditors · 15%7.0
What it is: A cascading cluster-pays slot where five or more matching tapes pay, wild tapes gain multipliers and a magnet forms clusters.
Free spins round: Top Charts free spins hold wild tapes and instant prizes in place while magnets and wild multipliers build large clusters.
Base game: Cascading clusters, multiplying wild tapes and a magnet that pulls symbols together are all base game features.
RTP, volatility and max win as Push Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
A 6x5 pay-anywhere grid with tumbles. Four or more lollipops start 10 free spins where candy bomb multipliers up to 1,000x add together at the end of each tumble. The base game has the tumbles but not the big multipliers, so it scores 6. Max win is 25,000x and RTP 96.53% at the top of three settings. Very high volatility. The original Sweet Bonanza is gentler.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.6
Max winData · 15%8.8
Free spins roundEditors · 30%7.0
Base gameEditors · 15%6.0
What it is: A 6x5 pay-anywhere grid with tumbling wins. Four or more lollipop scatters start 10 free spins where candy bomb multipliers up to 1,000x apply to the spin's total win.
Free spins round: Ten free spins with candy bomb multipliers up to 1,000x that add together at the end of each tumble, plus five more spins for three lollipops.
Base game: Tumbles give chain wins in the base game, but the big multipliers are kept for the bonus.
RTP, volatility and max win as Pragmatic Play publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
No reels at all. You match five or more same-coloured cubes on a 5x5 board that grows by one cube in each direction with every consecutive win, up to 11x11, and corner X cubes turn into multipliers. In the bonus, the grid keeps its size between spins and filling 50, 70 or 90 blocks pays 500x, 2,500x or 7,000x. Clever. Hit frequency is only 15.68%, the lowest here, and volatility very high.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.0
Max winData · 15%7.4
Free spins roundEditors · 30%8.0
Base gameEditors · 15%7.0
What it is: A grid game with no reels: match five or more same-coloured cubes on a 5x5 board that grows up to 11x11 with each consecutive win. Corner X cubes become multipliers equal to the cluster size.
Free spins round: Wins in the chosen colour stay sticky, the grid keeps its size between spins, and filling 50, 70 or 90 blocks pays 500x, 2,500x or 7,000x.
Base game: Every win grows the grid one cube in each direction and corner X cubes turn into multipliers, so winning spins keep building.
RTP, volatility and max win as Hacksaw Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
The one medium-volatility game on the list. Cascades leave Golden Squares behind, and a Rainbow turns them into coins, clover multipliers and Pots of Gold, so the base game often chains into something. Three free spins tiers keep the squares lit between spins. Max win 10,000x, hit frequency 32.47%. RTP 96.34% at best, with settings down to 88.36%, and the top bonus tier can't be bought.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.0
Max winData · 15%7.2
Free spins roundEditors · 30%8.0
Base gameEditors · 15%7.0
What it is: A 6x5 cluster-pays slot with cascades that leave Golden Squares behind. When a Rainbow lands, those squares reveal coin values, clover multipliers and Pots of Gold that collect them.
Free spins round: Three free spins tiers where Golden Squares stay lit between spins, ending in a top round with a Rainbow on every spin.
Base game: Cascades mark Golden Squares on every win and a Rainbow turns them into coins, clovers and pots, so base spins often chain into something.
RTP, volatility and max win as Hacksaw Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Two separate bonuses earn it a 9: Underworld free spins build per-reel multipliers up to x9,999 that have to be unlocked, and Judgement is a hold-and-win drop round with stacking multiplier blocks. The base game is the weak side, mostly plain cluster results with the odd Soul Orb wild, so it scores 5. Very high volatility, 10,000x max, and four RTP settings from 96.24% down to 88.41%.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%7.7
Max winData · 15%7.2
Free spins roundEditors · 30%9.0
Base gameEditors · 15%5.0
What it is: A dark Egyptian cluster-pays slot on a 5x6 grid where Soul Orb wilds carry growing multipliers. Three bonus symbols open Underworld free spins and four open the Judgement hold-and-win round.
Free spins round: Two distinct bonuses: Underworld builds per-reel multipliers up to x9,999 that must be unlocked, and Judgement is a hold-and-win drop round with stacking multiplier blocks.
Base game: Random red and blue Soul Orb wilds with growing multipliers add some action, but most spins are plain cluster results.
RTP, volatility and max win as Hacksaw Gaming publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
The best base game on this page, scored 9. Clusters of five or more aliens cascade and charge a meter that unlocks Quantum features, then the Gargantoon. There's no free spins round; the chain of features is the bonus, which is why that side scores 6. Max win is 4,570x, the lowest here, and that's what puts it twelfth. Five RTP settings, 96.51% down to 84.51%. Our Reactoonz guide covers it.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Return to playerData · 40%8.5
Max winData · 15%5.8
Free spins roundEditors · 30%6.0
Base gameEditors · 15%9.0
What it is: A 7x7 cluster-pays grid where clusters of five or more alien symbols pay and cascade, charging a meter that unlocks Quantum features and the Gargantoon.
Free spins round: The Gargantoon charge triggers up to five grid-changing features in sequence; there is no free spins round, the chain is the bonus.
Base game: Cascades, Quantum meter features and random Instability wilds keep the base game busy on most spins.
RTP, volatility and max win as Play'n GO publishes them, checked on November 3, 2026. A casino may run a lower RTP setting: check the game’s info screen.
Demo buttons open the free-play version on the game studio’s own site: no deposit, no account. We are not paid for them. How we make money
How cluster pays works
Symbols fill a grid. Any group of matching symbols touching each other, above the minimum size, pays. On Jammin' Jars, Reactoonz and Cubes 2 that minimum is five. Bigger groups pay more, and the paytable lists each size.
Then the winning symbols disappear and new ones drop in to fill the gaps. That's the cascade. It repeats until nothing new connects. One paid spin can turn into four or five wins in a row, and that rhythm is most of the appeal.
Pay-anywhere grids skip the touching rule. Hacksaw's Joker Bombs, for example, pays for 8 or more matching symbols anywhere on the screen. Gates of Olympus 1000 and Sweet Bonanza 1000 work the same way. We list them here because they play like cascading cluster games.
What makes a good one
The multiplier, and whether it sticks.
On Sugar Rush, marked spots and their multipliers stay for the whole free spins round. On Jammin' Jars, the jars keep their growing multipliers as they move. That persistence is what turns a decent round into a big one. Compare Sugar Rush's own base game, where the marks and multipliers reset after every spin. Same grid, much smaller results.
The second thing is a reason to watch the base game. Reactoonz and Moon Princess score 9 and 8 there because something changes the grid most spins. Hand of Anubis scores 5 because mostly nothing does.
And then RTP. Jammin' Jars at 96.83% is first on this page mainly because of it.
Volatility and budget
Cascades make these games look generous. They aren't, especially. A chain of three small wins can still return less than your stake.
The twelve here run from medium (Le Bandit) to very high (Sugar Rush, Sweet Bonanza 1000, Cubes 2, Hand of Anubis, Money Train 4). Cubes 2 pays on only 15.68% of spins. Le Bandit pays on 32.47%. Size your stake to the game: pick a budget, decide how many spins you want, and divide. On the very high ones, go lower than that.
Nine of the twelve offer a bonus buy where it's legal. I'd skip it on all nine, and the bonus buy page explains why.
The best studios for grid games
Push Gaming takes first, second and seventh with its jar and tape games, all built on growing wild multipliers. Pragmatic Play owns the pay-anywhere style, and with three games here it hits our cap of three per studio, which leaves Gates of Olympus and Starlight Princess, both on 7.8, just off the list.
Hacksaw Gaming makes the strangest grids: Cubes 2 has no reels at all. Play'n GO made two of the older classics, Moon Princess and Reactoonz, and still has the best base games. Their RTP settings go lowest, though, so check the info screen. Relax is here for Money Train 4, really a hold-and-win game wearing a pay-anywhere grid.
Every other one we scored
The rest of the 23 we scored, best first. They qualify but lost out on score or on the three-per-provider cap.
Wins come from groups of matching symbols touching each other on a grid, instead of lines across reels. On most games here the minimum group is five. Winning symbols usually disappear and new ones drop in, so one spin can pay several times.
What is the difference between cluster pays and pay anywhere?
Cluster pays needs the matching symbols to touch. Pay anywhere, or scatter pays, only counts how many land on the screen; Joker Bombs, for example, pays for 8 or more anywhere. Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza are pay-anywhere games.
Do cluster pays slots pay more often?
Not necessarily. Hit frequencies here run from 15.68% on Cubes 2 to 32.47% on Le Bandit, where published, which is similar to line slots. Cascades add more small wins per paid spin, not a better RTP.
What was the first cluster pays slot?
We haven't found a source we trust that settles it, so we'd rather not name one. Of the games in our data with a known release date, Play'n GO's Gemix, from December 2014, is the oldest cluster game.
Which cluster pays slot has the best RTP?
Jammin' Jars at 96.83% at its top setting, joined by Gemix at the same figure. Push Gaming lists a 94.25% setting for Jammin' Jars, so check the loading screen.
