Online slots have always been very popular, making up the largest proportion of the games you can play in online casinos. One reason for this is that they have a lot of special symbols that can lead to bigger payouts, fun bonus features, multipliers, and other things.
An example of a special symbol you may come across is a "scatter symbol," or "scatters," which are symbols most commonly associated with activating mini-games, bonus rounds, and most often, free spins. They can also pay out prizes, typically when two or more appear on the reels instead of the usual three.
Continue reading as we learn more about how this important special slot machine symbol works.
What Is the Purpose of Scatter Symbols in Slots?
While regular symbols need to line up on an open payline to win, scatter symbols only need to show up in a certain quantity on the reels to trigger a payout or bonus round.
This makes scatter symbols an important part of many slot machines because they can trigger bonus features that can change the result of the game in profound ways. Therefore, learning their importance as a player is vital to comprehensive slot
Scatter symbols are different from other symbols in two ways. Firstly, as mentioned, they don't have to be in a payline to win. Instead, if these symbols show up anywhere on any slot reel, 'scattered' about, the player may win a prize or trigger a feature. Secondly, these symbols can't be replicated by wild symbols.
Scatter symbols are not cumulative, and instead must be landed on the reels within a single spin to trigger features. Therefore if you land two scatters in your previous spin, and another in your next spin, this won't activate any bonus feature. Some scatter symbols will award a prize payout when 2 or more of them appear on the reels, while others have no value. Typically, in regards to bonus features, three or more scatter symbols will be required.
Does my Chosen Slot Have Scatter Symbols?
Online slots with scatter symbols are commonplace, and many players have come to expect that a slot will have a scatter symbol, a wild symbol, and a bonus feature.
While the concept of a scatter remains the same across games, there are different rules for scatter symbols used in each slot game. For an extra round to start, a certain minimum number of scatter symbols must usually show up on a single spin.
To find out if the game you’re considering playing has scatter symbols you can read the information found on either the game's information page on your chosen slot site or the slot's in-game information; commonly found by pressing a button with three lines, or the ‘i’ button. The game paytable will display all the symbols used in the game, including scatters if any, as well as how they work for the specific title.
Common Scatter Symbol Variations Explored
Like other popular special slot symbols like wild symbols, bonus symbols, and mystery symbols, scatter symbols can look like a lot of different things. Below, we'll talk more about the most popular types of scatter symbols used in slot machines:
Free Spins
If you can land three or more scatter symbols within a single spin in most scatter slot machine games, you'll get free spins. Every slot machine is different, but players are commonly awarded 5 to 20 spins. The base game spin used to activate the bonus determines the bet amounts and paylines that are used for the duration of free spins.
Bonus Rounds
Slot games that don't come with free spins often have bonus mini-games which the scatter symbols activate. What said bonus game looks like will be different for each slot machine you play but will be outlined in the slot information. Some common examples of bonus features include prize wheels, hold-and-win bonuses, respins, pick-and-win bonus games, and prize trails.
Scatter Pays
This can refer to the most simple form of scatter that players can come across, which is simply a symbol which affords a prize payout from any reel position. In more recent years, the term ‘scatter pays’ has become known as games where all symbols payout from any position, and it is instead the quantity required per spin to achieve payouts.
Wild Scatter
There are some scatter symbols in slots which work as both a scatter and a wild symbol. They can both trigger bonus features, but during the base game can also stand in for all non-special symbols to form winning combinations like a traditional wild symbol would.
Prime Slots Hosts the Best Scatter Symbol Slots
At Prime Slots we host a selection of top-tier online slot games which feature exciting uses of the popular scatter symbol such as those listed below:
Cyber Vault
Played on a 5-5 configuration, Cyber Vault is a slot inspired by the cyberpunk subgenre. It features a special Power-Up reel and 3125 ways to win. Additionally featuring win multipliers and enhancements; an Uplink Trail links to the base game. On top of this, Wilds and modifiers like prize upgrades abound. It is also among the most interesting and distinctive free spin slots of the past few years, with scatters in charge of triggering this feature.
Rainbow Ryan 2
In Rainbow Ryan 2, the jolly shamrock-ing Ryan from Yggdrasil Gaming returns for a one-off performance in honour of St. Patrick's Day. Funky graphics, a rockin' Celtic soundtrack, and several top features characterise this 6-reel, 4,096-ways-to-win video slot. Hit the high notes with features like free spins, multipliers, re-spins, and reels that synced in perfect harmony. Another feature is a jackpot wheel with payouts of up to 2,000 times the initial wager and in this game, the scatter takes the form of an electrified amp.
Medusa Queen of Stone
Players are transported into the most well-known tale from Greek mythology with Medusa Queen Of Stone, a slot machine that depicts the legendary Gorgon, Medusa, with equally mesmerising graphics. This game finds a happy medium between frequent wins and the chance of bigger payouts with its medium volatility and RTP of 92.10%. With 30 betways and a 5x3 layout, this game is both aesthetically pleasing and entertaining and its main feature is a scatter symbol-activated free spins bonus round where players have three choices regarding how they'd like the bonus to play out.
Tasty Trailz
With the unique 5-4 grid and the addition of new rows at the top of the screen when players form winning Trailz, players of the Tasty Trailz slot machine by Phoenix Flames Studio can enjoy a maximum win of x5000. Starting from the bottom row, you can reveal delicious Trailz and unlock another row by collecting 4 or more adjacent symbols vertically or horizontally. Continue to uncover more rows by making Trailz with more symbols. Get 10 free spins when you get 3 or more scatter symbols and for every extra scatter symbol, you'll get 2 extra spins. Throughout this round, you can increase your total number of free spins with each additional scatter symbol.
Top-Tier Scatter Slots and So Much More at Prime Slots!
At Prime Slots you can play the best scatter slot games such as those mentioned above as well as a whole host of other top-tier online slots, plus live casino games, table games, and so much more. Sign up and play today to discover more.
