Game 2 of 9 · Pragmatic Play · 2020
The Dog House Megaways Review
117,649 ways, multiplying wilds and a choice of bonus
Our score: 8.7/10
Quick verdict: The Dog House Megaways moves the original onto six reels that change height every spin, with up to 117,649 ways to win. Wild multipliers now multiply each other, and free spins let you choose between fewer spins with sticky wilds and more spins with wilds raining in. At 96.55% it has the best RTP in the series, and it can pay over 12,000x. Our favourite of the nine.
- RTP
- 96.55%Highest in the series
- Volatility
- MediumThe game's own rating
- Max win
- 12,000x+"Win over 12,000x bet"
- Ways
- 117,649At most, on 6 reels
The game
What is The Dog House Megaways?
Released in , The Dog House Megaways was the first sequel to the 2019 hit. It keeps the back yard, the four dogs and the multiplier wild, but swaps the fixed 5×3 grid for the Megaways engine that Pragmatic licenses from Big Time Gaming.
There are six reels, and each one shows between 2 and 7 symbols on every spin. The number of ways to win changes with the reel heights: a counter above the reels shows it, from a few hundred up to 117,649 when every reel is 7 symbols tall. Wins pay for 3 to 6 matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, in any row.
The other big change is choice. When free spins start, you pick the mode: Sticky Wilds for a short, building round, or Raining Wilds for a longer round with fresh wilds dropping in every spin. And for the first time in the series, you can buy the bonus.
Paytable
Symbols and paytable
| Symbols | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 7.5x | 3x | 2x | 0.75x |
 | 3x | 1.5x | 1x | 0.5x |
 | 2x | 1x | 0.75x | 0.35x |
 | 1.5x | 0.75x | 0.5x | 0.2x |
| Collar | 1.5x | 0.5x | 0.4x | 0.15x |
| Bone | 1.5x | 0.5x | 0.4x | 0.15x |
| A, K, Q | 1x | 0.3x | 0.2x | 0.1x |
| J, 10 | 0.5x | 0.2x | 0.1x | 0.05x |
The pays look small next to the original's, but each one is paid per way. With hundreds or thousands of ways in play, a single Rottweiler symbol often completes several winning ways at once, and the totals add up. The paw is the scatter: it can land on any reel, and 3 or more start free spins.
Base game
Wilds that multiply each other
The dog house wild appears on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5, one more reel than in the original. When it lands it can carry a random 2x or 3x multiplier, and here's the important part: if several wilds are in the same win, their multipliers are multiplied together.
- 2x and 3x make 6x, not 5x as in the original.
- Three 3x wilds make 27x.
- Four 3x wilds on reels 2–5 make 81x on every way they complete.
That's where the game's ceiling comes from. In the base game, a spin with tall reels and two or three wilds can pay surprisingly well; most spins, though, are small wins from the card symbols.
Bonus buy
A sign on the left of the reels offers free spins for 100x your bet. When you buy, the game drops a random 3 to 6 scatters, so you can land more spins than the minimum, and then you choose the mode as usual.
Bonus round
Free spins: Sticky Wilds or Raining Wilds?
Land 3, 4, 5 or 6 scatters and you choose between two rounds. The game shows both offers side by side, and the number of spins depends on how many scatters started it:
| Scatters | Sticky Wilds | Raining Wilds |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 7 spins | 15 spins |
| 4 | 12 spins | 18 spins |
| 5 | 15 spins | 25 spins |
| 6 | 20 spins | 30 spins |
Sticky Wilds
Fewer spins, wilds that stay
- Every wild that lands sticks for the rest of the round with a 1x, 2x or 3x multiplier.
- Sticky wilds grow and shrink with the reel height, and each reel is always at least as tall as the number of wilds on it.
- Wilds keep multiplying each other, so the round can snowball.
Best if you want a shot at a big finish and don't mind a short round.
Raining Wilds
More spins, fresh wilds each time
- On every spin, up to 6 wilds of any size, each with 1x, 2x or 3x, are dropped onto random spots.
- Nothing sticks, so each spin is independent.
- More than double the spins at 3 scatters: 15 instead of 7.
Best if you prefer a longer round with steadier, smaller wins.
Neither mode can be retriggered. The rules don't publish separate RTPs for the two choices, so think of them as two shapes of the same value, not one better than the other.
Tested
Our two bought rounds
To see both modes, we bought free spins twice in Pragmatic Play's demo at a $2.00 bet. Each buy cost $200 in virtual credits, and both times the game dropped 3 scatters, the minimum.
Round 1: Sticky Wilds, 7 spins
- By the middle of the round, three 2x wilds had stuck: two on reel 3 and a taller one on reel 2.
- Any way running through reel 2's wild and one of reel 3's got 2x × 2x = 4x, and there were many such ways. Ordinary Pug and Dachshund wins became spins worth $7–$9.
- The round ended at $85.20: 42.6x the bet, about 43% of the 100x price.
Round 2: Raining Wilds, 15 spins
- Wilds did drop in, but usually one at a time and rarely next to matching symbols.
- The round ended at $10.40: 5.2x the bet.
Two rounds can't tell you which mode is better, but they show the spread nicely. The same $200 bought us $85.20 once and $10.40 the next time. That's normal for bought bonuses, and why we treat buys as a way to save time, not to make money.
The maths
RTP, volatility and max win
RTP: 96.55%
The demo's rules list 96.55%, the highest of the nine Dog House games. The rules don't list a separate figure for the bonus buy. A large online casino we checked showed 96.50%, which suggests casinos can choose a slightly lower version, so check the rules wherever you play.
Volatility: medium
The rules rate it medium, the same as the original. The Megaways reels make the base game feel busier: there are more small wins, and a few big spikes when wilds line up.
Max win: over 12,000x
The intro screen says "Win over 12,000 x bet". Many casino listings give the exact cap as 12,305x; we couldn't find that figure in the game itself, so we quote the intro. Either way it's almost double the original's 6,750x.
Family resemblance
Megaways vs the original
What changed from The Dog House
- 6 reels and up to 117,649 ways instead of 5×3 and 20 lines.
- Wilds on reels 2–5 instead of 2–4.
- Wild multipliers multiply each other instead of adding up.
- A choice of two free spins modes, no barrels.
- A 100x bonus buy.
- A higher RTP (96.55% vs 96.51%) and a higher cap (12,000x+ vs 6,750x).
If the original feels a bit slow, this is the upgrade to try. If you like big multipliers, its 2026 remake, The Dog House Megaways 1000, pushes the same engine to 1,000x wilds and a 25,000x cap.
Mobile
The Dog House Megaways on your phone
Six reels with up to seven symbols each is a lot for a phone, but the portrait layout handles it well. The reels take the full width of the screen, the Megaways counter sits next to the logo, and the Buy free spins sign moves under the reels, just above the spin button.
The symbols get small when every reel is 7 tall, but the dogs stay recognisable. The controls are the same as on desktop: autoplay, quick and turbo spin, the bet menu and the rules.
Our take
Pros and cons
What we like
- The best RTP in the series, 96.55%
- Multiplying wilds give the base game real punch
- Two genuinely different free spins modes
- A 100x buy that can land up to 6 scatters
- Over 12,000x potential at medium volatility
What we don't
- Only 7 spins in Sticky Wilds from 3 scatters
- Small per-way pays can make wins feel fiddly
- No retriggers in either mode
- The exact max win isn't stated in the game
Bottom line
Our verdict: is The Dog House Megaways worth playing?
Our score: 8.7/10
Absolutely. It's the most complete Dog House game: the best RTP, wilds that multiply rather than add, a meaningful choice in the bonus and a buy for when you don't want to wait. Our two bought rounds, one decent and one poor, are a good reminder of how swingy it can be, but the potential is clearly there.
Pick Sticky Wilds when you want the big-win shot and Raining Wilds when you want a longer ride. And if 12,000x isn't enough, the 2026 Megaways 1000 version is waiting.
- Gameplay
9 out of 10 9- Features
9 out of 10 9- RTP and maths
9 out of 10 9- Win potential
8 out of 10 8- Looks and sound
8 out of 10 8
Quick answers
The Dog House Megaways FAQ
How many ways to win are there?
Up to 117,649. Each of the 6 reels shows 2 to 7 symbols, and the number of ways is the product of the reel heights.
Should I pick Sticky Wilds or Raining Wilds?
Sticky Wilds gives fewer spins but lets wilds pile up and multiply; Raining Wilds gives about twice as many spins with new wilds every spin. Neither is officially better.
How much is the bonus buy?
100x your bet. The buy lands 3 to 6 scatters at random, and you still choose the mode.
What's the max win?
The game says over 12,000x your bet. Casino listings often quote 12,305x.