Gates of Anubis Slot Review
Under a pale desert moon, with obelisks at the edges and smoke curling off bronze bowls, Popiplay has built Gates of Anubis a more beautiful waiting room than almost any scatter-pays slot on the market – and that matters, because you’ll be spending a lot of time in it. The art is doing real work here. This is a game that wants to be looked at, not just played through.
It runs on a 6×5 grid with wins formed by symbol count, a 96.11% RTP, high volatility and a ceiling of up to 10,200x the bet. The studio’s catalogue runs from Mummy X Riches to Lokum Rush, and this one goes further with the painterly look than anything else in it. Egypt has been mined for decades. The question is whether there’s gold left in these dunes.
Symbols, Ways and the Refilling Reels
Wins in Gates of Anubis are formed depending on the number of matching symbols on screen, with payouts made according to the paytable rather than along fixed lines. Where multiple winning combinations land together, the wins are added up. A paying count of Scatter symbols hands out its win alongside any regular wins from the same spin, so both get paid.
The Scatter is the scarab, and its pay tiers look like this:
- 8-9 Scatter symbols pay 1.5x the total bet
- 10-11 Scatter symbols pay 2x the total bet
- 12 or more Scatter symbols pay 12x the total bet
Those are multiples of the total bet, not a line stake, which is worth keeping in mind when the scarabs stack up. The rest of the reel set is drawn from the theme’s usual cast, with an explorer type, ankhs and scarabs among the symbols forming matches across the grid.
It’s a classic Egyptian roster, painted to match the gilded night-time backdrop. Wins land as symbols drop, the win amount is shown in the Total Win field, and the game is driven by a certified random number generator. Nothing in the base game strays from the format.
Refilling Reels
Every winning spin triggers a Refill. Winning symbols disappear, the remaining symbols fall down, and empty positions are filled from above. The sequence continues until no new winning combinations appear, and there’s no limit to how many times it can chain.
All wins from a base spin are credited once every Refill has played out, so a single spin can grow through several stages before the total lands. It’s the engine that keeps a symbol-count game moving between bonus rounds.
Bet size is set in the Total bet field, with higher bets raising the total win in proportion, and a MAX button takes you to the top of whatever range the operator allows. Autoplay comes in Basic and Advanced flavours: Basic simply runs a chosen number of rounds, and the Autospin button displays the spins remaining.
Advanced settings add stopping conditions. The sequence can halt on any win, on a bonus trigger, on a single win above a figure you set, or when your balance rises or falls past a threshold. Turbo mode and spacebar spins are there for anyone who wants the reels moving faster.
Free Spins and the Multiplier Symbol
The Free Spins round is awarded when four or more Scatter symbols hit anywhere on the screen. The awards step up with the count:
- 4 Scatter symbols award 10 free spins
- 5 Scatter symbols award 20 free spins
- 6 Scatter symbols award 30 free spins
- 3 or more Scatters during the round award 5 additional free spins
The retrigger needs only three Scatters rather than four, which keeps long rounds alive. Retriggers and the base award stack, so a round that keeps hitting Scatters can run well past its starting count. A lucky sequence of five and six symbol drops early can turn a 10-spin start into something far longer.
The Multiplier Symbol
The Multiplier symbol appears only during the Free Spins round, and it stays on screen until the end of the refilling sequence. When it lands, it takes a random value from x2 to x100. When the tumbling sequence ends, the values of all Multiplier symbols on screen are combined, and the total win of the sequence is multiplied by the final figure.
That combination rule is where the round’s real potential sits. A single x100 is the dream, but several mid-value Multipliers pooling into one figure can turn an ordinary tumble into something far bigger, and it’s the mechanic doing the work behind that 10,200x ceiling.
Because the Multiplier stays put until its sequence ends, a long Refill chain can accumulate several of them before the final tally. The payout arrives only when the tumbling stops, so the last drop of a chain is the one that decides how the whole round reads.
Buy Bonus and Chance X Booster
There are two purchase options in the game, and they don’t work together. The Buy Bonus button instantly starts a Free Spins game at the price displayed on the button. If you increase your bet, the Buy Bonus price rises automatically to match.
Free spins begin after the purchase, with the next spin triggering the round, and the button is deactivated while a bonus game is running. The two buys break down like this:
- Buy Bonus – starts a Free Spins round instantly, at the price shown on the button
- Chance X Booster – slightly increases the bet and improves the chances of triggering the bonus game naturally
- The Booster is disabled whenever Buy Bonus is active, so it’s one or the other, never both
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7.1/10
This is a game of two very different tempos. Between bonuses you’re sitting on that moonlit terrace watching scarabs drift in, and the desert can feel wide and empty; then the round hits and everything happens at once, with multipliers stacking towards a number the quiet stretches never hinted at. Anubis guards his gates well, and he doesn’t open them often.
That bonus round is the strength, and it’s a real one: pooled multipliers plus a three-Scatter retrigger give a single round room to run far past its starting count, and the 10,200x ceiling is competitive for the format. The weakness is everything either side of it. With no wild and nothing in the base game beyond the Refills, the waiting is undecorated by mechanics, however lovely the painting behind it.
If you love the tumble-and-multiplier format and want it dressed better than most, this is an easy pick. If you need a base game with its own ideas, the dunes here are quiet. For the patient, though, the gates are worth the walk.
Gates of Anubis FAQs
-
What is the RTP of Gates of Anubis?
The RTP is 96.11%, which sits just above the rough industry average. -
Is Gates of Anubis high volatility?
Yes, it’s a high volatility slot, so wins tend to be less frequent and larger when they arrive. -
What is the grid size of Gates of Anubis?
The game plays out on a 6×5 grid, with wins formed by the number of matching symbols on screen rather than fixed paylines. -
How do you trigger Free Spins in Gates of Anubis?
Four or more Scatter symbols anywhere on the screen award the round: 4 Scatters give 10 free spins, 5 give 20 and 6 give 30. You can also buy the round directly. -
Can Free Spins retrigger in Gates of Anubis?
Yes. Three or more Scatter symbols during the round award five additional free spins, and there’s no stated cap on retriggers. -
How do the Multiplier symbols work in Gates of Anubis?
Multiplier symbols only appear during Free Spins and hold a random value between x2 and x100. When a tumbling sequence ends, all Multiplier values on screen are combined and applied to that sequence’s total win. -
Can you buy the bonus on Gates of Anubis?
Yes, there’s a Buy Bonus button that starts a Free Spins round instantly at the price shown, and it scales with your bet. There’s also a Chance X Booster that slightly raises the bet and improves your odds of triggering the round naturally. -
What is the maximum win on Gates of Anubis?
The maximum win is 10,200x the bet, built through the Free Spins round’s pooled multiplier values. -
When is Gates of Anubis released?
Gates of Anubis’s release date is 27 March 2024. -
Who makes Gates of Anubis?
It’s made by Popiplay, whose other titles include Mummy X Riches and Lokum Rush.
