The Hive Slot Review
A corked glass bottle stands in a sunlit meadow, ivy climbing its neck, a honeycomb hexagon at the centre. The Hive’s best idea is that a spin doesn’t end when the reels stop: bees it summons stay on the frame for up to eighteen further spins, filling a meter and boosting lines as they circle, so almost every result leaves something behind. Very few grid slots let progress survive the spin like this.
That persistence is the argument. Three bee types orbit the hive, each with a different job, and the game’s tension is in keeping them alive long enough to matter. Betsoft run it on a 3-4-5-4-3 hexagonal grid with 30 fixed paylines, an RTP of 96.97% and low volatility – a calmer profile than Stay Frosty or Thai Blossoms, and closer to the quieter corners of the Betsoft catalogue.
The Grid and the Paytable
The grid pays out both ways along cells that align horizontally and diagonally, and coinciding wins on different paylines are added together. Only the highest win counts on each line: a line containing at least one non-wild symbol pays as the best combination of those non-wild symbols, while a line made up entirely of wilds pays like a line of Queen Bees. The wild itself appears on every honeycomb cell in the main game and substitutes for all symbols.
Payouts are reflected dynamically against the selected bet, so the figures below move with your stake. Symbol values are multiples of the total bet:
- Queen Bee – 2x for three, 5x for four, 10x for five
- Ladybug – 1.5x for three, 2.5x for four, 5x for five
- Red, Purple and White Flowers – 0.3x for three, 0.5x for four, 0.8x for five
- A and K – 0.1x for three, 0.3x for four, 0.5x for five
- Q and J – 0.1x for three, 0.2x for four, 0.3x for five
It’s a modest ladder. The Queen Bee tops out at ten times the bet for five of a kind, which tells you the symbols aren’t where this game’s money lives – the multipliers stacked on top of them are.
Meet the Bees of the Hive
With each spin, a bee of any type can spawn at one of 18 designated spots around the hive grid. On every subsequent spin, the bees move clockwise one position, and each one flies away after a random number of spins ranging from three to eighteen. That clockwork movement is the heart of the design: a bee that arrives can circle the hive for a while, doing its job on each pass.
Drone Bees and Worker Bees can be activated any number of times as they travel. Each type has one job:
- Queen Bee – summons a rush of further bees around the grid
- Drone Bee – fills the Honey Meter, one level per drone
- Worker Bee – multiplies winning paylines it’s aligned with
The Queen Bee
The Queen Bee summons a rush of other bees, which can include further Queen Bees, to spawn around the grid – a new bee every consecutive spin for five, six or seven spins depending on how many she summons. Summoned bees stick to the same lifespan rules as any other, flying away after a random three to eighteen spins of their own.
If all 18 spots are occupied, she pauses her summoning until a position frees up, and her remaining count isn’t reduced while she waits. She’s the engine of everything else: a Queen Bee visit populates the hive with the very drones and workers the other systems need, so her value is indirect but considerable.
The Drone Bee and the Honey Meter
Every Drone Bee spawn fills the Honey Meter by one level, and each Drone Bee already around the grid also fills it by one level when a new one appears. More drones means the meter climbs faster – a new arrival with three drones already circling moves the meter four steps at once.
The Worker Bee
Worker Bees only trigger when at least one of them is aligned with a winning payline. When that happens, the line is boosted by a stacking multiplier worth the number of Worker Bees around the hive plus one, and only the paylines a worker actually touches. Five workers circling means a 6x boost on the lines they align with, which makes placement matter as much as count.
Because the bees rotate one position per spin, a worker’s usefulness shifts constantly: a line that misses every worker this spin may sit directly under one the next. It’s the game’s most direct route to a meaningful win.
Sticky Sweet Free Spins
When the Honey Meter is full at 12 levels, five free spins are awarded. Any excess honey left over after the meter fills is carried into it, so a big drone rush that overshoots the twelfth level isn’t wasted. When the round starts, all bees fly away, and they return to their prior spots once it ends. Free spins play at the bet level of the triggering spin, and the round can’t be retriggered from within itself.
Honey Burst Spreading Wilds
Free spins begin with one, two or three Honey Burst Spreading Wilds on the grid. After every spin, each spreading wild moves into adjacent honeycomb cells, and it keeps spreading until there are no free spaces left or the round is over. They substitute for all symbols and vanish when the round ends.
Five spins is a short window, but a spreading wild that lands early can colonise a large share of the grid by the final spin, turning modest paylines into long chains of wilds. The best rounds build towards a last spin where most of the hive is wild – a fitting climax for a game about accumulation.
One operational note: changing the bet level resets all current progress, including the Honey Meter and every bee around the hive. Settle your stake before you start filling anything.
Our Honest Verdict
Overall Rating: 7.7/10
The Hive plays like gardening rather than hunting. Drones fill a meter, workers stack multipliers, a Queen floods the frame with company, and nearly every spin leaves the hive a little further along than the last – that slow accumulation is the whole reason to choose it over a conventional grid slot.
The spreading wilds are its best moment: the one place the steady building turns theatrical, as an early wild takes over more of the grid with each of the five spins. The ceiling is the honest weakness. Low volatility, a paytable topping out at 10x for five Queens and five spins with no retrigger mean it pays often and never large.
It suits players who enjoy a long build and steady, low-stakes sessions rather than a chase, and there’s real charm in tending it. High-volatility hunters will find the honey thin. For everyone else, this quiet meadow gives back exactly what you put into it.
The Hive FAQs
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What is the RTP of The Hive?
The Hive runs at an RTP of 96.97%, a touch above the typical industry average. -
Is The Hive high volatility?
No. The Hive is a low volatility slot, designed for steadier, more frequent payouts rather than large rare wins. -
How many paylines does The Hive have?
The Hive has 30 fixed paylines, paying out both ways along cells that align horizontally and diagonally. -
What is the grid size of The Hive?
The Hive uses a 3-4-5-4-3 hexagonal grid rather than conventional reels, with 18 designated spots around the hive where bees can spawn. -
How do you trigger free spins in The Hive?
Drone Bees fill the 12-level Honey Meter, one level per drone per spawn, with each drone already on the grid adding a further level whenever a new one appears. A full meter awards five Sticky Sweet Free Spins, starting with one, two or three Honey Burst Spreading Wilds on the grid. Any honey left over after the meter fills is carried in, and the bees return to their old spots once the round ends. -
What does the Worker Bee do in The Hive?
A Worker Bee aligned with a winning payline boosts that line with a stacking multiplier. Its value is the count of Worker Bees around the hive plus one, so a hive with four workers carries a 5x boost on any line a worker touches. Because the bees shift one position clockwise each spin, which lines benefit changes from spin to spin. -
Can free spins be retriggered in The Hive?
No. Free spins cannot be retriggered during the free spins mode, and the round awards a fixed five spins. There’s no second helping once the round is running – the meter starts building again only after the bees return. -
Who makes The Hive?
The Hive is made by Betsoft. The Hive’s release date is 25 June 2020.
