On this page
What Cheetah Wild is
Cheetah Wild is a Pragmatic Play release from October 2026 that sends you on safari across a 5x4 grid. Wins are counted with 1024 ways rather than fixed lines: any symbol that lands on adjacent reels from the leftmost reel forms a way, and every combination on screen is paid. If the difference between lines, ways and clusters is new to you, our pay systems guide covers it.
The selling point is a collect mechanic that will feel familiar if you have played Big Bass Bonanza, but the details differ. Here the collector is its own symbol that lives on reel 1, money symbols can land in the base game and pay right away, and wilds bring their own multipliers. The free spins then add a five step level system in which animal premiums become money symbols for the rest of the round.
The key numbers from the provider: RTP 96.50%, a maximum win of 5,000x your bet with a stated chance of 1 in 3,703,704 spins, and a rules screen that describes the game as low volatility.
How a spin works step by step
- Set the stake. A normal spin costs 20 coins, so the total bet is twenty times the coin value. Turning on the ante bet raises the cost to 50 coins.
- The reels stop. Five reels, four rows. Wilds can only appear on reels 2, 3 and 4. Money symbols land on reels 2 to 5. The collect symbol lands only on reel 1.
- Ways are paid. Matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left pay per way. Two of a kind already pays for the four premium symbols.
- Wild multipliers apply. A wild may carry x2 or x3. Its multiplier boosts all wins on the screen, and two or more multiplier wilds multiply each other, up to x27.
- The collect check. If a collect symbol on reel 1 connects through adjacent money symbols or wilds on the reels to its right, it pays the sum of all money values in that way, boosted by any wild multipliers.
- Scatter check. Three, four or five scatters start the free spins with 8, 15 or 20 spins.
Symbols and paytable
The paytable splits into four animal premiums, six lower symbols, plus the special set: wild, scatter, collect, money and, in free spins only, Level Up. The rules name the elephant, rhino, zebra and gazelle as the high payers that the bonus converts. The values below are per way, shown as multiples of your total bet, taken from the game's own paytable data.
| Symbol | x2 | x3 | x4 | x5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top premiums (2 symbols) | 0.25x | 1.25x | 3.25x | 4x |
| Second premiums (2 symbols) | 0.15x | 0.5x | 1.75x | 2.5x |
| Lower symbols, tier 1 (2) | - | 0.25x | 1x | 2.25x |
| Lower symbols, tier 2 (2) | - | 0.15x | 0.75x | 2x |
| Lower symbols, tier 3 (2) | - | 0.15x | 0.4x | 1.5x |
| Scatter | - | 1x | 6.25x | 11.25x |
Because this is a ways game, a symbol that appears twice on reel 2 doubles the number of ways, so stacked hits pay several times over. Even so, regular line wins are small: five top premiums on one way return 4x. The real money in Cheetah Wild comes from collects and multiplier wilds.
Money symbols and the collect symbol
Each money symbol takes a random value on every spin. The full list in the rules is 0.25x, 0.5x, 0.75x, 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, 2.5x, 3.75x, 5x, 7.5x, 10x, 12.5x, 25x, 37.5x, 50x, 75x and 100x your base bet. On their own they pay nothing. They need the collect symbol on reel 1 and an unbroken left to right way of money symbols or wilds starting from reel 2.
That last condition matters. A 25x money symbol on reel 4 is dead if reel 2 and reel 3 carry no money symbols or wilds in the way. Wilds help here twice: they keep the way alive and add their multiplier to the collected sum. The multipliers guide explains why multiplying multipliers grow so fast.
Worked example. You play a 1.00 total bet. The collect symbol lands on reel 1, a 5x money symbol on reel 2, a wild with x3 on reel 3 and a 2.5x money symbol on reel 4. The collect adds 5x and 2.5x for 7.5x, and the x3 wild lifts that to 22.5x, so the spin pays 22.50 before any regular way wins. Had reel 3 held a second wild with x2 next to the first, the combined multiplier would be x6 and the same collect would pay 45.00.
Free spins and the Level Up meter
Three, four or five scatters award 8, 15 or 20 free spins. During the round, two scatters are enough to add spins: two, three, four or five scatters give 5, 8, 15 or 20 more. Special reels are in play for the feature.
The new piece is the Level Up symbol. It appears only in free spins. When it lands it is added to a meter and then turns into a money symbol on the grid, so it still has a cash value for any collect. The meter unlocks levels at fixed totals:
| Level Up symbols collected | Level | What changes for the rest of the round |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | 1 | Starting state |
| 4 | 2 | Elephants become money symbols on screen and reel strips |
| 7 | 3 | Rhinos also become money symbols |
| 13 | 4 | Zebras also become money symbols |
| 15 | 5 | Gazelles also become money symbols; Level Ups stop being collected |
Each level changes the reel strips, not only the current screen. At level 5 every premium position that used to pay a small way win now arrives as a cash value, which is why a round that reaches the late levels can look completely different from one that stalls at level 2.
A worked free spins example
Take a 1.00 stake and a trigger with four scatters, so you start with 15 free spins at level 1. Over the first six spins you land four Level Up symbols. Each of them became a money symbol when it was collected, and the fourth pushes the round to level 2: from now on elephants arrive as money symbols.
On spin nine a collect symbol lands on reel 1. Reel 2 holds an ex-elephant money symbol worth 2x and a 10x money symbol, reel 3 a wild with x2, reel 4 a 5x money symbol. The collect adds 2x, 10x and 5x for 17x, the x2 wild doubles that, and the spin pays 34.00. Two scatters later in the round would add 5 more spins, giving the meter more chances to reach level 3.
Ante bet and bonus buys
The ante bet changes the stake from 20 to 50 coins, so a 1.00 base bet costs 2.50. In return, base game spins have a higher chance of money symbols with higher values, and free spins triggered with the ante use reel strips with more wilds, a higher chance of x3 wilds and bigger money values. Its RTP is 96.51%. Note the cap: the 5,000x maximum is counted on the base bet, so with the ante on it equals 2,000x of what you actually stake.
Two bonus buys are available:
- Free spins for 100x. Three, four or five scatters are guaranteed on the triggering spin. RTP 96.57%, the highest of any mode.
- Super free spins for 500x. The round starts with 9 to 15 Level Up symbols already collected, so it opens at level 3 at minimum. RTP 96.50%.
At a 1.00 stake those buys cost 100.00 and 500.00. The super version skips the two least valuable levels, but you pay five times as much, and nothing in the rules guarantees a collect symbol on any given spin.
RTP, volatility and max win
The RTP is 96.50% in normal play, 96.51% with the ante, 96.57% for the 100x buy and 96.50% for the 500x buy. Operators can run other configurations, so the rules screen in your casino is the place to confirm the figure you actually get.
The rules screen labels Cheetah Wild a low volatility game, one that pays out more often in smaller amounts while still offering big wins. That fits the design: small way wins and money symbols in the base game keep the balance moving, while the 5,000x ceiling is reached only through stacked multipliers in a late level bonus. See the volatility guide for how to size sessions around that.
How to test it in the demo
The free demo above runs the provider's own build. Spend a hundred spins in the base game with ante off and count two things: how often a collect symbol lands on reel 1, and how often it actually connects to money symbols. That ratio tells you more about the game than any single big hit. Then turn the ante on for another hundred spins and compare the money values you see.
In the rules screen, check the RTP line for each mode, the stated maximum win and the bet limits, which depend on the casino. Our demo guide lists what else to look for before you play for real money.
Where to play Cheetah Wild for real money
Frequently asked questions
What is the RTP of Cheetah Wild?
The base RTP is 96.50%. With the ante bet it is 96.51%, the 100x free spins buy runs at 96.57% and the 500x super free spins buy at 96.50%. Casinos can use other configurations, so check the figure in the game's rules screen before you play.
How many ways does Cheetah Wild have?
The game uses a 5x4 grid with 1024 ways to win. Matching symbols pay when they land on adjacent reels starting from the leftmost reel, and the four premium symbols already pay for two of a kind.
How does the collect symbol work?
The collect symbol lands only on reel 1. When it connects through adjacent money symbols or wilds on reels 2 to 5 in a left to right way, it pays the sum of all money values, multiplied by any wild multipliers in that way.
How do the wild multipliers work?
Wilds appear on reels 2, 3 and 4 and can carry x2 or x3. A multiplier wild boosts all wins on the screen, and when two or more of them hit, their values multiply each other up to a maximum of x27.
How do you trigger free spins in Cheetah Wild?
Three, four or five scatters award 8, 15 or 20 free spins. During the round, two to five scatters add 5, 8, 15 or 20 more spins, and Level Up symbols fill a meter that unlocks four further levels.
What is the max win in Cheetah Wild?
The maximum win is 5,000x the base bet, with a stated chance of 1 in 3,703,704 spins. With the ante bet on, the cap is still counted on the base bet, which equals 2,000x of the raised stake.
Can you buy the bonus in Cheetah Wild?
Yes. Free spins cost 100x the total bet with three to five scatters guaranteed. Super free spins cost 500x and start with 9 to 15 Level Up symbols already collected, so the round opens at level 3 or higher.
New
New
