Starburst Slot Review and How the Wild Respins Work

What Starburst is

NetEnt released Starburst on 23 January 2012, and it has stayed one of the provider's signature games ever since. The theme is a cosmic arcade: glowing gems, golden bars and lucky sevens on a starfield, with light effects that fire on every win. Underneath the visuals the design is minimal. There is no free spins round, no multiplier and no bonus buy. There is one special symbol, the Starburst wild, and one rule that makes it interesting: it expands, holds its reel and gives you a respin.

The layout is five reels by three rows with ten paylines, and NetEnt's own game page describes those lines as paying both ways: from the leftmost reel to the right, and from the rightmost reel to the left. That single detail explains much of the game's character, because it roughly doubles the ways a line can connect.

NetEnt lists an RTP of 96.08%, a hit frequency of 23% and a maximum payout of 800 times the bet. On its game pages the provider has classed Starburst as low volatility.

How a spin works, step by step

1. Set the bet. NetEnt lists a range of 0.10 to 100 per spin, and all ten lines are in play.
2. Spin. Five reels stop on a 5x3 window.
3. Left-to-right wins. Each line is checked for matching symbols starting on reel 1.
4. Right-to-left wins. The same line is then checked from reel 5 backwards.
5. Wild check. If a Starburst wild has landed, it expands to cover its reel, substitutes for paying symbols and triggers a respin with that reel held.
6. Respin. The other reels spin again. A new wild expands, locks and triggers another respin, up to three times in one sequence.

Because there is no scatter and no bonus game, every spin resolves in a few seconds, and that fast rhythm is a big part of the appeal.

Symbols and paytable

The paying set, as NetEnt describes it, is made up of dazzling gems plus two classic icons, the golden bar and the lucky seven. NetEnt does not publish the per-symbol values on its own site; the exact figures appear on the in-game paytable, which shows them in currency at your current stake. Open it before your first spin and note what three, four and five of each symbol pay at your chosen bet.

The Starburst wild itself has no line value. It only substitutes and triggers the respin, so its worth comes entirely from what it helps complete.

Win both ways, explained

In a standard line slot, a winning run must start on reel 1. Starburst also accepts runs that start on reel 5. A few consequences follow:

• Three matching symbols on reels 3, 4 and 5 of a line pay, where most slots would ignore them.
• A single line can connect from both ends on the same spin when two separate runs form, one starting on reel 1 and one starting on reel 5. The in-game rules show exactly how such overlaps are settled.
• A wild near the middle of the grid helps runs in both directions at once, which is why the expanding wild matters so much here.

This is why the hit frequency is as high as 23%: roughly one spin in 4.3 returns something, although many of those wins are smaller than the stake.

Expanding wilds and respins

This is the only feature, so it is worth knowing its exact behavior. When a Starburst wild lands, it expands to cover the whole reel. Every line that crosses that reel now has a wild in that position. The expanded reel then stays in place while the remaining reels respin.

If the respin brings another wild, it also expands and locks, and you get another respin. NetEnt states that this can be triggered up to three times. At the end of a full sequence you can have three reels of wilds held at once, and with both-ways pays, a screen like that connects on many of the ten lines in both directions.

These respins are not free spins in the usual sense. There is no separate round and no counter; they are extra spins at the same stake, triggered by the wild itself.

Worked example: a full respin sequence

Say you play 1.00 per spin, and at that stake your paytable shows a value you can call P for three golden bars on a line.

• Spin 1. A wild lands on a middle reel and expands. Two lines connect bars from the left, so you collect 2 x P, and the reel locks.
• Respin 1. A second wild lands and expands. Now two wild reels sit side by side. Any line with a bar on the reel before them, or after them, completes a three-symbol run. Three lines connect from the left and two from the right: 5 x P.
• Respin 2. A third wild expands. With three wild reels, a single matching symbol on either outer reel of a line is enough, so wins can land on most of the ten lines in both directions.
• Respin 3. The last respin plays out with all three wild reels held, and then the sequence ends.

The totals depend on your paytable values, but the structure is the point: each locked wild reel multiplies the number of lines that can connect, and both-ways pays double the entry points. Even so, the whole game is capped at 800 times the bet, so at 1.00 the ceiling is 800.00 and at the maximum 100 bet it is 80,000.00.

RTP, volatility and what they mean in play

NetEnt lists 96.08% RTP, which over a long run means an average return of about 96.08 for every 100 staked. That is a theoretical average over a huge number of spins, not a promise for a session. Confirm the figure in the help screen of the version you open.

The low volatility label fits the numbers. With a 23% hit rate and an 800x cap, most of the return is spread across frequent small and medium wins instead of rare huge ones. Your balance will move in smaller steps than in a high-volatility slot, which makes Starburst a sensible choice for longer sessions on a fixed budget.

Starburst compared with Gonzo's Quest

The two most famous NetEnt classics take different routes. Gonzo's Quest uses 20 lines, cascading Avalanche reels, a multiplier that climbs to 15x in its Free Fall round and a 2,200x maximum payout, at 95.97% RTP. Starburst keeps 10 both-ways lines, a single wild feature and an 800x cap, at 96.08%. Gonzo offers more upside and more swings; Starburst offers more frequent wins and a lower ceiling.

The contrast with book slots is even sharper. Book of Dead is rated high volatility and caps at 5,000x, with almost all of its value locked inside a free spins round that can take hundreds of spins to arrive. Starburst has no such round to wait for: its only feature can fire on any spin, and a full three-respin sequence is over within seconds. If you prefer to see something happen every few spins instead of chasing one big feature, Starburst is the better match; if you want a shot at a much larger multiple of your stake, it is not built for that.

How to test it and what to check

Starburst is ideal for learning in a free demo (see our demo guide), because a few hundred spins show you almost everything the game can do. Useful things to watch:

• Open the paytable at your stake and note the bar, seven and gem values.
• Count how often wilds appear and how many respins a sequence usually reaches.
• Watch for right-to-left wins so you learn to recognize them on the screen.
• In the help screen, check the RTP figure and the bet limits of that version.

Bankroll and stake sizing

Low volatility does not mean low risk: the house edge still applies on every spin. It does mean your balance usually drains and refills more gradually, so a budget of around 150 to 200 spins at your stake gives a realistic session. Because the ceiling is 800x, raising the stake only scales wins proportionally; it never unlocks a bigger feature. Set a stop point before you start and stick to it.

Where to play Starburst for real money

Welcome bonus up to 500% on the first deposits18+ · Terms apply · Check that the platform is available in your country

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PaylinePilot editorial team · Numbers on this page come from the in-game rules and paytable, not from press releases.