When Mahjong Ways free spins can appear during a round

01 · Free spins

How do Mahjong Ways free spins start?

Three Scatter symbols anywhere on the reels trigger the free spins feature in both PG Soft games. The Scatter is shown as a red character, 胡 (hu). In Mahjong Ways, three Scatters award 12 free spins; in Mahjong Ways 2, they award 10. Each additional Scatter adds two more free spins, and the feature can retrigger.

The Scatter is a specific symbol, not a colour or a special version of a regular tile. The Wild substitutes for other symbols but not for the Scatter. So a Wild does not replace a missing Scatter to complete the trigger. The key difference between the two features is not the basic trigger rule, but the starting number of free spins and what happens to gold symbols during the Mahjong Ways 2 feature.

Free spins are a game feature, not a guaranteed result or a separate cash reward. Winning combinations and cascades are still determined by the game. For an overview of the games’ controls and symbols, see how to play Mahjong Ways. The Mahjong Ways demo can also be used to view the feature with virtual credits.

02 · Free spins

Mahjong Ways and Mahjong Ways 2: feature comparison

Both games have a medium session volatility classification in the official game information. Their free spins are not identical, even though the trigger, extra-Scatter rule, retrigger option and multiplier ladder match. The row layout also differs: Mahjong Ways 2 has an additional row on the three middle reels and displays 2,000 ways, compared with 1,024 in Mahjong Ways.

The percentages in the table are game information, not a promise about an individual session. RTP is a long-term theoretical measure, while the feature hit rate describes how rarely the feature is recorded in the game information. Neither figure tells a player when the next trigger will occur. More detail on the published figures is available in the guide to RTP and max win.

03 · Free spins

What happens during the Mahjong Ways bonus?

The free spins feature changes the multiplier ladder. In the main game, the multiplier starts at x1. If a cascade wins in the first round, the next round uses x2; a win in the second round raises the next round to x3; a win in the third round raises it to x5 for the fourth round and beyond. The ladder resets when a new spin begins.

During free spins, the multipliers shown above the reels are x2, x4, x6 and x10. These values apply to the feature’s cascade rounds as the game rules describe them. They are multipliers, not guaranteed payouts: a multiplier matters only when a winning result occurs, and a free spin can also finish without a win.

Cascades are part of both games. When symbols form a win, the winning symbols are removed and new symbols drop into the open spaces. The game checks the resulting layout for another win, so one spin can have several rounds. A cascade may therefore interact with the multiplier progression, but it does not mean that a win will occur on every round.

Gold Plated symbols appear on reels 2, 3 and/or 4 in either game during spins. They are regular symbols in gold, not Scatter or Wild symbols. If a gold symbol is involved in a win, it turns into a Wild when the next symbols cascade down. A Wild substitutes for all symbols except the Scatter.

Mahjong Ways 2 adds a more specific gold-symbol rule during free spins: all symbols on reel 3 appear in gold, except Wild and Scatter. When an eligible gold symbol is involved in a win, it changes into a Wild after the symbols cascade. This is the main feature distinction often meant by the description that the middle reel is all gold. It does not turn the Scatter into a Wild or change the Scatter trigger.

04 · Free spins

How often do the Scatters and free spins hit?

The official figures list a free spins feature hit rate of 0.49% for Mahjong Ways and 0.46% for Mahjong Ways 2. These are rare-event rates. They are not a schedule, a countdown or an assurance that the feature will appear after a particular number of spins. Each spin is independent, so previous results do not make a Scatter trigger due.

The reported RTP is 96.92% for Mahjong Ways, comprising 68.89% from the main game and 28.03% attributed to free spins. Mahjong Ways 2 has a reported RTP of 96.95%, comprising 70.39% from the main game and 26.56% attributed to free spins. The feature share is part of the theoretical RTP calculation; it is not the percentage of a player’s session that will be returned through free spins.

A high or low result in a short session does not change those published theoretical figures. Third-party pages may display changing “RTP live” values, but hourly changing percentages are not official PG Soft RTP information. The published RTP is a long-term theoretical value for a game version and does not predict the outcome of a particular session.

The games also publish advertised maximum wins of 25,000x the bet for Mahjong Ways and 100,000x the bet for Mahjong Ways 2. These are advertised values, not typical outcomes. In one billion simulated spins, the maximum exposures observed were 2,893x and 1,708x respectively. The simulated results and advertised maximums describe different measures; neither predicts what an individual player will receive.

05 · Free spins

Is there a Mahjong Ways feature buy?

The official rules PDFs for Mahjong Ways and Mahjong Ways 2 do not describe a Feature Buy or bonus buy. The documented way to enter free spins is to land the required Scatter symbols during play. A button or offer on a third-party platform should not be treated as an official game mechanic unless it is present in the game’s own rules.

There is also a distinction between the game’s free spins and a platform promotion. A gaming platform may advertise an operator bonus separately, with its own eligibility rules, wagering conditions and expiry terms. Those conditions are set by the platform, not by the PG Soft free spins feature. Read the terms before relying on a promotion; do not assume that an operator offer changes the Scatter trigger, multiplier ladder or game RTP.

The official PG Soft catalogue and game material are the reference for the game’s rules. The PG Soft game page provides official game information. For more detail about the sequel’s layout and mechanics, see the Mahjong Ways 2 guide.

06 · Free spins

Black Scatter, Super Scatter and other claims

A black Scatter, sometimes called “scatter hitam”, is not part of Mahjong Ways or Mahjong Ways 2 in the official rules. The Scatter described for these games is the red 胡 character. Claims about a separate black version should not be confused with the documented symbol or trigger.

“Mahjong Ways Super Scatter” is not a feature in this PG Soft series. Mahjong Wins Super Scatter is a separate mahjong-themed slot by another provider, Pragmatic Play. It is not Mahjong Ways or Mahjong Ways 2, and its rules should not be used to explain PG Soft’s games.

PG Soft’s official catalogue lists Mahjong Ways and Mahjong Ways 2; it does not confirm a Mahjong Ways 3. Games using that name on platforms are from other studios, not a third PG Soft release. This guide does not attribute features or figures from those games to PG Soft. See Mahjong Ways 3, Super Scatter and myths for a summary of these naming claims.

Predictions, patterns, tricks and hacks do not make a Scatter more likely. The outcomes are generated by a random number generator, and every spin is independent. A previous run of symbols, a sequence of misses or a supposed timing pattern cannot establish when the next free spins feature will trigger.

07 · Free spins

What should players in India know?

India’s Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act, 2025 (Act No. 32 of 2025) received assent on 22 August 2025. The law applies across India, including to services operated from outside the country, and imposes a complete ban on online money games, their offering, advertising, and promotion. It also bars banks and payment systems from processing transactions for them. The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules, 2026 came into force on 1 May 2026; an authority determines whether a game is an online money game.

Under this stated position, playing Mahjong Ways for real money is an online money game. This guide does not present real-money play as permitted or recommend using a third-party platform. The free public demo uses virtual credits and involves no money. See the India legal status page for the country-specific summary.

The PG Soft demo is available in several interface languages; this section uses its English interface. The games are HTML5 and can run in a browser or inside a gaming platform. PG Soft does not provide an official standalone Mahjong Ways APK. Login and registration belong to a gaming platform, not to the game itself. For information about virtual-credit play, use the demo page rather than a third-party download claim.

The games are for adults aged 18 and over. If gaming is causing distress or feels difficult to control, Tele MANAS can be reached on 14416 or 1-800-891-4416. It is a free, 24x7 national tele mental health helpline in 20 languages; details are available from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. For cyber fraud reporting, use the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal or call 1930.