John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways slot
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways is a Pragmatic Play slot released in September 2023, part of the studio’s John Hunter adventure series. It takes the Egyptian tomb story onto 6 Megaways reels with up to 117,649 ways to win. Its signature is the special expanding symbol: on any base-game spin one symbol can be picked at random to stretch over its reel, and the free spins hold one such symbol from start to finish.
Editorial note: this guide explains how John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways works. Rules, features and payout figures are set by the studio and can differ between operators and game versions, so check the game’s information panel before you play. Slots are games of chance, and nothing here predicts results. Availability at Fortune Games can change.
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John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways: key facts
| Studio | Pragmatic Play |
|---|---|
| Released | September 2023 |
| Reels and ways | 6 reels, up to 117,649 ways, as page 1 of the Game Rules in our lobby shows |
| Wild | Substitutes for all symbols except the book scatter and can appear on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5, as pages 1 and 2 of the Game Rules in our lobby show |
| Book scatter | 3, 4, 5 or 6 anywhere pay 3x, 15x, 100x or 500x stake and start the free spins (shown as 3x, 15x, 100x and 500x base bet on page 2 of the Game Rules in our lobby) |
| Top regular symbol payout | The explorer John Hunter: 2x the stake for six of a kind (£1.60 at an 80p stake), as page 1 of the Game Rules in our lobby shows |
| Special expanding symbol | Can be chosen at random on any base-game spin; it expands to cover its reel if that would make a win, as page 2 of the Game Rules in our lobby shows |
| Free spins | 10 for three or more scatters, with one symbol chosen to expand throughout the round, as page 2 of the Game Rules in our lobby shows |
| Retriggers | Three or more scatters during the round add 10 more spins, as page 2 of the Game Rules in our lobby shows; there is no limit on retriggers |
| Ante bet | Pragmatic Play’s name for a separate setting that raises the chance of triggering the free spins; this guide covers the standard game only |
| Autoplay and turbo | Not available at sites licensed in Great Britain; UK rules require at least 2.5 seconds between the start of one game cycle and the next |
| Stakes | From 20p a spin in the studio’s range. UK rules cap online slot stakes at £5 a spin, or £2 if you are 18 to 24 |
| RTP | Shown in the game’s information panel |
| Series | John Hunter (compared below) |
All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to this slot game are subject to change at any time.
Page 1 of the Game Rules in our lobby lists the symbol pays at an 80p bet, from £1.60 for six of the explorer down to 8p for three of the Q, J or 10. It says the wild substitutes for all symbols except the scatter and can appear on reels 2, 3, 4 and 5, and gives the maximum number of ways to win as 117,649. Game and artwork © Pragmatic Play.
How John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways plays
The reels change size on every spin, and wins are counted as ways: three to six matching symbols on adjacent reels, starting from the leftmost one. Card values 10, J, Q, K and A fill the low end of the paytable. Above them sit four higher-paying pictures that carry the Egyptian story: the scarab beetle, the cat statue, the pharaoh and the explorer John Hunter himself.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways in our lobby on 14 November 2026, at 80p a spin: six reels showing two symbols each, with the Megaways counter reading 64. The bottom line shows your net position and time played, which UK rules require for online slots. Game and artwork © Pragmatic Play.
Unlike the original game, this version splits the wild from the book. The wild fills gaps in a line of matching symbols but cannot stand in for the book, which acts only as the scatter. Books pay wherever they land, and three or more open the feature.
The special expanding symbol in the base game
Any spin in the base game can come with a special expanding symbol, picked at random from the regular symbols. Once the reels settle and the normal wins are paid, every copy of that symbol which can form a win expands to cover the whole of its reel, and it then pays from any position. Nothing has to be triggered for it to happen, and the chosen symbol can be a card value or one of the pictures.
Page 2 of the Game Rules in our lobby: the scatter is a book that pays 3x to 500x the base bet for three to six, and three or more trigger 10 free spins with one special expanding symbol used for the whole round. In the base game a special expanding symbol is selected on random spins, and it expands to fill its reels if that would result in a win. Game and artwork © Pragmatic Play.
Free spins with a fixed expanding symbol
Three or more books anywhere start 10 free spins. Before the first spin, one symbol is selected to be the expanding symbol for the whole round, and it can be a card value or one of the premium pictures. Whenever enough of it lands to make a win, it stretches across its reels. That choice is locked in until the last free spin, so whichever symbol is drawn at the start, explorer or card value, is the one that expands in every spin of the round.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways compared with John Hunter and the Book of Tut
The obvious reference point is John Hunter and the Book of Tut, the May 2020 game this one rebuilds. The original runs on a fixed 5x3 grid with 10 paylines, and its Book of Tut symbol is wild and scatter in one. The Megaways edition moves to six reels and up to 117,649 ways, gives the wild its own symbol so the book only scatters, and adds a random expanding symbol to base-game spins as well as to the free spins.
| Game | Released | Grid and lines | Book symbol |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Hunter and the Book of Tut | May 2020 | 5x3, 10 paylines | Wild and scatter in one |
| John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways | September 2023 | 6 reels, up to 117,649 ways | Scatter only, with a separate wild |
All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to this slot game are subject to change at any time.
John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways at Fortune Games
Our lobby files it with the slots (18+), close to the 5x3 Book of Tut and the Respin edition, so the three versions of the story are easy to set side by side. The UK caps in the table apply to every player. There is no autoplay or turbo mode, as at every site licensed in Great Britain. Fortune Games has an app on the App Store and Google Play.
Frequently asked questions
Does the book work as a wild in John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways?
No. In this edition the book is a scatter and nothing more: it triggers the free spins and pays on its own wherever it lands. A separate wild covers the substituting, and that wild is not allowed to replace a book. Players coming from the 5x3 game, where one book symbol did both jobs, should look for two different symbols here.
When does the expanding symbol pay in the base game?
Only after the ordinary ways wins from that spin have been paid. The randomly chosen symbol then expands over its reel if it can form a win, and the expanded positions are counted again as a new result that pays from any position. On spins where no expanding symbol is chosen, the reels settle and pay in the usual way.
Is there a cap on retriggers in John Hunter and the Book of Tut Megaways?
No cap is set. Each time three or more books appear during the free spins, 10 spins are added to the count, and this can happen again and again within one round. The expanding symbol chosen at the start stays the same through every added spin, so retriggers lengthen the round rather than change its character.
Related guides
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- Legacy of Dead slot
- Megaways slots
- Free spins rounds explained
- More real money slots
Checked on 14 November 2026 against Pragmatic Play’s game page and its September 2023 launch announcement for the game, the OLBG, Gambling.com and PokerListings game records, the PokerListings and OLBG records for John Hunter and the Book of Tut, the Gambling Commission’s stake-limit guidance and remote technical standards, and the game in the Fortune Games lobby on 14 November 2026. Reviewed by Kay Cheadle on 14 November 2026. How we research and check our guides: our editorial policy.