John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen slot
John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen is a Pragmatic Play slot released on 26 September 2019, sending the studio’s explorer into the desert in search of the Scarab Queen’s riches. It runs on 5 reels and 3 rows with 25 paylines. Golden scarabs are its money symbols, and a Collect symbol cashes them through one of five Collect features. In the free spins, every scarab gathered is played for again on a final respin.
Editorial note: this guide explains how John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen 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 Tomb of the Scarab Queen: key facts
| Studio | Pragmatic Play |
|---|---|
| Released | 26 September 2019 |
| Reels and paylines | 5 reels, 3 rows, 25 paylines |
| Top line payout | John Hunter: 32x stake for five on a payline |
| Wild | Cleopatra; lands on reels 2 to 5 only |
| Money symbols | Golden scarabs, each carrying a cash value |
| Collect symbol | Collects the values of the money symbols in view |
| Collect features | Collect, Extra Credit Collect, Multiplier Collect, Expanding Collect and Respin Collect |
| Multiplier Collect | Multiplies the value of the money symbols before they are collected |
| Free spins | Three pyramid scatters; the Collect features stay active |
| Free spins pot | Money symbols gathered in the round return for a final respin, where a Collect symbol wins their total |
| 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 | 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 |
All values (Bet Levels, Maximum Wins etc.) mentioned in relation to this slot game are subject to change at any time.
How John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen plays
Wins are paid on 25 paylines across a 5-reel, 3-row grid set against the pyramids of Giza. The card royals from A down to J sit at the bottom of the paytable, with a leather satchel and the Egyptian god Anubis above them, and John Hunter himself is the top-paying symbol. Cleopatra is the wild, and she never appears on the first reel, only on reels 2 to 5. The pyramid is the scatter: three of them together open the free spins. Alongside them land the golden scarabs, money symbols that each show a cash value and are won when a Collect symbol lands with them.
Collect symbols and the golden scarabs
The whole base game turns on the Collect symbols. When one lands, it gathers the values of the golden scarabs showing on the screen, and the type of Collect symbol decides how. The plain Collect simply adds the cash values in view together and pays the total. The Extra Credit Collect does a little more first: it adds value to the scarabs on screen before they are collected. Pragmatic Play lists five Collect features in all, so the same scarabs can be worth different amounts depending on which one arrives.
Multiplier, Expanding and Respin Collect
The other three Collect features change the scarabs before they are counted. Multiplier Collect applies a multiplier to the combined value of the money symbols. Expanding Collect makes the money symbols expand, so they take up more of the grid. Respin Collect gives respins for a chance to land more money symbols. Between them, these three cover the multiply, expand and respin options that Pragmatic Play lists for its Collect symbols, alongside the value boost of Extra Credit Collect.
Free spins in the Scarab Queen’s chamber
Three pyramid scatters landing together take John Hunter into the queen’s treasure chamber for the free spins. Scarabs and Collect symbols keep landing during the round, and the Collect features work as they do in the base game. The difference is a pot: the money symbols gathered during the free spins are kept aside, and when the spins are over they come back onto the reels for one last respin. If a Collect symbol lands on that respin, it wins the value of everything gathered in the round.
John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen compared with Pyramid King
Pyramid King, another Pragmatic Play trip to Egypt, uses the same grid of 5 reels and 3 rows with 25 paylines and also builds its main feature around money symbols, but it handles them differently. There, camels are the money symbols: six or more start three respins in which they lock in place, and each new camel that lands keeps the round going. In the Scarab Queen game, the scarabs are cashed by a Collect symbol instead, through one of five Collect features.
| Game | Released | Grid and lines | Money feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen | 26 September 2019 | 5 reels, 3 rows, 25 paylines | Golden scarab money symbols, cashed by a Collect symbol through five Collect features |
| Pyramid King | 25 June 2020 | 5 reels, 3 rows, 25 paylines | Camel money symbols; six or more lock in place for three respins, which continue as new camels land |
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 Tomb of the Scarab Queen at Fortune Games
In the Fortune Games lobby (18+) it is filed with the slots under the short name Scarab Queen, though its logo shows the full John Hunter title. 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
Where does the Cleopatra wild appear in Scarab Queen?
Cleopatra is the wild, and she is limited to reels 2 to 5, never landing on the first reel. She stands in for the regular paying symbols to help complete line wins, while John Hunter himself stays the top-paying symbol and the pyramid acts as the scatter that leads to the free spins.
How are the golden scarabs won in Scarab Queen?
The scarabs are won when a Collect symbol lands and gathers the money symbols on screen. Which of the five Collect features arrives decides whether the values are paid as they are, boosted, multiplied, expanded or given respins. In the free spins, gathered scarabs also go into the pot played for on the last respin.
What is the story behind the Tomb of the Scarab Queen?
It belongs to Pragmatic Play’s John Hunter series, in which the explorer travels to places such as Bermuda, Central America and ancient Egypt. Here he heads across the desert sands to the pyramids of Giza to find the tomb and riches of the Scarab Queen, and the free spins move the action inside, into a chamber filled with treasure.
Related guides
Checked on 13 November 2026 against Pragmatic Play’s game page for John Hunter and the Tomb of the Scarab Queen, its launch press release and launch announcement, the Casinos.com and OLBG records for the game, Pragmatic Play’s Pyramid King game page and launch release with the Gambling.com record, and the Gambling Commission’s stake-limit and online games design guidance. How we research and check our guides: our editorial policy.