Holy Diver slot

What is the Holy Diver slot machine?

Holy Diver comes from Big Time Gaming, the Sydney studio that created the Megaways mechanic and has been part of Evolution since 2021. It's a fantasy game: a knight, treasure chests and gems, with fireballs raining onto the reels. Reference listings describe it as using a Megaways-style reel set, in which the number of symbols on each reel changes from spin to spin, and the maximum of seven symbols on six reels gives up to 117,649 ways.

What sets it apart is a progression system. Bonuses won in the base game fill a gem meter, and when it's full you choose between playing the free spins straight away or moving up a level, which makes later rounds stronger. The RTP itself rises slightly as you level, from 96.39% to 96.54%.

How Holy Diver's ways change each spin

On a Megaways slot machine, each reel lands with its own height, and the number of ways is the product of the six heights. Wins pay for matching symbols on adjacent reels from the left, in any position. The table shows some examples (reel heights are illustrative):

More ways on a spin doesn't change the RTP; it changes how the return is spread. Listings quote different ways ranges for the base game and the free spins, so the help screen is the place to check the exact limits. The history of Megaways explains how BTG built and then licensed the format, a story also reported when BTG partnered with Blueprint to bring Megaways to UK players (opens in a new tab).

Chests, the gem meter and levelling up

A reference listing describes the core loop like this. The knight opens chests in a scene below the reels, and each chest reveals one of four bonuses. Bonuses won fill a gem meter beside the reels. When four gems are collected, you choose: start the free spins, or level up to the next stage, which adds features for later rounds.

1. Spin as normal; any chest opened awards one of the four base-game bonuses.
2. Each bonus claimed adds to the gem meter.
3. When the meter is full, the game offers a choice.
4. Take the free spins now, at your current level's features.
5. Or level up, so that the next free spins round has stronger features, such as gem wilds with growing multipliers.

Choosing to level up isn't a strategy that beats the game. The listed RTP rises by only 0.15 percentage points across the levels, and volatility changes with it, so levelling mainly changes how the return is delivered: fewer, potentially larger results versus taking a smaller round now. Our progressive multipliers page explains features that build over time.

Holy Diver wilds and fireballs

Reference listings describe several ways wilds appear. Some low symbols can transform into wilds, similar to random wilds. Stacked wilds can fill whole reels and carry multipliers, and when several stacked wilds are part of a win, their multipliers combine. Fireballs, up to four of them, strike the reels and turn neighbouring symbols wild.

Because these listings sometimes disagree on details, treat the exact values, such as multiplier sizes and the number of fireballs, as something to confirm in the game's paytable. What's consistent is the design: base-game features create wilds in different ways, and those wilds work across a changing number of ways.

When wild multipliers combine by multiplying, two x3 wilds in one win give x9, not x6. Our wild multipliers page works through more examples.

Holy Diver free spins

The Holy Diver free spins round is described as 10 free games. Collecting four diamonds during the round adds another spin, the number of ways increases as the round goes on, and gems become wilds. If you levelled up before taking the round, those gem wilds carry multipliers that increase. The help screen states the exact spin counts and multiplier steps for each level.

Holy Diver RTP by level

The Holy Diver RTP runs from 96.39% to 96.54%, depending on the level you're playing at. In pounds the difference is small: the house edge falls from 3.61% to 3.46%. Casinos may also run lower RTP variants, so check the figures in the rules.

A 15p difference per £100 staked is not a reason to play longer to reach a higher level. Our page asking are high RTP slots better explains why small RTP gaps matter far less than volatility in a single session.

Holy Diver max win at UK stake limits

The Holy Diver max win is 23,306 times your stake, reached through the free spins with multiplied wilds. BTG doesn't publish the odds of reaching it.

Is the Holy Diver slot worth playing?

Holy Diver's volatility varies by level, which is unusual: the same game can feel steadier at the start and swingier once levelled. That makes it harder to give a single label, so read the developer's description in the rules and think of it as a game whose character shifts over a session. Our volatility explainer shows what the changes mean in practice.

Because a progression system can make it tempting to keep going 'to reach the next level', set a time and money limit before you start. Our guide to slot session limits and the Gambling Commission's reality check standard (opens in a new tab) explain the tools available.

Holy Diver myths

• A nearly full gem meter means a bonus is due. The meter records past results; the next spin is just as random.
• Levelling up always pays more. The listed RTP rises only slightly, and higher levels can be more volatile.
• More ways on a spin means a better chance of winning money. Ways change how wins spread, not the long-run return.
• You should never leave a game mid-level. Outcomes don't depend on progress; see do slot machines remember past spins.

UK rules and the Holy Diver demo

In Great Britain Holy Diver runs without autoplay or turbo, with each spin lasting at least 2.5 seconds, and with your net position shown; see our net position rule and spin speed rule pages. One reference listing marks autoplay as available, but that applies to versions outside Great Britain. Feature buys aren't offered at UK-licensed casinos, and the stake caps are £5 a spin, or £2 if you're aged 18 to 24.

A Holy Diver demo is offered as free demo play, after age verification, at casinos that provide demos. It's a sensible way to see the chests and gem meter before staking money. To check the RTP in the real version, open the rules from the game menu and look for the return figures by level.

Other Big Time Gaming slots like Holy Diver

For BTG's best-known Megaways games, see Bonanza Megaways, Extra Chilli Megaways and White Rabbit Megaways. For another game with combining wild multipliers, try Buffalo King.

Where to play the Holy Diver slot in the UK

Big Time Gaming slots appear at many UK casinos, but we can't confirm any partner lists Holy Diver at present; search the lobby, because game ranges change. Coral offers new players 100 free spins after they deposit and bet £10 or more on slots; each is worth 10p on selected games, must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days, and winnings carry no wagering. Ladbrokes offers new customers 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500, after £10 of slots play, at 10p each on selected games, claimed by 23:59 each day, valid 7 days and wager-free.

PlayOJO offers 80 free spins at 10p on Big Bass Bonanza to new UK customers outside Northern Ireland who make a first deposit of at least £10, with winnings paid in cash. All three are 18+, terms apply and certain payment methods are excluded. Coral and Ladbrokes are both run by LC International (Entain), so check whether you can join both. Help is free and confidential from the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.

18+. Gambling should be entertainment that costs money, not a way to make it. Decide a budget before you play: plan a slot budget. Free, confidential help: National Gambling Helpline 0808 8020 133.