Pirots slot

Pirots slot: a game with no paylines

Most slots pay when symbols line up. Pirots doesn't. ELK Studios, the Stockholm studio founded in 2013 and licensed in Great Britain under Gambling Commission account 40844, built it around a mechanic it calls CollectR. Coloured birds sit on the grid, gems of different colours fill the other squares, and each bird travels around collecting the gems that match it. Every gem collected pays its own value.

ELK says plainly that the win doesn't depend on how many gems are picked up in a pattern, only on the value of each one collected. That makes Pirots one of the more unusual grid slot machines, and the start of a series that now includes Pirots 2 and Pirots 3.

How the Pirots slot machine works: CollectR step by step

1. Set your stake and press spin. The RNG has already decided the full result.
2. Gems and birds land on the 5×5 grid.
3. Each bird moves to collect gems of its own colour that it can reach.
4. Each collected gem pays its value, which depends on its upgrade level and your stake.
5. Collected gems are removed, and new symbols fall into the spaces.
6. Every collected symbol adds to the feature meter; when it fills, chests of feature symbols are awarded.
7. The round continues while birds have gems to collect, then ends.

A worked example (illustrative values)

Imagine a £1 stake. A red bird can reach three red gems worth 10p, 10p and 30p at their current level, so it collects 50p. A blue bird reaches two blue gems worth 20p each, adding 40p. The total for this step is 90p. New symbols fall in and, if birds can reach more matching gems, collection continues. The exact gem values are in the paytable and change as gems are upgraded; these numbers are only for illustration. Because 90p is less than the £1 stake, UK rules mean the game won't celebrate it.

If you know cash collect games, the idea is related: a collector symbol gathers values from the screen. The difference is that Pirots has several collectors, each matching a colour, and the collection repeats as the grid refills.

Pirots feature symbols and the feature meter

ELK's game page lists six feature symbols, which arrive from the chests the feature meter awards, and which birds can collect.

The meter works like a feature trail: progress builds within a round, and filling it is what brings the feature symbols. The detailed effect of each symbol is in the game's help screen, which is worth reading before you play, because the rules are less familiar than a line slot's.

How the grid grows from 5×5 to 8×8

The grid expander is what turns an ordinary round into a big one. Each expansion adds rows or columns, giving the birds more gems within reach. A larger grid doesn't change the value of an individual gem, but it means more of them, which is where most of the larger results come from.

In-between shapes may occur depending on how the expander works in your version; the help screen explains the exact steps. Related mechanics are covered under expanding reels and symbol upgrades.

Pirots bonus game and the free spins question

There's no free spins round in the usual sense. Instead, ELK describes a bonus game triggered when the birds collect three bonus symbols during one game round. When it starts, the grid size, the win level of the gems and the feature meter all carry over from the round that triggered it. That carry-over is the reason a bonus that starts after a big build-up can be worth much more than one that starts on a small grid.

ELK's page also describes X-iter, a menu of five paid modes that start features directly, from a 3x bet up to a 500x Super Bonus. Feature buys aren't offered on slots supplied to Great Britain, so UK players reach the bonus only through normal play. Our page on bonus buy in the UK explains why.

Pirots RTP: why 94% matters

Pirots has an RTP of 94%, which means a house edge of 6%. That's noticeably higher than the 3.5%–4% edge on many popular online slots, and over a long session the difference adds up.

Put another way, for every £100 staked, Pirots is designed to keep about £2 more than a 96% game. That's the price of the mechanic, and worth knowing before you choose it. With medium–high volatility, short sessions can still swing a long way either side of these averages.

Pirots max win at UK stake limits

ELK lists a maximum potential of 10,000 times the bet. Under the Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab), stakes are capped at £5 a spin for adults aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18–24.

Those figures need a maxed-out grid and fully upgraded gems working together, almost always in the bonus. Few players will ever see them.

UK rules that apply to Pirots

Pirots arrived after the online game design rules of 31 October 2021, so the UK version was built to them from the start: no autoplay, a game cycle of at least 2.5 seconds, no turbo or slam-stop, and no celebrating a return that's equal to or smaller than the stake. Your net position is shown throughout. Game rules and the likelihood of winning must be explained, as the Commission's standard on rules and game descriptions (opens in a new tab) requires. Our net position rule page explains the on-screen display.

How to check the Pirots RTP and feature rules

1. Open Pirots in your casino's lobby while logged in.
2. Tap the menu or information button to open the help pages.
3. Read the CollectR section to see how birds move and what each gem level pays.
4. Read each feature symbol's rules, especially the grid expander and upgrade.
5. Find the RTP statement and confirm the percentage, which our facts list as 94%.

Pirots, Pirots 2 and Pirots 3 compared

All three share a 94% RTP in our facts. The sequels start on bigger grids and are rated higher volatility. Pirots 2 swaps gems for amber. For the details, read Pirots vs Pirots 2.

Is the Pirots slot worth it?

It suits adults who enjoy a game with moving parts and are content to pay a little more per spin for it. If the lowest cost matters most, a slot with an RTP around 96% is cheaper to play over time; our page on high-RTP slot machines lists some.

Pirots demo and myths

You can play a free Pirots demo at many UK casinos after age verification. It's a sensible way to learn how the birds move without staking money. A few myths to set aside: a nearly full meter at the end of one round says nothing about the next; birds aren't steered by anything you do; and a run of small rounds doesn't make a large one due. Each round is decided by the RNG on its own. Read slot machine myths for more.

Where to play Pirots in the UK

ELK's games are available at a number of UK casinos, but lobbies vary and change, so search for Pirots before you open an account. None of our partners' welcome offers is tied to this game. All are for adults aged 18 or over, and terms apply.

• Coral: new players who deposit and bet £10 on slots get 100 free spins, 10p each on selected games, accepted within 48 hours and valid 7 days, with no wagering on free spin winnings. Runs 1 October 2026 to 1 February 2027; Neteller, PayPal, Paysafe, Skrill, prepaid cards and certain debit cards don't qualify.
• Ladbrokes: play £10 on slots for 50 free spins a day over 10 days, up to 500, at 10p each on selected games, with no wagering.
• PlayOJO: 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza after a first deposit of £10 or more, winnings paid in cash with no wagering; not available in Northern Ireland.

Because one company, LC International Limited, operates both Coral and Ladbrokes, read the terms before trying to claim at the second brand. For other games, visit our slots hub.

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.