Rocket Reels slot

Rocket Reels slot summary

Hacksaw Gaming launched in September 2018 and is best known for Wanted Dead or a Wild. Rocket Reels, from 15 September 2021, was one of its early cluster games: a 7×7 board of planets, asteroids and lower symbols, a cascade system, and a launch feature that decides most of the big results.

If you've played a cluster pays game before, the base rules will feel familiar. The twist is that multipliers don't sit on symbols or wilds. They're left behind on the board by rockets after they take off, and they only matter if the next cluster forms over them.

How the Rocket Reels slot machine plays out

The random number generator decides the whole sequence when you press spin. What follows is the game showing you that result, in this order.

1. Choose your stake and press spin. Forty-nine symbols drop onto the 7×7 board.
2. Clusters of 5 or more matching symbols touching horizontally or vertically are paid.
3. Winning symbols are removed and new ones drop in. This repeats while new wins form.
4. When the cascade ends, if three or more rockets are on the board, they launch.
5. Each rocket clears the symbols above it and leaves a multiplier where it stood.
6. New symbols fill the gaps; any cluster formed over a multiplier spot is multiplied.
7. After a launch, a UFO may appear at random and remove between 20 and all 49 symbols, giving another refill.

Wilds can land anywhere and help complete clusters, but they have no pay value of their own. The cascade idea is covered on our cascading reels page.

Rocket Launch multipliers explained

There are three rocket types, and each leaves a different range of multiplier. Reference listings give these values:

The multipliers stay active for the rest of that cascade sequence. If a cluster covers more than one multiplier spot, the values are added together, not multiplied. So a cluster sitting on a x3 and a x10 is paid at x13.

Worked example

Suppose you stake £1. Three rockets launch and leave x2, x15 and x50. The refill forms a cluster that, unmultiplied, would pay 80p, and it covers the x2 and x15 spots. Those add to x17, so the cluster pays £13.60. If instead it had covered only the x50 spot, it would pay £40. If no cluster forms over any spot, the multipliers do nothing and disappear when the sequence ends. That last case is common, which is part of why the game is rated high volatility.

The UFO feature

After a Rocket Launch, a UFO can appear at random in the base game or the bonus. It removes anything from 20 symbols to the whole board of 49, and new symbols fall in. Because the multiplier spots stay active through the sequence, a big refill gives them another chance to sit under a winning cluster. It's one of several random features that make the game swing from quiet to busy with no warning.

Rocket Reels free spins bonus

Three astronaut scatters landing in the same cascading sequence trigger the bonus, which gives 8 free spins. The important difference from the base game: in free spins, every rocket that lands launches, however many there are, rather than needing three at once. That makes multiplier spots far more frequent.

Hacksaw offers a bonus buy in some markets, but slots supplied to UK casinos don't include one, so in Britain the free spins only come from the scatters. Our page on bonus buy in the UK explains the position.

Rocket Reels RTP and the cost of play

The RTP is 96.3%, or a 3.7% house edge. With high volatility, much of that return is concentrated in rare launches that line up with clusters and in the free spins round. Most base spins return little or nothing.

The last column shows why stake size matters with a high-volatility game. At £1, a £50 budget covers only 50 spins with no wins, which may not be enough to see a single bonus. A lower stake gives more spins for the same money without changing the edge.

Rocket Reels max win at UK stakes

The max win is 10,000 times your stake. Here's what that means at typical UK stakes, using the government's stake limit announcement (opens in a new tab) as the basis for the caps.

Reaching it would need several high rockets lining up under big clusters, usually in free spins. It is very rare. If a round ever reached the limit, it would simply stop there; max win caps explains how that works.

Rocket Reels and UK game design rules

Since 31 October 2021, a month after this game came out, UK slots have had no autoplay, no turbo or slam-stop, a minimum 2.5-second game cycle and no celebrations for returns that are equal to or below the stake. The rules are set out in the Commission's responsible product design standard (opens in a new tab). A long cascade with a launch and a UFO is still one game cycle, so it takes as long as it takes, but it can't be skipped.

One practical effect is the losses disguised as wins rule. On a £1 stake, a cascade paying 60p has no win fanfare, because you're 40p down on that spin.

Checking the Rocket Reels RTP and rules

1. Load the game at your casino while logged in.
2. Open the menu and select game info.
3. Read the rockets and UFO sections for the current multiplier values.
4. Check the free spins page for the trigger and spin count.
5. Find the RTP line; the main figure is 96.3%, and lower versions may be offered by some casinos.

Rocket Reels and similar grid slots

Within Hacksaw's own range, Chaos Crew has the same 10,000x ceiling on a 5×5 line game. Among cluster games, Reactoonz is the closest in feel, with a 7×7 board and high volatility, while Sugar Rush uses multiplier spots left by winning clusters, a different route to a similar idea. More are on our grid slot machines page.

Is the Rocket Reels slot worth playing?

Rocket Reels suits adults who accept that most spins pay little and enjoy the occasional big chain. If you want calmer play, a lower-volatility game will make a budget last more evenly.

Rocket Reels myths

Leftover multiplier spots can make it look as if the next spin is primed. They aren't: they vanish when the sequence ends, and the next spin starts from scratch. The UFO doesn't appear to rescue a losing session, and two rockets on the board don't mean a third is close. Every spin is independent. Our guide to slot machine myths covers the most common misunderstandings.

Where to play Rocket Reels in the UK

Hacksaw games are offered at many UK casinos, though not all, and lobbies change, so search for Rocket Reels before you join. A free demo is often available after age verification. Our partners' welcome spins are for selected games, not this one. 18+ and terms apply.

At Coral, deposit and bet £10 on slots as a new player for 100 free spins at 10p each, which must be accepted within 48 hours and used within 7 days; winnings from them carry no wagering. Ladbrokes offers 50 free spins a day for 10 days, up to 500, once you've played £10 on slots, at 10p each with no wagering. PlayOJO's welcome is 80 spins on Big Bass Bonanza, credited on a first deposit of £10 or more and free of wagering. Coral and Ladbrokes have the same owner, so check whether you're eligible. Find more games in the 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.