Valley of the Gods slot

How the Valley of the Gods slot machine's growing grid works

Valley of the Gods came out on 24 August 2017, according to Yggdrasil's game page. It looks like many Egyptian slot machines, with scarabs, gods and hieroglyphs, but it plays very differently from the book-style games such as Book of Dead. There are no paylines and no scatter-triggered free spins. Instead, the grid itself is the feature.

The board is five by five, but most of it starts covered. Only the positions in the middle are live, giving 45 ways to win. Each win triggers a respin and breaks open more of the grid. If you clear every blocked position, the game moves into its most valuable stage, with multipliers and extra lives.

From 45 to 3,125 ways: the arithmetic

Like other ways to win slot machines, the ways count is the number of open positions on each reel multiplied together. A count of 45 matches a diamond-shaped window of 1, 3, 5, 3 and 1 positions; a fully open grid has five on every reel.

The middle rows are worked examples of the sum rather than a fixed sequence; the help screen explains exactly which blockers a win destroys. The jump from 45 to 3,125 ways is close to seventy times as many ways, which is why a fully opened board can pay so much more than an ordinary spin.

Respins step by step

Yggdrasil's own description is short: each win triggers a respin that expands the play area, blockers are destroyed, and clearing the whole area activates multipliers and extra lives. In practice a sequence runs like this.

1. You pay for one spin. The random number generator fills the open positions.
2. Any winning combination is paid, and blockers on the grid are broken open, enlarging the play area.
3. A respin follows automatically on the larger area, at no extra cost.
4. The cycle repeats for as long as each respin produces a new win.
5. If a respin produces no win, the sequence ends and the grid resets for the next paid spin.
6. If every blocker is cleared, multipliers and extra lives come into play, giving the sequence more chances to continue.

That makes it a respins game with expanding reels, rather than a free spins game. Each paid spin is self-contained: progress does not carry over once a sequence ends.

The respins belong to the paid spin that started them, so they play out on their own. Between paid spins, UK rules still forbid autoplay.

Valley of the Gods free spins and bonus: what to expect

People often search for 'Valley of the Gods free spins', but the game's bonus is the full-grid stage rather than a separate round. Once the board is clear, the developer describes 'large multipliers' and extra lives being awarded. Lives let the sequence carry on through a respin that would otherwise have ended it, and the multipliers increase the value of wins on the fully open grid.

We have not found an official breakdown of the multiplier steps or the number of lives, so we do not quote them. The game's help screen sets them out in full, and it is worth reading before you play, since this stage is where most of the game's value is concentrated.

Valley of the Gods RTP and cost per 100 spins

Yggdrasil states an RTP of 96.2%, leaving a house edge of 3.8%. For every £100 staked over a very long run, about £96.20 comes back. That is in line with the online average.

High volatility means the averages hide wide swings. Many paid spins end after one small win or none, and the occasional fully cleared grid contributes much of the return. A short session is more likely to finish below the average cost than above it.

Valley of the Gods max win at UK stakes

The maximum win is 5,800 times the stake; Yggdrasil's page gives it as €580,000 at the top stake. In Great Britain, stakes on online slots are capped at £5 for adults aged 25 and over and £2 for those aged 18 to 24, per the Gambling Commission's online slots stake limit guidance (opens in a new tab).

That ceiling needs a fully opened grid, high-value symbols and large multipliers together. The developer does not publish how often it happens. For context on how caps compare across games, see what slot has the biggest max win.

Is Valley of the Gods worth playing?

It suits adults who like a mechanic with a visible goal and accept that most attempts fall short. For calmer play, our page on low volatility slot machines suggests a different kind of game.

Slots similar to Valley of the Gods

Legacy of Dead offers a more traditional Egyptian experience with expanding symbols in free spins. From Yggdrasil, Vikings Go Berzerk and Holmes and the Stolen Stones show the studio's other approaches to features.

Myths and facts about the Valley of the Gods slot

• 'A nearly cleared grid will finish next time.' The grid resets after each paid spin, and every spin is random.
• 'The game remembers how close you got.' It does not; see do slot machines remember past spins.
• 'Bigger stakes clear more blockers.' Stake changes the value of wins, not where symbols land.
• 'Respins are free gifts.' They are part of the spin you paid for, and their value is already in the 96.2% RTP.

UK rules on the Valley of the Gods slot

In Great Britain, online slots must take at least 2.5 seconds per game cycle, with no autoplay, turbo or slam-stop, under rules in force since 31 October 2021. The Commission set out its reasons in the consultation response on online games design (opens in a new tab). Wins worth no more than the stake are not celebrated, your net position is always shown, and demos are only playable after age verification. Our UK slot machine rules guide covers each rule.

1. To check the RTP, open the game menu and go to the help or rules page.
2. Find the return to player statement and confirm it reads 96.2%.
3. Read the section on clearing the grid to see the multiplier and lives rules.

Where to play Valley of the Gods in the UK

Yggdrasil games are offered by many UK-licensed casinos, but we do not claim any of our partners carries Valley of the Gods. Search the lobby first, as availability changes.

All three offers are for new customers aged 18+, and terms apply. PlayOJO gives 80 free spins on Big Bass Bonanza, at 10p each, with a first deposit of £10 or more; there is no wagering, and the offer is not open in Northern Ireland. Ladbrokes hands out as many as 500 spins at 10p, 50 a day for 10 days, after a £10 slots spend, and Coral gives 100 free spins at 10p for a £10 slots bet; certain payment methods do not qualify for either.

Decide your spend before you start and use the casino's limit tools. If you want to stop gambling online altogether for a while, GAMSTOP (opens in a new tab) blocks every GB-licensed site in one step, and the National Gambling Helpline is free 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.